Grilled Zucchini
Alexa Weibel
362 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
362
15 minutes, plus grill heating
Spicy Citrus Skirt Steak
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus grill heating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1½pounds skirt steak (see Tips)
- 8tangerines, satsumas or mandarin oranges, washed and halved horizontally
- 6tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- 6tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1tablespoon sambal oelek or Sriracha, plus more as needed
- 1(1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely grated (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1garlic clove, finely grated
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Neutral oil, such as grapeseed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
416 calories; 26 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 974 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for two-zone cooking over high heat: For a charcoal grill, pour the coals onto one half of the grill. For a gas grill, heat all the burners, then turn off one of the end burners. (See Tips.)
- Step 2
While the grill is heating, pat the steak dry and cut into 5- to 6-inch pieces with the grain. (This makes it easier to fit on the grill.) Set aside to air-dry while you make the sauce: Squeeze 1 cup of juice from about 6 tangerines into a bowl or rimmed dish large enough to hold the steak after it’s grilled. (Set aside the remaining unjuiced halves on a sheet pan.) Add the spent tangerine halves to the juice. Smash the halves with a spoon to release the rind’s oils (as if you’re muddling a cocktail). To the juice and spent tangerine halves, add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sambal oelek, ginger and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Step 3
When you're ready to grill, add the steak to the sheet pan of unjuiced tangerine halves and lightly coat everything with neutral oil. Season generously with salt. Bring the sheet pan of tangerine halves and steak, sauce, a tightly folded paper towel soaked with oil, and tongs to the grill. Clean the grates with a grill brush, then oil the grates with the paper towel. Grill the steak over direct heat, flipping halfway through, until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Grill the tangerines over direct heat, flipping halfway through, until blackened, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Step 4
As the steak and tangerine halves finish, add them to the sauce and turn to coat. Squeeze the charred citrus with your tongs to release the juice and the peels into the dish. Let rest for at least 5 minutes and up to 30. Slice the steak against the grain and serve with the sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sambal oelek.
Tips
- You can dry-brine the steak in advance, which seasons the meat and locks in the juices. Pat the steak dry, season with 1 teaspoon salt, and refrigerate uncovered overnight. Let come to room temperature before cooking. (No need to season with salt again before grilling.)
- High is above 450 degrees. You should be able to hold your hand 4 to 5 inches above the grates for 2 to 3 seconds.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
VJBortolot
I do quite a bit of Chinese cooking, emphasis on Sichuan and Hunan. I usually save the peels from clementine/mandarins, scraping off the white pith with a spoon before drying in the sun. They get better with age. My oldest current stock is 5 years old. And a 'special reserve' of mandarin peels I brought back from my last trip to China 3 years back. Reconstituted, they are really useful in so many ways like tangerine beef and vaguely teriyaki pork spareribs. The lesson is not to waste resources.
Prakash Nadkarni
The sauce is a marvel. But there's no reason why some of it couldn't serve to marinate the steak while the grill's heating up: it's not like most cooks have a plane to catch ;-) If you must skip pre-marinating, dry-brining ("tips") is essential, not optional. However, "locking in the juices" (a hypothesis by 19th century chemist Justus Von Liebig) is a myth. Why don't more recipe writers read Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking" (which Jacques Pepin & David Chang swear by)?
Betsy
Tangerines are not in season during summer grilling season - although you can buy fruit fro the Southern Hemisphere in the local Safeway. Why not use Valencia juice oranges instead. They are in season now and would a fine substitute.
Jay Eisenberg
Good luck getting a cup of juice out of six tangerines! But it doesn't matter because the quantities for the sauce are double what is necessary. I suggest that rather than grilling four unsqueezed tangerine halves, the squeezed halves should be flattened, allowed to soak briefly in the sauce, then patted dry on the outside, brushed with oil, and grilled on a perforated sheet about four minutes per side. Indeed, you will find that the grilled tangerine rinds are the best part of this dish.
Mary Young
This recipe is good but way too complicated. Juice your citrus fruit, add other ingredients. Use as both a marinade and a sauce (keeping any marinade separate).
Ruth
Maybe I’m missing something, but the directions call for a two-zone grill — then never tell you what to do with the indirect heat. We’re also never told to put the tangerine halves on the grill — only to remove them when finished. Are they supposed to be the part over the indirect heat?
Cookie
Try a cast iron skillet next time. We do our steaks that way all the time. Get it nice & hot. Then sear as recipe directs.
Imabli126
I boiled down the leftover marinade to make a glaze which really helped add a lot of flavour. I would use less sriarcha next time or use full amount sambal oelek. Son ate it in tortillas!
Katherine Gallagher
This sounds amazing! Could you make it without a grill?
Suzanne
I have a question regarding the meat residing in the lovely citrus sauce. It’s my experience that skirt steak, hanger steak too, bleeds lots of juices as it sits. Not sure how this will go with the citrus sauce- anyone have opinions/experience?
Dave
There is no other name for skirt steak that I'm aware of, but stores don't always have it in stock. Ask the store's butcher. You could sub in flank steak.
Tobaleh
Zest the tangerines with a microplane and freeze the zest in a small jar. (Don’t pack it down into the jar). Whenever you need citrus zest it is ready and fresh tasting right from the freezer.
Laurel
Agree with using as marinade and forgetting the other steps. Added 1 Tb veg oil to the marinade to prevent sticking and flaring on the grill and grilled whole. Might be nice with brown sugar added to marinade.
J Wilson
In response to prior comment - it is not the heat searing that "locks in the juices" but rather the dry brining - the chemistry of salt interactions with muscle proteins leads to increased water-retaining capacity (see Harold McGee's explanation of brining). Dry brining combines the protein-altering chemistry with surface evaporation of water to lead to a better sear and "juice retention" (see Kenji Lopez-Alt's explanation of impact of dry brining salmon, referencing Harold McGee).
Suzanne
Hanger steak most likely, for an inexpensive cut. Might be good with most any cut that can be grilled.
Jonathan
The recipe as written makes more sauce than you need. I would split the sauce in half, reserving some for serving, and the other half as a marinade before grilling. There is a beginning of flavor, but it could be stronger.
chef stress
I made this today and also used the citrus sauce as a marinade. It was very tasty. While the grill heated I cooked the remaining marinade down on the stove. Then poured it over the steak after carving. It was a hit.
Pam
Skirt steak is also called flap meat or carne asada in our area.
Haley
I’m torn with this one. The flavor of the sauce is very tangerine forward (in a great way!) so it’s very fresh and tasty. That said, the process of a “post brine” was odd and made a very soupy dish of meat. If I made again, I’d marinate steak in half of sauce ahead of time, and then toss the other half on the stove to cook down and thicken up and serve with the finished meat. I think it would fox the wet meat texture issue.
Tangerine Rivers, Marmalade Skies
I'm confused. The the "juice and spent tangerine halves and the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sambal oelek, ginger and garlic" sauce never gets cooked at all? I was expected the steak to get dipped in it before going on the grill, or for some of it to be brushed on as a glaze near the end. Or at the very least used as a marinade. . .
Glyn
This recipe is legit with bold flavors of heat and sweet. Absolutely recommend reversing the flow to use this as a marinade rather than a finishing sauce, with some minor edits to boost flavor. Mix the tangerine juice, zest of 3 tangerines, 2 (large) garlic cloves, ginger, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tbl grape seed oil, 1.5 tbl sriracha, 3 teaspoons sambal, and S&P. set aside 1/3 cup to use as a finishing sauce, marinate the steak in the remaining for about a Half hour or longer. So good!
Sarah Britton
Confused. No where does it say to remove the muddled tangerine peels but muddling doesn't reduce them to palatably small pieces and anyway eating uncooked tangerine peel is icky. I ended up using a potato masher to muddle the pieces smaller, but in end, I strained the sauce to remove the rinds. What did everyone else do?
Sarah Britton
Oh, and also the meat was so tough! If I make this again, I'll be sure to pound the meat and/or use the little pokey tool I bought for pork belly.
geteb
As other reviewers noted, the directions here are needlessly complicated. Make the marinade, plop in your skirt/hangar/flank steak for a few hours, then slap it on the grill. I found that 6 mandarin oranges=1C juice. Could probably get by with less as it made a very liquid marinade. Tasty!
Kim
We've cooked a lot of NYT recipes, but this one is a big NOPE for us. I admit I only skimmed it at first, but overall this was poorly written and organized (no need for this to be 2 pages). My husband was super annoyed to find the sauce he juiced / muddled/ etc was not for marinating, but only for a quick toss at the end. My bad, as we know better. Skirt steak really needs to be marinated or else you'll get that lovely connective tissue that turns it into gum. Will be un-saving this one.
J Wilson
In response to prior comment - it is not the heat searing that "locks in the juices" but rather the dry brining - the chemistry of salt interactions with muscle proteins leads to increased water-retaining capacity (see Harold McGee's explanation of brining). Dry brining combines the protein-altering chemistry with surface evaporation of water to lead to a better sear and "juice retention" (see Kenji Lopez-Alt's explanation of impact of dry brining salmon, referencing Harold McGee).
greg
Excellent recipe! The only thing I did differently is to grill extra tangerine halves to serve with the meat. They my were beautiful and yummy. And I used a bavette instead of skirt. Took a little longer to cook but tasted great.
Laura
Loved the sauce but I think some could be used for a marinade. Flavors are vibrant and the sambal olek gives it a nice kick. Will definitely make again.
Connie
flank steak needs tenderizing or different cut. Keep meat warm before serving. Delicious
Christian
This was delicious! I didn’t even bother with the whole squeezing-of-the-rinds thing and it was still awesome.
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