Recipe: Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

This past weekend, my dad visited me out here in Colorado. My dad’s not much of a cook, so I thought it’d be nice to do a couple simple homemade meals for him during his trip. (Yes, I know parents are supposed to give you an excuse to go out. We did plenty of that too, I assure you.)
 
For a decadent Sunday brunch, I decided to make mimosa floats with mango sorbet, and this grilled skirt steak and chimichurri recipe, served alongside over-easy eggs. Sure, that might sound complicated off-hand, but it took maybe half an hour to prepare.

It’s so quick and easy, and this versatile chimichurri recipe works great with any cut of meat or fish, and can also be served as a dip for tortilla chips. Keep this one in your recipe file because, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be using it all summer long.
 

Photo poached grandbaby-cakes.com. Recipe is by me.
 
Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients: MEAT

• 1½ lb skirt steak (about ½" thick), cut it in half crosswise
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Note: Although it is not necessary, by any means, you could marinate the skirt steak in advance (if you’re thinking that far ahead.) If you choose to do so, I recommend a simple marinade of ¾ cup olive oil, ½ cup lime or lemon juice, 4 garlic cloves, 2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Let the meat marinate a minimum of 3 hours in the fridge, overnight max.

Ingredients: SAUCE
 

• ½ avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1 cup fresh Italian parsley
• 1 cup fresh cilantro (if you don’t like cilantro, use 2 cups of parsley)
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ onion or a whole shallot, diced
• 3-6 garlic cloves, depending on your tastes and whether it’s date night
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Juice of 2-3 fresh limes (or 3 tbsp lime juice)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  
The Nitty Gritty
 
Note: If you marinated your steak, skip steps 1 and 4.
 

1. Sprinkle skirt steak with salt and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Make your chimichurri in the meantime.
2. Place all the ingredients from the list labeled SAUCE into the blender or food processor. Pulse until you achieve the desired consistency. It should be a bit creamy, thanks to the avocado. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. The sauce will keep up to 3-5 days if refrigerated, and only gets better the more time it has to chill.
3. Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high.
4. Pat the steak dry with paper towels and season again with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Grill the steak for 3-5 minutes per side until meat is nicely charred but medium-rare.
6. Transfer steak to a carving board; let rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly.

 
After plating, drizzle as much chimichurri on top of your steak as you can handle and garnish with slices of fresh avocado (you should have some left, since we only used half for the sauce.) For breakfast, feel free to serve with eggs or roasted or fried potatoes. For lunch and dinner, this pairs beautifully with tortilla chips and salsa, rice and/or beans, salads, and most veggies. You can also grab some tortillas use the leftovers to make AMAZING steak and chimi tacos. Enjoy!