Cilantro Lime Steak Salad: How to Make a Delicious Salad

If you’re tired of the same old boring salads and are looking for a new one to try, here it is. Loaded with healthy veggies and rich steak this salad is the perfect balance between savory and tangy. You’ll want to load your plate up high with this cilantro lime steak salad.

steak salad with a cilantro lime dressing

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It’s a light alternative to the typical heavy, creamy steak salads. Don’t get me wrong I love a yummy black and bleu salad but sometimes it’s just too much. After I eat a salad, I don’t want to be slow and sluggish, I expect to be energetic and vibrant. I do have to admit, I’m not always feeling 100% after eating this one but that’s just because I can’t help but over do it.. Every. Single. Time. We never have leftovers of this recipe. I think you’ll understand why after you make it for yourself.

This recipe calls for slicing the steak before cooking. Preparing it this way will give you a well-done meat. However, if you prefer your steak on the rare side (like I do) cook it to your liking before you slice it. Don’t forget to let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it! This gives the juices a chance to redistribute evenly throughout the meat. I’ve gotten into the habit of cooking it like I do our taco meat and never think to cook it before I cut it. Leaving it on the pinker side will give you a softer more tender meat.

All about the veggies

Make sure you wash those veggies before you start slicing and dicing to remove any dirt and bacteria. If you’ve never had food poisoning from e. coli or salmonella you’re a very fortunate soul. I can tell you from experience it’s not pleasant.

sliced veggies for my cilantro lime salad

Start preparing these veggies for this dish by slicing them to no more than 2-inch lengths, except for the jalapeños. Of course, you’re free to cut them to any size you prefer but I feel these sizes work best for us. I prefer my vegetables cut to bite size, so I get a good balance in every bite.

Slice the jalapeños right down the middle, stem and all. I like to make these easy to find in the salad so I can munch on them throughout my meal.

I slice the white onion into 1 inch cubes so they’re easy to find and don’t all fall to the bottom of the bowl immediately.

The green onions I cut into 2-to-3-inch lengths. Again, so they incorporate well and don’t all fall to the bottom of the bowl to be eaten at the end.

* If your jalapeños look like this when the other veggies are done. Throw them in with the meat for a couple minutes to brown *

Sauteed veggies for my cilantro lime salad

The tomatoes can be a little tricky to size up, quarters don’t always work well. If you buy smaller ones like Roma tomatoes or similar sized ones, this works perfectly. The larger ones you may have to slice into 1/8s to get a good size. They will cook down a little bit so keep that in mind.

You may also be able to successfully use halved cherry tomatoes, I have never tried this but if that’s all you’ve got on hand give it a shot and let me know how those do. Try not to over mix the veggies, doing so will cause the tomatoes to break down faster.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

This light and tangy sauce ties the entire meal together and couldn’t be easier to make. All you need to do is blend some washed cilantro, plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, garlic, cumin and salt until smooth. It’s that simple. In order for it to taste right, you’ll want to be able to taste both the tang of the lime and the boldness of the cilantro.

If you don’t have any greek yogurt on hand, or if the store is out of the plain one, you can substitute sour cream or cottage cheese for it. It wil still have the same smoothness after it’s been blended but it might be slightly thicker. No matter what base you choose it will be delicious.