Table of Contents
- Get ready for the best grilled steak recipe.
- Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Here’s how to make this recipe.
- These sweet potatoes are the perfect side dish.
- These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
- Frequently asked questions about this recipe.
- Other dinner recipes you'll love.
- Watch how to make this recipe.
- Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
- Grilled Flank Steak with Garlic Scape Chimichurri Recipe
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This Southwestern spiced flank steak covered in a citrus-forward marinade and paired with a quick garlic scape chimichurri is easy enough for a weeknight meal. But better yet, it’s high on flavor, which is everything about a great recipe!
Get ready for the best grilled steak recipe.
Steak is not usually a recipe that’s on a weeknight menu. Steak is generally reserved for those occasions when we have the proper time necessary to grill a steak to perfection. Steak also seems like special occasion meat. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Flank steak is like the cool cousin of the common steak. It’s a thin cut of meat that’s from the lower chest or abdominal muscle. Since there’s little fat, it works well with a marinade, which helps to tenderize the meat. Orange and lime juices help tenderize the meat and complement the added spices of chili, cumin, and smoked paprika. The flavors are strong so that they can stand up to the beef flavor.
The marinated steak cooks quickly, another great reason to use flank steak, and a chimichurri made from garlic, cilantro, and parsley brings it all together. I serve the whole dish with spiced sweet potatoes, making this an update to traditional steak and potatoes. You’ll love it, especially during the summer grilling months.
Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.
A good flank steak recipe does not need tons of ingredients to be delicious. And that’s exactly why this steak marinade has a simple combination of citrus juice, garlic, and familiar spices. The steak can be made with an optional garlic scape chimichurri sauce that also boasts its ease to make and the use of perfect summertime herbs. Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:
- Flank steak is the perfect choice of meat for a quick meal. The steak cooks quickly and can withstand a vast array of flavors. But with little fat, the steak needs help tenderizing, which is why a marinade is used in this recipe. If you love steak, you’ll love my flank steak salad!
- Chili powder is a flavorful mixture of cumin, chili spice, oregano, garlic, onion, and other spices that, when paired, create a tremendously flavorful spice that’s perfect in the marinade.
- Cumin is added, even though there’s already cumin in the chili powder, to impart even more warmth to the marinade.
- Smoked paprika does not have actual spiciness. Instead, it has a deep smokiness, which complements the steak even more once it’s grilled.
- Garlic scapes are not in season year-round, but when they are, they’re perfect for a chimichurri sauce. If you cannot find scapes, use fresh garlic instead. Simply peel four to five cloves and throw them in with the rest of the ingredients.
- Parsley in the chimichurri sauce adds so much more flavor than you would think. Parsley gets a bad rap and is mostly thought of as a garnish, but it actually has lots of flavor.
Here’s how to make this recipe.
The process for this flank steak recipe is pretty simple as it’s all about getting food on the table as quickly as possible. Here’s how to make this recipe:
- Prepare the steak marinade. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, minced garlic, neutral oil, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt. Mix all of these ingredients together until the spices are evenly distributed. Because of the oil in the marinade, the mixture may not incorporate fully, but that is to be expected.
- Pour the marinade on top of the flank steak. In a shallow pan, place the flank steak in an even layer. Pour all of the marinade across the steak, making sure the surface is fully covered. Cover the pan and place it in the refrigerator. Every thirty minutes, turn the steak so that the reverse side will sit in the marinade. Let the steak marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours before grilling.
- Grill the marinated flank steak. Preheat the grill on high for 15 minutes. Turn to medium-high and place the steak on the grill. Once seared on one side, flip the steak to the other side. Grill until the steak reaches the level of cooking you prefer. Below are the target internal temperatures for each doneness level:
Meat Doneness | Temperature |
---|---|
Rare – cool red center | 125°F to 130°F |
Medium rare – warm red center | 130°F to 140°F |
Medium – warm pink center | 140°F to 150°F |
Medium well – slightly pink center | 150°F to 160°F |
Well – little to no pink | 160°F or higher |
These sweet potatoes are the perfect side dish.
Since the grill is already on, I love to prepare sweet potato fries as a quick side dish to the steak. Let’s think of them as steak fries! Here’s how to make them:
- Cut one pound of sweet potatoes into planks.
- Cover with avocado oil, and sprinkle with equal amounts of chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt.
- Grill them for 8-10 minutes per side.
- Finish with flaky sea salt.
- Prepare the garlic scape chimichurri sauce. In a food processor, combine the roughly chopped garlic scapes, scallions, parsley, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, salt, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Process the mixture until everything is evenly incorporated, but some texture remains.
- Slice up the steak and serve with the chimichurri sauce. After the steak has rested, slice it into thin slices. Top the entire steak with the chimichurri sauce or serve in a separate bowl.
These pro tips will make this recipe a success.
- Once off the grill, allow the steak to sit for 10 to 15 minutes to allow all of the juices to reabsorb. If this is observed, the steak will retain more of its flavor upon cutting.
- Slice the flank steak on the bias. The grain of the meat will run in a certain direction. Slicing on the bias means that you slice perpendicular to the grain. This will make the meat more tender when consumed.
- Right before serving the steak, sprinkle the top with some flaky sea salt. Seasoning right at the end will bring out even more of the flavor in the meat and will ensure the first bite is packed with a punch.
Frequently asked questions about this recipe.
You would want to choose a thin steak so that the cooking time is short. A skirt steak would work well, but I definitely prefer flank steak.
It definitely can, but I handpicked orange and lime for a specific reason. Orange juice is sweet, with a definite citrus flavor, while lime juice is sharper with a bit of sourness. These two paired together are what make this marinade shine.
The steak can marinate for up to four hours. If it’s left in the marinade for longer than this, the meat may begin to break down too much.
Sure! You can use garlic cloves instead or leave out the garlic entirely. If you cannot find scapes, use four to five garlic cloves instead, depending on the size.
There are so many ways to serve this flank steak, including with the chimichurri sauce included in this recipe! But you can also try it on top of a salad or in a tortilla. Or pair it with my favorite sweet potato fries (recipe above) or any number of other side dishes.
Watch how to make this recipe.
More weeknight meals
Creamy Sausage Pasta
Herb Crusted Baked Halibut
Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
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Grilled Flank Steak with Garlic Scape Chimichurri
Ingredients
For the steak
- 1 ½ lb flank steak
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp kosher salt
For the garlic scape chimichurri
- 10 garlic scapes roughly chopped
- 2 scallions (white and light green parts)
- ½ cup parsley slightly packed
- ½ cup cilantro slightly packed
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
For the steak
- In a medium bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, neutral oil, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt. Whisk to combine and pour over the flank steak into a small baking dish. Make sure the steak is coated in the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Flip the steak every 30 minutes to ensure it is evenly marinating.½ cup fresh orange juice, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup neutral oil, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 ½ lb flank steak
- Preheat the grill on high for 15 minutes. Turn to medium-high and grill the steak to your desired temperature, flipping once halfway through. This should be approximately 4-5 minutes per side for a rare to medium-rare steak.
- Once grilled to the temperature, remove the steak and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Once rested, slice the steak on the bias (perpendicular to the grains) and serve with the chimichurri.
For the chimichurri
- In a food processor, combine chopped garlic scapes (or garlic cloves), scallions, parsley, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, salt, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Pulse the mixture until the ingredients are evenly chopped with some texture. This can be made up to four days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.10 garlic scapes, 2 scallions (white and light green parts), ½ cup parsley, ½ cup cilantro, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, ¼ cup fresh orange juice, ½ tsp kosher salt, ¾ cup olive oil, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Notes
- Once off the grill, allow the steak to sit for 10 to 15 minutes to allow all of the juices to reabsorb. If this is observed, the steak will retain more of its flavor upon cutting.
- Slice the flank steak on the bias. The grain of the meat will run in a certain direction. Slicing on the bias means that you slice perpendicular to the grain. This will make the meat more tender when consumed.
- Right before serving the steak, sprinkle the top with some flaky sea salt. Seasoning right at the end will bring out even more of the flavor in the meat and will ensure the first bite is packed with a punch.
Every one of your recipes that I have made is wonderful. I enjoy your videos very much. Just made your spicy dill pickles yesterday. Can’t wait to see how they turn out. Keep on sharing.
This was amazing! I was so happy to see your video on using scapes! The sauce was wonderful…. And it was a perfect combo! ❤️