Butcher’s Steak With Leafy Greens Salsa Verde

Butcher’s Steak With Leafy Greens Salsa Verde
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(606)
Notes
Read community notes

Butcher’s steak is the name of a specific cut of steak, also known as hanger steak (and, occasionally, bistro steak). It’s a cut that hangs off the cow’s diaphragm, resulting in a steak that has the beefy flavor of a short rib, the fat marbling of a rib-eye and the tenderness of filet mignon. There is only one per animal, making it somewhat exclusive but not especially expensive. It is also a term used for the secret-ish cuts typically available only to butchers and restaurants; but a good butcher will gladly help you unlock those secrets. Other lesser-known, surprisingly affordable cuts that work well here include boneless short ribs, Denver steaks and center-cut top sirloin. These cuts are great with little more than salt and pepper, so you can truly assess their flavor. But a tangy, garlicky salsa verde made from dark leafy greens doesn’t hurt. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a bowl of salty potato chips for a truly faux-bistro experience.

Featured in: Bringing the Bistro Home

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • pounds hanger, thick skirt or flat-iron steak
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6scallions
  • ½small bunch kale, Swiss chard, collard greens or mustard greens, leaves and stems very finely chopped (about 2½ cups)
  • 1garlic clove, finely grated
  • cup olive oil
  • 1tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
  • 1lemon or lime, halved
  • Flaky salt
  • Potato chips (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

471 calories; 35 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 36 grams protein; 575 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.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season steak well with salt and pepper and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Cut 4 of the scallions into 2-inch pieces; set aside. Finely chop remaining scallions and add to a medium bowl with kale, garlic and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. The mixture won’t exactly be saucy yet, but as it sits the kale will soften and loosen up.

  3. Step 3

    Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak and cook, without moving it, until deeply golden brown on one side, 3 to 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Flip steak and continue to cook until equally browned on that side, another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer salsa verde to a large plate, and place steak on top. Add remaining scallions to the pan, letting them sizzle in the leftover fat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until they're wilted and lightly charred, 2 or 3 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Let steak sit 5 to 10 minutes to allow it to rest and juices to mingle with the salsa verde.

  6. Step 6

    Slice the steak and return to plate with salsa verde. Top with seared scallions. Squeeze lemon or lime over everything and sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve with potato chips, if you like.

Ratings

4 out of 5
606 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Actually...if it's green and a sauce then it does equal salsa verde

Scallions Kale Garlic does not equal salsa verde.

Ok. I made this tonight with a slight variation. This is basically hanger steak with Chimichurri which is what I did. Awesome. The other variation was that instead of potato chips, I made crispy fried potatoes with fried onions and parsley from Alison Roman's Dining In cookbook. DELISH!

Sometime, ask your butcher for chuck eye steaks. Only 4 per animal, 5-6 oz, cut from next to delmonico. Tender and flavorful. Yum!!!

Dumb question on hanger steak (one of my favorite cuts). Do you cut out that big tendon that goes down the middle before you cook it? I usually do but feel that I am losing some of the meat when I do.

I have used Flat Iron cut for steak as my first choice for many years. It has all the qualities you would want. It is tender and full of flavor. It can be pan grilled on the stove,broiled or grilled outside. It cooks quickly and does not require at lot of seasoning. It does produce a fair amount of juice. Any left over can be sliced thinly and used in a steak salad.

In France a hanger steak is always prepared by the butcher to remove the menbrane in the middle ,then the 2 pieces of meat are sliced open like an open book . It is called an onglet.

i think the main point here (regardless of whether it's a chimmichurri, salsa verde, or whatever) is that the hot, juicy, well-seasoned meat placed on top of the greens to rest, softens, flavors, and seasons the greens beautifully. i have also done this with chicken....equally fabulous.

I concur 100%! None of these greens has any flavor, whereas parsley, cilantro, mint, oregano do in real chimichuri.

Made this with skirt steak, which is not my favorite but my butcher didn't have flat iron. I think it would work with any similar cut including flank. I didn't have kale so I substituted arugula mixed with spinach. The salsa is more of a wilted salad and the flavor of the peppery arugula and green onions were wonderful with the steak.

That's why they call it "leafy greens salsa verde"

The COOP had very beautiful baby kale which tempted me to try this recipe. It delighted the taste buds with every bite. Each ingredient was distinctive and perfectly balanced. I haven't eaten a steak in many years, but it was absolutely perfect on top of the kale. A perfect example of beauty and simplicity. And as to the description of salsa being questioned-language is constantly evolving. I find the description charming and apt.

It’s a green sauce, seems to add up.

Since kale can be bitter, I massaged it after chopping.

I wasn’t sure about the kale, but this was fantastic. I made as written and served with “melting potatoes” from Smitten Kitchen. Felt very fancy for a lazy stay-at-home Saturday! Highly recommend.

Steak was perfect (marinated ~1hr in soy sauce, garlic, balsamic vinegar, s&p). Salsa verde needed some acid - squeezed half a lemon and it was great.

Try to get a uniformly somewhat piece of meat. Thickness should not be more than inch and a half if possible.

Added half of a lime- juice

The best part of this recipe is the kale salsa verde, the kale really softens when chopped finely and mixed with olive oil, garlic and salt. Let it sit for an hour at least. But the hangar steak needs help. I seasoned it for 3 hours in the fridg with salt, ancho, coriander and sugar, then grilled it for 4-5 minutes per side. Rested it for 10 minutes and sliced it thinly and served atop the salsa verde. Fantastic! Some crispy potatoes and Cabernet and we were in heaven.

Definitely felt that the "salsa" needed some acid in the mix and a lot more garlic, and maybe some chili flakes to give it some flavor. The splash of lemon did very little to add some perk to the basically bland, raw, chopped greens.

This recipe is really, really good. I sliced up a couple of Fresno peppers and added them alongside the green onions after the steak had cooked for a bit of a kick. Otherwise prepared it exactly as written. Super simple, great way to let high quality ingredients shine.

Delicious but cook the steak outside - otherwise smoke alarms go off!!

I love this recipe. Made it with Swiss Chard. I massaged it a little with the oil and salt. Added zest of one lime which brought the flavor up significantly. At the end I topped it with squeezed lime and some toasted crispy fried onions (like the ones that people put on old fashioned green bean casserole)

Is this the cut also known as Teres Major?

Hatch green chilis are in season late summer and available at most SW grocers. Roast them under you broiler and peel then freeze them for use year round. Freshly roasted (under a broiler) tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño peppers (to taste) added to fresh cilantro diced into the kale or greens will give the “salsa verde” flavors that SW cooking purists might be craving.

This is a fabulous& easy go-to company meal! I’ve made it many times and my only addition is to sous-vide the steak (flap steak is my favorite) @134 deg for 1 hour, dry off, then sear. Potato chips essential - toasted baguette to sop up juices works excellently, too.

Sensational. My only tweak was to add lemon to the dressing so that the acid helped soften the Collard greens I used. The dressing was surprisingly flavorful - garlic and scallions uploaded flavor to the steak perched on top. Would add half a jalapeno to give it heat. A nice switch from the asian flavorings i usually marinate with.

Gave this a crack with kale. I love kale, but this did it no favours unfortunately. Thankfully the steaks I got were delicious. I agree with other comments, as it is the ‘sauce’ lacks depth. I would try again but I will leave my 4 scallions out of the sauce, cut in half and grill them, then finely chop and add to the sauce before cooking the steaks next time.

Cast iron preheated for 5. Flat iron 1.75 lbs. 5 minutes and 3 minutes. 2 heads lacintino kale and doubled dressing. Gordon estate cab 2018 Columbia valley. Kettle sea salt chips

Used the suggestion to add lime zest to the green salsa. Was very good and would make again.

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