This flavorful Thai Grilled Beef Salad is filled with vibrant and tangy flavors. Tender marinated steak, crunchy cucumber, zesty red onion, and mixed greens are perfectly complemented by a bright, punchy savory dressing.
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Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe for Spicy Thai Beef Salad is:
Easy to make: a riff on Thai nam tok (which can refer to a meat salad or soup), we'll marinate the steak and sear it off, and then assemble with the salad -- very minimal cooking required, which is perfect for hot days!
Gluten-free: this steak salad is naturally free of gluten and dairy.
Flavorful: giving the meat a chance to marinate helps the beef absorb additional flavor and is a touch spicy.
Light & delicious: it's light but substantial salad that makes it a great meal for spring or summer.
Ingredients you'll need
Beef:
- steak: you can use flank, rib-eye, sirloin, or skirt steak
- fish sauce: use a high-quality fish sauce for the best flavor; I personally like Red Boat fish sauce
- brown sugar: or granulated sugar, to balance the saltiness
- garlic: minced
- shallot: minced
- lime juice: adds a little acidity and brightness to the salad
- Thai chili: optional
Salad:
- mixed greens: you can use spinach, kale, or any leafy greens
- English cucumber: sliced
- cherry tomatoes/grape tomatoes: sliced
- red onion: thinly sliced
- fresh herbs: Thai basil/mint leaves/cilantro: if you can't find Thai basil, you can just use regular sweet basil
Where to buy?
You can find these ingredients at large grocery stores.
How to make it
Marinate the steak:
In a bowl, combine steak with fish sauce, brown sugar, garlic, shallot, lime juice, and chili (if using).
Mix well, rubbing the marinade into the meat and set it in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
Remove the steak from the fridge.
Pat dry.
Cook the steak:
Heat a frying pan or cast iron skillet over high heat.
Add the steak to the pan and sear, without touching the meat for 5 minutes.
Flip the steak over and sear on the other side for another 5 minutes, until medium rare (or your preferred doneness).
Remove from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cover and let the steak rest for 5 minutes.
Slice the steak thinly against the grain.
Assemble:
In a bowl, whisk together fish sauce, shallot, garlic, chili (if using), lime juice and sugar.
Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Lightly toss in mixed greens, chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, red onion and Thai basil into the bowl.
Serve the salad greens onto a plate and add the sliced steak.
Drizzle with extra dressing and a squeeze of lime.
Serve immediately.
Serving suggestions
Add rice vermicelli noodles to the dish and convert it to a grilled Thai beef noodle salad.
Serve the salad alongside steamed sticky rice, crispy spring rolls, scallion oil noodles, or pair with a pandan coconut milk tea.
Finish the meal with a matcha shaved ice, coffee jelly or mango sago pudding.
How to store
This beef steak salad should be served on the same day it is made.
The salad dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
Other salad recipes you may like
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know if you try out this recipe -- I love seeing your creations! Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer and be sure to leave me a comment/rating below!
Thai Grilled Beef Salad
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
- 1 lb steak you can use flank, rib-eye, or sirloin
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small shallot minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 red Thai chili optional
Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ยฝ small shallot finely minced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 red Thai chili optional
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or to taste
Salad:
- 4 C mixed greens
- 1 English cucumber sliced
- 1 C cherry/grape tomatoes sliced
- ยผ red onion thinly sliced
- handful fresh Thai basil, mint leaves, cilantro torn
Instructions
Marinate the steak:
- In a bowl, combine steak with fish sauce, brown sugar, garlic, shallot, lime juice, and chili (if using).
- Mix well, rubbing the marinade into the meat and set it in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Remove the steak from the fridge.
- Pat dry.
Cook the steak:
- Heat a frying pan or cast iron skillet over high heat.
- Add the steak to the pan and sear, without touching the meat for 5 minutes.
- Flip the steak over and sear on the other side for another 5 minutes, until medium rare (or your preferred doneness).
- Remove from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cover and let the steak rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice the steak thinly against the grain.
Assemble:
- In a bowl, whisk together fish sauce, shallot, garlic, chili (if using), lime juice and sugar.
- Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
- Lightly toss in mixed greens, chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, red onion and Thai basil into the bowl.
- Serve the salad greens onto a plate and add the sliced steak.
- Drizzle with extra dressing and a squeeze of lime.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Raymund | angsarap.net
This Thai Grilled Beef Salad looks like a flavor explosion! The combination of tender steak, crunchy veggies, and zesty dressing is making my mouth water. Plus, it's gluten-free, which is perfect for catering to different dietary preferences. Can't wait to give this recipe a try for a light and delicious meal!
Michelle
Thank you Raymund! It's such a delicious summer meal as it's light yet hearty!
Kim | Give it Some Thyme
Such a healthy and delicious meal that's perfect for spring. Light yet satisfying with tender, juicy steak and love all those Thai flavors!
Michelle
Thanks Kim! Definitely a nice light meal to enjoy in the spring or summer when it warms up ๐
David @ Spiced
That steak marinade sounds quite flavorful! This is a great meal for spring, and I'm thinking I'll grill the steak to add the smoky grill flavor, too!
Michelle
For sure, you can definitely grill up the steak over a charcoal grill to get that delicious smoky flavor!