Steak salad with pickled walnut-braised shallots recipe
The absolute best pickled thing is a pickled walnut (Opies is the brand to look out for). This curiously tender, dark treat is classically matched with blue cheese, cured beef or a venison or pheasant pie. But it cuts through steak incredibly well too.
Each of the elements are super-punchy but they temper each other and the net result is joyous. Serve with French fries and a tomato salad, and a bottle of something red alongside.
Ingredients
- 500 g small shallots
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 2 tbsp golden caster (superfine) sugar
- 100 ml red wine
- 100 ml liquid from a jar of pickled walnuts
- 5 pickled walnuts, quartered
- 600 g bavette (flank) or onglet (hanger) steak
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 200 g rocket (arugula)
- 200 g Japanese radish (daikon), peeled and cut into 1cm (0.5in) dice
- 2 tbsp crispy shallots
- 1 pinch each of flaky sea salt and ground black pepper
- 17.6 oz small shallots
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 2 tbsp golden caster (superfine) sugar
- 3.5 fl oz red wine
- 3.5 fl oz liquid from a jar of pickled walnuts
- 5 pickled walnuts, quartered
- 21.2 oz bavette (flank) or onglet (hanger) steak
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 7.1 oz rocket (arugula)
- 7.1 oz Japanese radish (daikon), peeled and cut into 1cm (0.5in) dice
- 2 tbsp crispy shallots
- 1 pinch each of flaky sea salt and ground black pepper
- 17.6 oz small shallots
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 2 tbsp golden caster (superfine) sugar
- 0.4 cup red wine
- 0.4 cup liquid from a jar of pickled walnuts
- 5 pickled walnuts, quartered
- 21.2 oz bavette (flank) or onglet (hanger) steak
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 7.1 oz rocket (arugula)
- 7.1 oz Japanese radish (daikon), peeled and cut into 1cm (0.5in) dice
- 2 tbsp crispy shallots
- 1 pinch each of flaky sea salt and ground black pepper
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Steak
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 35 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Put the shallots in a bowl, cover with just-boiled water and leave for 10–15 minutes so the skins pull away from the bulbs. Use a small paring knife to trim the bases off each shallot and to peel the skin away, leaving the shallot whole. You can prepare these well in advance (and you might want to watch a boxset while doing so…).
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Find a skillet or ovenproof sauté pan into which the shallots fit in more or less one layer. Set this over a medium–high heat, add the neutral cooking oil, the peeled shallots, sugar and a generous pinch of salt. Mix, then fry for about 8 minutes, shuffling the pan regularly, until the shallots are burnished and the sugar is caramelising.
- Pour in the wine and let that reduce by about half over the course of a minute or so. Add the pickling liquid, shuffle the contents one more time, place a lid (or foil) on top and cook in the oven for a total of 20 minutes – lid or foil on for the first 10 minutes, lid off thereafter.
- Remove, sprinkle half a teaspoon of flaky salt over the top and leave to cool for up to 10 minutes before adding the pickled walnut quarters and gently mixing them into the shallots.
- Shortly before removing the shallots from the oven, begin to cook the bavette or onglet to medium/medium–rare. Cook however you prefer – for what it’s worth, I’d cook the steak a couple of minutes per side in a very hot heavy-bottomed pan, in oil to begin with then, after the first two turns, a load of frothing butter for 2–3 minutes more, until the core is a touch over 50°C/122°F (if you’re a thermometer person).
- Rest for 5 minutes, then slice into 1cm (0.5 in)-wide pieces and season with a lot of flaky salt.
- Measure the extra-virgin olive oil into a mixing bowl. Add half a teaspoon of flaky salt and lots of black pepper. Toss in the rocket, daikon and crispy shallots and decant onto a platter or individual plates.
- Use a slotted spoon to distribute the still-warm shallots and pickled walnuts over the rocket, then arrange the sliced steak on and around.
- Finally, stir any cooking and resting juices from the steak pan and board into the remaining syrupy sauce in the shallot pan. There’ll be four to five tablespoons’ worth of liquid – whisk in a tablespoon or two of hot water if necessary. Spoon this over the platter and serve.
This recipe is from CRAVE: Recipes arranged by flavour, to suit your mood and appetite by Ed Smith (Quadrille, £25). Photography: Sam A Harris.
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