Seared Beef Salad with Asian Dressing

There’s something about a dish that brings both crunch and sizzle to the table. Our Seared Beef Salad with Asian Dressing is one of those recipes that feels like a little celebration on a plate. Juicy, pan-seared steak slices meet crisp, colourful vegetables, all tied together with a zingy, herb-packed dressing that’s bursting with flavour. Inspired by fresh, seasonal produce and bold Asian-style ingredients, it’s the kind of salad that wins over even the biggest meat lovers. Light enough for lunch, hearty enough for dinner — this one’s guaranteed to become a regular in your kitchen rotation.

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Ingredients:

Salad

1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

1 yellow capsicum, thinly sliced

1 orange capsicum, thinly sliced

1 Lebanese (telegraph) cucumber, deseeded and thinly sliced

¼ small red cabbage, finely shredded

1–2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil (for cooking the steak)

500g steak (scotch, sirloin or eye fillet work well)

Asian Dressing

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

1 tablespoon peeled and crushed fresh ginger

1 spring onion, chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, chopped

125ml lime juice (approx. 2 limes)

125ml lemon juice (approx. 2 lemons)

250ml Kikkoman soy sauce

125ml sweet chilli sauce

50g fresh coriander (including roots), washed

50g Vietnamese mint leaves (or regular mint if unavailable)

125ml sesame oil

250ml light olive oil

2–4 shallots (or French onions), thinly sliced (for garnish)

Olive oil (for frying shallots)

A handful of cashew nuts (for garnish)

Instructions:

Add all the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. For a silky finish, pour through a fine sieve to remove any fibres. Store in a jar in the fridge – it’ll keep well for at least a month.

Wash and finely slice the capsicums, cucumber, and cabbage. Set aside in a large salad bowl.

Rub the steak with a light drizzle of vegetable oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper (or Avohaven Salt'n'Peppa). Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear the steak for about 2 minutes per side, turning every 30 seconds to keep the juices in. You’re aiming for rare to medium-rare. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain into 1cm strips.

In a separate pan, heat olive oil and fry the thinly sliced shallots over a low-medium heat for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Add the cashews to a dry pan and toast over medium heat, shaking the pan gently until they’re golden. Don’t let them burn – it happens fast!

Add the sliced steak to the salad bowl. Pour over a generous amount of dressing and toss everything together until well coated.

Arrange the salad on a serving platter. Finish with a scattering of toasted cashews and crispy fried shallots. Serve immediately.