Grilled Thai Steak Salad

This grilled Thai steak salad is a proper crowd-pleaser — punchy, fresh, and surprisingly easy to pull together on the gas grill. Tender sirloin straight off the grill, sliced thin and piled onto crisp salad leaves with fragrant herbs, crunchy peanuts, and a zingy lime dressing. It's the kind of thing that feels fancy but comes together in under 30 minutes. Perfect for a warm spring or summer evening.

Ingredients

For the steak

• 500g sirloin steak (about 2.5cm thick)
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing

• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp light soft brown sugar
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp sesame oil

For the salad

• 100g mixed salad leaves or little gem lettuce, roughly torn
• 1 large cucumber, halved and sliced on the diagonal
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• Large handful of fresh coriander leaves
• Large handful of fresh mint leaves
• 50g roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Take the steaks out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking so they come up to room temperature — this helps them cook evenly.
2. Preheat your gas grill on high for 10–15 minutes with the lid down. You want it properly hot before the steak goes on.
3. Brush the steaks with rapeseed oil and season well on both sides with salt and black pepper.
4. Make the dressing by whisking together the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, sliced chilli, garlic, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Taste and adjust — it should be sharp, salty, and just a little sweet. Set aside.
5. Grill the steaks over direct high heat for 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare, or 3–4 minutes per side for medium. Use a meat thermometer to check — 55–57°C for medium-rare, 60–63°C for medium.
6. Remove the steaks from the grill and rest them on a board, loosely tented with aluminium foil, for at least 5 minutes. Don't skip this — it makes a real difference to how juicy the meat is.
7. While the steaks rest, arrange the salad leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper, and spring onions across a large serving platter. Scatter over the coriander and mint.
8. Slice the rested steak thinly across the grain and lay it over the salad.
9. Drizzle the dressing generously over everything, then scatter the peanuts and sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately.

Originally published by Bull BBQ. Adapted for UK audiences by Cedar Kitchen in the Garden.