Blue Cheese Steak Salad

The first time I had a salad with steak and blue cheese was in Jupiter, FL at U-Tiki. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it. The vibe is great if you are looking for a tropical ambiance on the water. Normally I am not the one to order a salad when eating out, but I saw this lady next me order the Filet salad and oh my goodness! When I tell you this was the biggest salad I had ever seen, I mean it. It had 4-5 Filet medallions on it, a tower of spring mix lettuce, tomatoes, blue cheese and their crispy onion rings. It was so good that I craved this salad for weeks so naturally, I tried to mimic it last night.

I didn’t use Filet on mine in the photos below because the store was out. However, I have used Ribeye, New York Strip and Filet before and all taste great. I would recommend that if you want a good texture, you should avoid any really lean red meat because it can be a bit tough once it is cooked.

Cooking The Filet or Steak – Pan Seared

If you have access to a grill, I think grilled Filet and steak is the best option for additional flavor. However, the Pan-Seared Filet from Shawn Willams on Kitchen Swagger is fail proof. I have detailed out the instructions below with my recommendations.

Preheat the oven to 415° F.
Shawn recommends remove steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, this is to bring the steak to room temperature and ensure your cooking times are more accurate. However, I have found that if you like your steak a little more pink in the center that only taking it out for 15 min or so will allow you a more crispy outside and a nice pink inside.
Season both sides generously with salt and pepper or steak seasoning. In my recipe below, I use Montreal steak seasoning. However, you will notice that the herbs in the seasoning will burn. I typically like the flavor more so I will use Montreal seasoning and then just scrape any burned seasoning off at the end.
Add the unsalted butter to an oven safe cast iron skillet and turn up high. Wait for the skillet to become very hot first. Place the Filets or thick cut steak face down and sear undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip the and sear for an additional 2 minutes. This will give your Filets a nice seared edge. NOTE: If you are not using Filet, you will want to ensure your steak is at least an 2in thick. If it is not, it will cook too fast.
Transfer your skillet directly to the oven using oven mitts. DO NOT GRAB SKILLET WITH BARE HAND.
For rare, bake for 4 minutes. Medium rare, 5-6 minutes. Medium, 6-7 minutes. Medium well, 8-9 minutes. Remember, depending on the size of the steak, the more or less time it will take. Take the skillet out and place on pot holder to let cool. The steak will continue to cook while it is cooling. NOTE: If you do prefer your steak on the rare side, you can cut it before it is done cooling to ensure it doesn’t overcook to your liking. If it is too rare, you can always nuke it in the microwave or put it back in the oven for a few seconds. However, this can change the texture of the steak.

INGREDIENTS

1 5-8 oz Filet
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
Salt, Pepper or Steak Seasoning to taste
2 cup Spring Mix
½ Avocado
¼ cup Cherry Tomatoes
⅛ cup Sliced Red Onions
¼ cup Blue Cheese
2 tbsp Blue Cheese Dressing
2 tbsp Crispy Onions

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 415° F.
Season steak with salt and pepper or montreal seasoning on both sides.
Add 2 tbsp. the unsalted butter to an oven safe cast iron skillet and turn up high.
Once skillet is scorching hot, put steak in and sear on both sides for 2 minutes. Only flip once.
Once seared, transfer skillet to the oven and bake for 4 min if you want it rare. Medium rare, 5-6 min. Medium, 6-7 min. Medium well, 8-9 min. Remove and let cool.
Halve tomatoes, halve avocado and remove pit, slice 1/2 avocado into 5-6 slices and thinly slice red onion.
In a salad bowl, mix spring mix and blue cheese dressing and transfer to plate or serving bowl. Top with sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, blue cheese, crispy onions and avocado.
Cut steak into 1/4th inch slices and add on top of salad. Serve when steak is still warm.