Long time readers of this here website will know that Betsy, my wife, is sort of the unofficial taste-tester of recipes I make. That makes sense. We’ve been together for around a decade and she’s eaten thousands of my recipes over the years. Turns out though that over the years, I have a second taste-tester as well: Betsy’s mom.
Yep. My mother-in-law eats a lot of my cooking. She also happens to be very honest about whether she likes something or not… for better or for worse!
I mention all of this because this seemingly simple grilled steak & corn salad was possibly my mother-in-law’s favorite thing I’ve made this year. She was semi-obsessed with it. I’m talking hoarding leftovers and stealing bites off my two-year-old’s uneaten plate.
I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it ended up honestly. But, on a hot day, there is something really nice about a light and crispy salad with grilled steak tossed together with the simplest dressing (soy sauce and sesame oil).
Grilled Steak and Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 ½ pounds flank steak
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 limes, juice only
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Gochujang sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ears sweet corn
- ½ small green cabbage, sliced thin
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 carrot, grated
- 4-6 radishes, sliced thin
- 4 scallions, diced
- Handful cilantro
- Soy sauce, for dressing
- Sesame oil, for dressing
- Sesame seeds, garnish
- Optional: Cooked wheatberries
Instructions
- Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, gochujang, rice vinegar, and pepper. Marinate flank steak in the mixture for at least 30 minutes or make it in advance.
- Preheat grill to medium-high direct heat. Grill flank steak for 8-10 minutes per side until it registers about 135 degrees F. in the thickest part of the steak. Cooking time might vary depending on grill and steak thickness. Grill corn alongside steak for a few minutes per side.
- When steak is done, remove it from grill and wrap it tightly in foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing it.
- Meanwhile, make the rest of the salad by slicing cabbage and tossing with other ingredients including the corn (sliced off cob). For a heartier meal, stir in 2 cups of cooked wheatberries.
- To assemble salad, drizzle salad with a small amount of soy sauce and sesame oil (go very light). Top salad with sliced (against the grain) flank steak. Top with sesame seeds as a garnish.
- Leftover salad keeps great for lunches. Store salad and steak separately.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Grilled Steak & Corn Salad
Okay. Let’s talk steak first. The marinade for this steak is just a few things, but try to not skip them. They all add some deliciousness to the meat. Gochujang is probably the hardest to find. It’s a Korean chili paste that is slightly sweet. I’ve been able to find a version of it even in my normal grocery store so it’s definitely findable!
Let the steak marinate for at least 30 minutes but way in advance would be fine also!
Grill this sucker over medium-high direct heat. Depending on the thickness of your steak it’ll take 8-10 minutes per side to hit 135 degrees F. My flank steak was particularly thick this day which I like because I was able to get some really nice caramelization on it without worrying about overcooking it.
Once the steak is off the grill, wrap it tightly in foil and let it rest before slicing and serving it.
I had to try a piece right away, of course. It was very delicious!
While the steak cooks (or while it marinates) you can mix up the salad for this dish. It may seem like a lot of chopping, but it isn’t that bad and I just love each of the crunchy veggies.
For a heartier meal here, you can stir in about 2 cups of cooked and cooled wheatberries which makes this salad a bit more of a meal.
Don’t forget the grilled corn also!
To plate up the salad, I recommend drizzling the salad with a very light amount of soy sauce and sesame oil. That takes the place of a standard salad dressing. Then slice up some steak and slide it on top of the salad. Extra lime slices, cilantro, and some sesame seeds make it official.
This grilled steak and corn salad is Mother-In-Law approved. What else do you need to know?!
