Thai Beef Salad

Thai Beef Salad is one of our favorite salads! Definitely a treat in our house, because sadly, the girls won't/can't eat it because it is too spicy. But, as far as salads go, the flavor in this salad is truly outstanding! I know some people can't get with the idea of using fish sauce in a recipe. And I'll admit, it takes some getting used to. But, if you want that "authentic" flavor, you must use fish sauce. Otherwise, you are missing out!

I'm not sure what made me go searching for a beef salad, but I'm glad I found this recipe. I adapted this Thai Beef Salad recipe from Martha Stewart's website. Here's the original if you are interested. My version is below! Enjoy!

THAI BEEF SALAD

Dressing:
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 1/2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 fresh serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
Handful of cilantro, stems removed, finely chopped

Salad:
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 med red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1/2 cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced
5 cups mixed salad greens (or fresh spinach)

Steak:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional - if you don't have sesame oil, just use 2 tbsp of olive oil)
1 boneless sirloin steak (1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Topping:
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Prepare salad dressing, set aside. Prepare salad ingredients - greens, cucumber, green onions and red onions - place in salad bowl and toss.

Heat oil in non-stick skillet. Season steak with freshly ground pepper and coarse salt and pan fry in skillet until desired doneness. (I like ours medium.) Remove steak from pan, and let rest for 5 minutes. This ensures that the steak juices remain in the meat, rather than on the plate when you slice it up. When cooled, slice the steak into thin bite sized slices.

Top salad with sliced meat, peanuts and dressing.