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When grill season hits one of my favorite things to do is cook up some skirt steak. Its tender cut absorbs marinades beautifully and it cooks up in under ten minutes. In this recipe I pair the skirt steak with a light crostini to make a perfect summer finger food. The snap of the bread mixed with the juicy steak presents a combination of texture to tease your taste buds!
The important thing to remember about this gentle cut of meat, is some basic grill techniques. You need your fire hot so crank that baby on high and allow your grill to heat up before you put down your steak. When you do, cook for about 3 - 5 minutes per side. You will get a nice char and beautifully juicy bite. The thin line with skirt steak is overcooking it, so set that timer, it only takes a minute to overdo it and once that happens your results will go from dreamy to chewy.
(Makes about a dozen crostini)
What Do I Need
Steak and Marinade
1 Lb Skirt Steak (remove fat)
2 T Fresh Rosemary (chopped)
3 T Olive Oil
1 Shallot (chopped)
3 T Red Wine Vinegar
3- 4 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 T Fresh Parsley (minced)
S & P
Crostini
1 Loaf of Fresh Italian Bread
Olive Oil
1 Clove of Garlic (halved)
Salt
Now What
Combine your rosemary, olive oil, shallot, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl, blend to create a marinade paste. I used my nutribullet, but you can use a traditional blender or hand held immersion blender. The result should be a nice paste that is the consistency of a thick smoothie. Place your steak in a bowl and cover both sides with the marinade paste. Cover and place in your refrigerator for at least an hour.
Before you cook your steak, prep your crostini. Cut your bread into 1/4" slices and arrange on a baking sheet, (a 1lb skirt steak should create a dozen servings, so cut 12 slices) drizzle your bread with olive oil, add salt to taste, take your halved garlic cloves and rub the flat side on the top of each slice of bread. In addition to imparting flavor, I use this action to help distribute the olive oil onto the bread without saturating it. Set aside your crostini and get to grilling!
Make sure your grill is nice and hot, using a spoon or marinate brush, swipe some of the marinade paste off, you don't want it coming between your meat and the grill. Next, depending on your steak eating preference, cook your steak 3 - 5 minutes on each side. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes.
While your steak is sitting, turn on your broiler and toast up your crostini. Oven depending this could take a few minutes or 30 seconds! So keep an eye on them, you want them a crisp golden brown not burnt.
When your bread is done, slice your skirt steak into 1/4 inch slices going horizontal along with the natural grain of the meat. Place 1 to 2 slices on each crostini and then pour the juice that has collected in the steak dish evenly over each piece. Sprinkle your parsley over the top and serve.
I haven't tried it yet, but after I created this dish and Brian and I scarfed it down in record time, I started to think some horseradish sauce might be a nice finishing touch and I plan to top some with it the next time I whip it up! I'll keep you posted!
