Mains
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[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound flank, skirt, or boneless ribeye steak (about 1-inch thick)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons juice from about 3 limes
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (plus more to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons dried Thai chilies (or red pepper flakes)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 medium clove garlic, finely minced (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 1 large cucumber, peeled, split in half lengthwise, de-seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces on the bias
  • 1 large red pepper, seeds and stem removed, cut into 1/4-inch strips
  • 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup toasted peanuts
  • handful fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

Procedures

  1. Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a medium skillet over high heat until smoking. Add meat and cook, turning regularly, until well-browned on both sides and the center registers 125°F on an instand read thermometer, about 6 minutes total. (Reduce heat while cooking if necessary). Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. slice into thin strips against the grain and set aside.

  2. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, dried chili, sugar, and garlic in a large bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Taste and add more fish sauce if desired.

  3. Add cucumber, red pepper, shallots, peanuts, cilantro, and steak, and toss to combine. Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator overnight and serve the next day.