After posting a picture of steaks I had marinating, on the Facebook Fan Pages a few months back, there were several requests (and demands) for this recipe. So as promised (I try not to forget), here goes. Admittedly I like steaks ‘naked”… salt, black pepper and a very hot grill, but there are times when you need to add a little more flavor to a cheaper cut of meat and quite honestly.. this is the ONLY way to do so.
You’ll Need…
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon (juice)
1 orange (juice)
1 cup chopped cherry tomato (any tomato)
3 leaves shado beni (or 2 tablespoon cilantro)
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 shallot
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
pinch sea salt
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (diced finely)
* I used a 1lb top sirloin, but you can use just about any cut you like/can afford.
This a very simple recipe to put together and will take less than 5 minutes. Finely chop the parsley, shallot, shado beni, thyme and scotch bonnet pepper. Remember to wear gloves when handling such hot peppers, wash your hands immediately after with soap and water and don NOT include any of the seeds if you’re concerned about the raw heat. Place everything in a deep bowl and add the olive oil, salt, black pepper and the juice of a lemon and orange.
Give the marinade a good whisk and get ready to marinate your steaks.
Wash and pat your steaks dry with paper towels, then pour 1/2 of the marinade on them/it (there’s enough marinade here for about 4 steaks) and rub the steaks to evenly coat them. Place the remaining marinade, which we will now call a dressing, in the fridge (can keep for a day or 2).
Allow the steaks to marinate for about 1 hr in the fridge and about 15 minutes before you head out to the grill, take them out and allow to come back to room temperature. BTW, this will also work on indoor grills as well as a grill pan if you don’t have an outdoor grill or bbq.
Now it’s just a matter of grilling as you would normally do. I like using a very hot grill (brush the grates with some vegetable oil or cooking spray), 3-4 minutes on one side, then I filp and do the same on the other. Again, this is totally up to you, as I like my steaks with a hint of pink in the middle.
Please remember to allow the grilled steak to rest a bit before slicing through. I then cut the steak across the grain and drizzle on some of the dressing we reserved. You can also top it with a little sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
The citrus juices along with the slight acidity of the tomato, combined with the fresh herbs and tamed heat from the scotch bonnet pepper will have you craving this on the regular. And though we’re not big on steaks in the Caribbean, chicken and pork always seems to take center stage when we bbq or grill, this is as close to a Caribbean grilled steak as you would get.
BTW, add some freshly chopped mint and oregano to the mix and you can use this on lamb as well.
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Please don’t let the title misguide you. The pepper isn’t intense in this recipe, it’s more for the full body flavor it will add. This dish is usually featured on our dinner table at least 2-3 times a month. Not only is it very quick to make, it’s an absolute hit with Caron and our girls. A lovely partner to fresh cut fries, a fresh salad, onion rings or just about anything you usually serve with steak.
