Thai Beef Salad

Thai Beef Salad is a show stopper salad with real dinner energy: juicy sliced steak, cool crunchy vegetables, loads of fresh herbs, hot chiles, peanuts, and a bright lime dressing that wakes everything up. It’s light and fresh, but so satisfying.

This is the kind of salad that needs room to breathe. Spread it out on a big platter so the herbs stay perky, the steak stays front and center, and all those gorgeous Thai-inspired flavors can show off a little.

The flavor lowdown ~ Thai Beef Salad gets its personality from a punchy combination of basil, cilantro, and mint, plus lime, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, and fresh hot peppers. It’s salty, sour, spicy, herbal, and a little bit addictive.

Why this salad works so well for dinner

Main course salads can go wrong fast if they’re just a pile of lettuce with protein on top. This one is different. The steak gives it substance, the cucumbers and red onion bring the crunch, the hot chiles bring the heat, and the herbs make it feel incredibly fresh. The dressing pulls everything together with that classic Thai balance of salty, sour, hot, and bright.

What cut of beef is best for Thai Beef Salad?

I use top sirloin. It’s lean, flavorful, easy to find, and usually more affordable than premium steak cuts. Since the steak is sliced thinly and served with a bold dressing, you don’t need anything fancy.

Other good options: flank steak, skirt steak, flat iron, or ribeye if you want something richer. Avoid tough stew-type cuts or very thick steaks that are better suited to slow cooking. Whatever you choose, cook it hot and fast, let it rest, and slice thinly across the grain.

The herbs are the whole point

Don’t think of the basil, mint, and cilantro as a garnish here. They’re part of the salad itself, and they’re what make Thai Beef Salad taste so fresh and alive. I like to use big handfuls and keep the leaves mostly whole so you get little bursts of flavor in every bite.

Thai basil is wonderful if you can find it, but regular basil works beautifully. Mint brings the cooling note, cilantro adds that citrusy edge, and together they do what no bottled dressing ever could.

TIP: Take your time through the produce section and choose the freshest looking herbs ~ if you’re near a farmers market, all the better. If you need to buy the herbs ahead of time, snip off the bottoms of their stems and put them in a glass of water. Cover loosely with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator.

About that lime dressing…

The dressing is what gives this salad its kick. Fresh lime juice makes it bright, fish sauce adds that deep savory note, soy sauce brings the salt, and sesame oil rounds it out. Garlic, fresh ginger, brown sugar, and hot chiles pull it into that salty-sour-sweet-spicy balance that makes Thai Beef Salad so good.

If you don’t keep fish sauce around, this is your sign to grab a bottle. It’s easy to find near the soy sauce in most supermarkets, and it’s the difference between a good dressing and one that tastes like it came from your favorite Thai restaurant. You’ll use it again in recipes like my Shrimp Pad Thai.

How to serve Thai Beef Salad

Serve this salad spread out on a wide platter instead of packed into a deep bowl. It keeps the herbs from getting crushed and makes the whole thing feel generous and dinner-worthy. A scattering of peanuts over the top adds crunch, and extra lime wedges never hurt.

On its own, this is a complete meal. If you want to stretch it for a crowd, add jasmine rice, sticky rice, or a platter of simple lettuce cups on the side. It also makes a beautiful warm-weather dinner when you don’t want anything heavy.

Make it ahead

You can make the dressing ahead, slice the cucumbers and red onion, wash and dry the herbs, and even cook the steak in advance. Keep everything separate and don’t dress the salad until just before serving ~ the dressing will wilt the herbs pretty quickly.

If you’d like to marinate the steak, double the dressing recipe and use half as the marinade. Save the other half for drizzling over the finished salad.

You asked

Is Thai Beef Salad served warm or cold?

Either works. I love it with warm or room temperature steak against the cool vegetables and herbs. Leftovers are delicious cold, too, although the greens will soften once dressed.

Can I use leftover steak?

Yes. Thinly sliced leftover steak is perfect here. Let it come to room temperature before assembling the salad.

What can I use instead of fish sauce?

Fish sauce gives this salad its unmistakable savory depth, so I recommend using it if you can. In a pinch, use extra soy sauce with a squeeze more lime, but the flavor will be less complex.

How spicy is this salad?

That’s up to you. Use Thai chiles for real heat, jalapeño or serrano for a milder kick, or remove the seeds to soften the burn.

Add The View from Great Island as a Trusted Google Source

Thai Beef Salad

3.82 from 16 votes

Thai Beef Salad with ribbons of rare steak, tons of fresh herbs, feathery slices of red onion, crunchy cukes, hot peppers, and a tangy garlic ginger dressing!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes minutes

Cook Time:10 minutes minutes

Total Time:25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

dressing

• 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil, I used canola
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

salad

• 1 lb top sirloin steak, or any cut you like
• vegetable oil
• 8 large leaves of red leaf lettuce, rough chopped
• 2 small Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (don’t peel)
• about 1/2 a small red onion, sliced paper thin (I used a mandolin)
• a handful of fresh basil leaves, thinly shred them if they are large
• a handful of fresh cilantro leaves
• a handful of fresh mint leaves
• 2 small hot red peppers, thinly sliced, seeds and all
• 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped

Instructions

• Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
• Heat a skillet or grill pan over high heat until very hot. Brush the steak lightly with oil on both sides and grill for about 3 minutes per side for rare, or until it’s done the way you like it.
• Set the steak on a plate and cover with foil, let it rest for 10 minutes. Then slice it very thinly across the grain with a sharp knife.
• Arrange the lettuce across the bottom of a platter. Top with the cucumbers and onion slices, separating the rings as you scatter them around.
• Next add the steak and fresh herbs. Scatter the hot pepper rings over the top, along with the peanuts.
• Drizzle the dressing liberally over all, and serve immediately.

Notes

You can marinate the steak in the dressing anywhere from an hour to overnight. In that case, double the dressing.

NEW FEATURE! Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: 30 minute meal, Asian, beef, dinner, healthy, salad, steak, Thai

Nutrition

Calories: 331.35 kcal · Carbohydrates: 8.3 g · Protein: 18.43 g · Fat: 25.3 g · Saturated Fat: 5.63 g · Sodium: 427.41 mg · Fiber: 2.06 g · Sugar: 4.46 g

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did You Make This?We love seeing what you’ve made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.