Thai Beef Salad : Mad Hungry

When making protein-rich foods, consider the whole package. Sirloin, for example, has about half the saturated fat on a porterhouse steak.

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 1/2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 fresh Thai or serrano chile (about 1 tablespoon), seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint
4 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 shallots, thinly sliced into rings
3 kirby cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
12 ounces baby arugula (about 5 cups)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 boneless sirloin steak (1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped (about 2 1/2 ounces)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make dressing: Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, chile, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in cilantro and mint. Set aside. Toss together scallions, shallots, cucumbers, and arugula in a large bowl; set aside.
Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Sprinkle steak all over with salt; season with pepper. Brown steak, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven; cook steak to desired doneness, about 6 minutes for medium-rare.
Transfer steak to a cutting board, and let stand at least 5 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Add steak to salad. Drizzle with dressing, and toss. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Photo by Dana Gallagher