Juicy, marinated steak covered in a fresh, vibrant, sightly spicy chimichurri sauce. This Argentinean dish will have you dancing round the kitchen, it’s that good!
I first discovered this vibrant dish at an Argentinean steak house in the Wicker Park neighborhood in Chicago. My husband took me there on a date before we were married and before I was even living in Chicago.
It was during the summer of our second year of law school. I was living at home with my parents outside St. Louis and working for my dad for the summer. My husband was working and living in Chicago. I would take the train up almost every weekend to visit. I looked forward to these trips all week long; I obviously missed spending time with my husband, but I also loved exploring the crazy, bustling world of Chicago. I had never lived in a big city before and found Chicago exhilarating and exciting. There seemed to be an endless amount of things to see and do in this amazing city.
I especially loved eating at all the unique restaurants in Chicago. The Chicago food scene is dynamite. The restaurants range in style, some quite and quaint, others vibrant and fancy. And you can try so many different types of cuisines, all the food delicious and flavorful. This was very different from the limited restaurant scene in my hometown of bars and fast food.
My husband loved to surprise me and take me out to new restaurants each time I visited. One of the restaurants was an Argentinean steak house a few blocks from his summer apartment. The restaurant had an industrial, old-world vibe; dark and moody inside, with hardwood floors, lots of greenery on the walls and floor, industrial lighting, and vintage paintings on the wall. The food was true to its roots; HUGE steaks (literally enough to feed an army), amazing mojitos, and delicious sauces. It was the first time I tried chimchurri and I fell in love. It’s flavorful and delicious, plus the word is fun to say (I can’t help but do a little shimmy every time I say it).
Eating at all these amazing restaurants in the city really opened my eyes to new foods and experimenting in my own kitchen. Now, I love to recreate dishes I’ve eaten out at home, like my marinated flank steak with chimichurri sauce.
Let’s get to cooking.
First, we need to make the marinade for the steak. I find flank steak tastes best when it’s marinated for a few hours to help tenderize and flavor the meat. The marinade is made with balsamic, olive oil, beef broth, lime and orange juices, red pepper flakes, and garlic. It’s a sweet and spicy sauce. Place the steak in an airtight container or diploid bag and pour the marinade over the steak. Then let it do it’s thang in the fridge for an hour to 4 hours.
Meanwhile, you can make the chimichurri sauce (shimmy shimmy). This sauce is super easy to make. Just add the herbs, garlic, dijon, lemon juice, jalapeño, shallot, and red wine vinegar to the food processor and blend till it forms a paste. Then stream in the olive oil until the sauce comes together and is the right consistency (easy to pour but still a little chunky).
The sauce goes well on just about everything, grilled steak, roasted veggies, or even as a dressing.
Once the steak is marinated, take it out of the fridge and let the steak come to room temperature (about a half hour on the counter). Cooking the steak while it’s at room temperature allows the steak to cook evenly. I cooked my steak in a cast iron skillet for 5 minutes a side, to develop a crust, and finished it off in a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes (or until medium rare). Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes (so the juices redistribute and do not run out on your cutting board, leaving you with a dry steak)
Finally, cut the steak into thin strips. Place them on a platter and pour on the chimichurri. Take a bite and be ready to dance!
As you can see, this dish is not difficult to make or too time consuming. But it’s packed with so much flavor it will feel like it was an undertaking to make. The steak is juicy, spicy and sweet from the marinade. The chimichurri is fresh and herbaceous. A match made in heaven. This is a perfect meal to make on a weeknight. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Marinated Flank Steak and Chimichurri Sauce
Juicy, marinated steak covered in a fresh, vibrant, sightly spicy chimichurri sauce.
Ingredients
Steak Marinade
- 1/3 cup balsamic
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon beef or chicken broth
- juice of half of a lime
- juice of half of an orange
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
Chimichurri Sauce
- 3/4 cup parsley
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 jalapeno some seeds removed
- 1 small shallot
- 1 tablespoon dijon
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup olive oil
- juice of half of a lemon
Instructions
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Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Salt and pepper the steak. Add the steak to a ziplock bag or airtight container and power marinade over the meat, making sure to fully cover the meat. Store in fridge for 30 minutes up to 4 hours.
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Meanwhile, make the chimichurri sauce. Add all the ingredients, except the olive oil to the food processor, and pulse until it forms a paste like consistency. Steam in the olive oil until you get desired consistency, pourable but still chunky. You may not use all the olive oil.
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Next, time to cook he steak. In a cast iron skillet, heat a tablespoon olive oil. Cook the steak for 5 minutes on each side. Finish in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until it reaches desired doneness. Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes.
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Cut the steak into strips and top with sauce.
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Serve and enjoy!
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