Beef and Tahini Salad
Armenian-inspired Beef Salad with onion-marinated steak, tahini-pomegranate dressing, sweet pomegranate, toasted walnuts, and crispy fried morels - a hearty, flavor-packed salad the whole family will love!
Servings: 4 people
Cost: 20
Ingredients
Steak & Marinade
- 1 ½ lbs flank or sirloin steak
- 1 large yellow onion grated or blended with its juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried summer savory or oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 head romaine or leaf lettuce chopped
- 1 Persian cucumber diced
- 2 large tomatoes diced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced, quick-pickled if desired
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ cup walnuts toasted and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint chopped
- ½ teaspoon sumac for finishing
Fried Morels
Tahini-Pomegranate Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 2-4 tablespoons water to thin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl or zip-top bag, combine grated onion and juice, olive oil, garlic, Aleppo pepper, summer savory, salt, and pepper.
- Add steak and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
- While the steak marinates, toss sliced red onion with a pinch of salt and a splash of lemon juice or vinegar; let sit 15-20 minutes, then drain.
- Soak dried morels in 2 cups warm water for 20-30 minutes, until softened. Lift out (leaving sediment behind), rinse briefly, and pat very dry. Halve any large morels.
- Whisk together tahini, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, and garlic. Add water gradually until smooth and pourable. Stir in olive oil and season with salt.
- Remove steak from marinade, scraping off excess onion. Heat a skillet or grill pan over high heat.
- Sear or grill steak 3-5 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until desired doneness. Remove and let rest 5-10 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry morels 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp at the edges. Add garlic during the last minute; season with salt.
- Arrange lettuce on a platter. Top with cucumber, tomatoes, and pickled onion.
- Layer sliced steak over the vegetables.
- Scatter pomegranate arils, walnuts, fried morels, parsley, and mint over the top.
- Finish with sumac and a generous drizzle of tahini-pomegranate dressing. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Marinate the steak overnight if you can - the extra time makes a real difference in both flavor and tenderness.
- Pat the rehydrated morels very dry before frying so they crisp instead of steam.
- No dried morels? Fresh morels work too - just halve, pat dry, and fry the same way, no soaking needed.
- The dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days - make it ahead and just thin with water before serving.
- Quick-pickled onions and the tahini dressing can both be made a few days in advance to speed up assembly.
- Keep components separate until you're ready to eat so the lettuce stays crisp and the morels stay crunchy.
Nutrition
Calories: 669kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 1105mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1914IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 6mg
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