Flap Steak Salad Bowl (Gluten-Free)

by Dorothy Reinhold on July 15, 2020


Print This Post Print This Post Thin, quick-grilling flap meat stars in a Flap Steak Salad Bowl that solves the weekday dinner problem. Tuck seasonal fruit in, and you have a satisfying, healthy meal. | ShockinglyDelicious.com

Flap Steak Salad Bowl: Quick-grilling flap steak tops mixed herby greens for an easy, lively supper that will bring everyone to the table. Tuck some seasonal fruit slices in like little dinner jewels.

When I think about what’s for dinner, I like to imagine the major food groups that would be on the plate — a protein, some green vegetable, perhaps a grain, and very often some fruit, too.

What form those take — how they are combined, cooked or not, prepared and presented — is where the magic happens.

Several times a month that magic happens because of my favorite beef — flap steak (or perhaps flank or shirt steak), grilled quickly and then sliced against the grain. Lately I like to put it on top of a heap o’ salad greens, with some fruit slices tucked in between. It’s my idea of a nearly perfect meal, coming together quickly on even the busiest evening.

Flap Steak Salad Bowl on a burlap placemat on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Doesn’t that look good? I’m hungry right now, just looking at it.

How to make Flap Steak Salad Bowl

Ingredients for Flap Steak Salad Bowl on ShockinglyDelicious.com
1. Assemble your ingredients. To make it weeknight-easy, I recommend buying ready-to-use salad greens. Toss some seasonal fruit in, as well. In summer, sliced ripe peaches and other stone fruit like apricots or plums would be wonderful, as would berries. In fall and winter, apples, crisp Fuyu persimmons and crisp Bosc pears will look fantastic in the store. Let your whim and the seasons guide you and don’t be afraid to try a new fruit.

Flap Steak on the grill on ShockinglyDelicious.com2. Then you’ll simply grill the steak (or pan cook it in a hot skillet if you prefer).

Steak resting after grilling on ShockinglyDelicious.com3. Take it off the grill, put on a board and let it rest for 5-7ish minutes.

Steak cut into 3 sections after grilling on ShockinglyDelicious.com4. Cut it into big sections.

Flap Steak is sliced against the grain after grilling on ShockinglyDelicious.com5. And then slice thinly across the grain. This helps to make it tender and easy to chew, since flap, flank and skirt steak can have a bit of a chew to them (perhaps this is why I like them so much!).

What is Flap Steak?

I bought flap steak, which comes from a bottom sirloin butt cut of beef, because it generally comes very thin (super fast cooking!) and it is an underdog of the butcher case and therefore inexpensive. Fast and cheap…that’s my motto. Flap is similar to skirt and flank in that it comes from the less tender regions of the animal, and all of these varieties have a great meaty flavor.

Besides flavor, there are other reasons to turn to beef for a healthy dinner. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, providing more essential nutrients in a smaller package than some other proteins. For example, did you know it takes 8 ounces of cooked chicken breast to give you the same amount of iron you get in 3 ounces of beef, and nearly 20 ounces of chicken to get the same amount of zinc in a serving of beef?

I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get enough protein in a meal, I find myself scouring the refrig or pantry after I push away from the table, looking for something…anything…I don’t know even know what. (It’s times like that I might make poor eating choices.) A 3-ounce serving of lean beef provides 25 grams of protein, about half your daily requirement. So I find a healthy salad starring beef a very satisfying meal.

Flap Steak Salad in a white bowl on a burlap placemat on a wooden table on ShockinglyDelicious.com

Dress your greens lightly, and add in some fresh herbs if they are available. I used Italian parsley, dill and chives today, because I had them. As with any culinary creation, feel free to omit something if you don’t have it or don’t like it. Fresh herbs, though, can really pump up the flavor in a simple dish like tonight’s dinner.

Partner it up with whatever fruits and other vegetables you like, and you’re set, both nutritionally and flavor-wise.

That’s dinner magic. Flap Steak Salad for the win!

Flap Steak Salad Bowl

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Flap Steak Salad Bowl

Quick-grilling flap steak tops mixed herby greens for an easy, lively weekday supper that will bring everyone to the table. Tuck some seasonal fruit slices in like little dinner jewels.

Ingredients

  • 1-1 1/4 pounds flap steak (also called flap meat; or use skirt steak or flank steak)
  • 10-12 ounces or so mixed salad greens
  • Fresh herbs such as Italian parsley, dill, and basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons Mustard Jar Vinaigrette dressing (or use extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar)
  • 1 firm Bosc pear, cored and sliced (or whatever is in season)
  • 1 apple, cored and sliced
  • 1 firm Fuyu persimmon, stemmed and sliced (in season) OR sliced ripe peaches (if in season)
  • Garnish: Snipped fresh chives, heirloom cherry tomatoes, or perhaps sliced colored mini bell peppers

Directions

  1. Grease grates and heat grill on high. When hot, place steak on grill, turn heat down to medium-high and grill about 1 1/2-2 minutes per side. This is a very thin cut of meat and will cook quickly, in 4-5 minutes or so. Remove from heat and allow to rest undisturbed on a cutting board, for 5-10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, toss salad greens and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Dress very lightly and mound salad in 4 wide, shallow bowls.
  3. Slice steak against the grain, in thin strips, and add strips to tops of salads. Tuck pear, apple and persimmon slices into the salad, as you like. Garnish with snipped chives and tuck in some cherry tomatoes or colored bell pepper slices for color.
  4. Serves 4.

Notes

Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/flap-steak-salad-bowl-for-weekdaysupper/

pin this please!Pin the image below to your Pinterest board to save this recipe!

Photo collage of steak salad and grilled steak on a cutting board

If you like steak, try this recipe below

Garlic Ginger Soy Grilled Beef Steak on the flaming grill on ShockinglyDelicious.comGarlic Ginger Soy Grilled Beef Steak

This post was originally published Oct. 29, 2015 and has been refreshed and republished today.

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{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }

carrie @ frugal foodie mama April 20, 2016 at 6:10 pm

I just can’t resist a good steal salad! 🙂 Love that you added fruit to this.

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Amy Stafford April 20, 2016 at 2:16 pm

What a beautiful and nutritiously well rounded salad

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Dorothy Reinhold April 20, 2016 at 5:30 pm

Thank you Amy!

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Jenny Flake November 3, 2015 at 4:58 am

What a hearty gorgeous salad!! Love this!!

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Dorothy Reinhold November 3, 2015 at 6:00 am

Thanks Jenny!

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Amy @Very Culinary November 2, 2015 at 5:46 am

Now THIS is my kind of salad! Living in CA, I grill outdoors all year long, so more steak for me!

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Dorothy Reinhold November 3, 2015 at 6:01 am

Amy,
Exactly. Outside grilling all year long (even if you have to wear a coat in January)!

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Rachel Cooks November 2, 2015 at 4:44 am

This looks amazing! The steak is cooked perfectly and I love all the other ingredients in the salad!

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Erin @ Texanerin Baking November 2, 2015 at 4:34 am

This looks SO good! I absolutely love flap steak (and flank and skirt steak) but it’s ridiculously expensive where I live. It’s so strange! I do know that when I do get my hands on some, I’ll be making this delicious salad. 🙂

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Kimberly Ann @ Bake Love Give October 31, 2015 at 9:20 pm

I adore flap steak and this salad is stunning. I want a giant bowl of this ASAP.

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Kristyn October 31, 2015 at 12:28 pm

What a beautiful salad! I’ll have to give this a shot!

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Dorothy Reinhold October 31, 2015 at 12:31 pm

Thank you Kristyn, I hope you do! It was sooooo good.

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Renee - Kudos Kitchen October 31, 2015 at 6:30 am

I’ve never heard it called flap steak before, I’ve always called it skirt steak. But whatever it’s referred to, it’s delicious. I really love how you’ve paired it with a beautiful and fresh salad. I love the perfectly seared meat and sweetness of the fruit. Brilliant!

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Dorothy Reinhold October 31, 2015 at 11:55 am

Renee,
There are 3 different cuts — flank, flap and skirt. If you like it, you’ll no doubt like them all!

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Katie October 30, 2015 at 11:40 am

Wow these look incredible! Definitely will have to try to make these

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Michele @ Flavor Mosaic October 30, 2015 at 11:02 am

What a gorgeous salad! It is almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

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Michelle | A Latte Food October 30, 2015 at 8:52 am

That steak looks perfect! It’s been too long since I’ve had steak!

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Sheena @Tea and Biscuits October 30, 2015 at 7:00 am

You can’t go wrong with a great steak salad, it looks delicious!

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Dee October 29, 2015 at 5:05 pm

We haven’t had steak in a long time, and this looks really good! Now I’m super hungry! 🙂

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Dorothy Reinhold October 29, 2015 at 6:04 pm

Dee,
Thanks! With a salad, I find that you don’t need as much steak on your plate, as you might if you were eating it by itself.

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Kacey @ The Cookie Writer October 29, 2015 at 1:11 pm

I deliberately got cast iron pans so I could make my husband the perfect steak. I have cooked everything else but steak in them!! This recipe looks so easy and he would be very happy with your doneness (I think he would leave me if I overcooked a steak, haha!)

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Dorothy Reinhold October 29, 2015 at 6:05 pm

Kacey,
I did this on the grill, but I would have done it in a skillet if the grill wasn’t available. Go for it!

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Amy Stafford October 29, 2015 at 12:20 pm

I am a huge fan of the flat steaks grilled. Love that you put it all together as a salad.

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Dorothy Reinhold October 29, 2015 at 6:06 pm

Amy,
Flap steak is so, so easy to make. Seriously, 5 minutes.

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Marion@LifeTastesGood October 29, 2015 at 11:32 am

Perfection on a plate right there! I could eat that every single day without complaining! Your plating is stunning, Dorothy! I love all the beautiful colors and flavors!

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Dorothy Reinhold October 29, 2015 at 6:06 pm

Marion,
Thank you so much! It looks a bit artistic, eh?

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Medeja October 29, 2015 at 8:43 am

Yummy! I love good steak!

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Christine from Cook the Story October 29, 2015 at 8:33 am

I love your addition of Fall fruit to this great looking salad! It really is a great weeknight dinner.

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Dorothy Reinhold October 29, 2015 at 6:07 pm

Christine,
I often find myself adding fruit to the dinner plate. That way, no matter what other nonsense we all ate during the day, we’re getting a serving of fruit with dinner.

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Renee October 29, 2015 at 4:25 am

Flap steak is now on my list to get from my butcher. What a fantastic salad too.

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Dorothy Reinhold October 29, 2015 at 6:08 pm

Renee,
If you like a bit of a chew in your steak (I do), you will LOVE it!

Reply

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