Sesame Scallion Butter Ribeye
Seared Ribeye & Gochujang Cucumbers with Roasted Peanuts
Seared Ribeye & Gochujang Cucumbers with Roasted Peanuts
I’d say the main thing that’s made me a better cook has been learning to read recipes all the way through before I start making them. Knowing what to expect is essential, takes the stress out of cooking/baking, and really sets expectations for the amount of effort I’ll be putting in. There are a handful of moving parts here, so I’d very much recommend reading through before you make this one! Don’t let that discourage you, this system is my favorite method for making steak— it’s so reliable and after you’ve done it once, it all makes sense and is easily replicable, and you can create your own variations on this compound butter. I often interchange the toasted-sesame-scallion butter with a blue-cheese-Castelvetrano-olive-shallot butter, or with an aleppo-garlic-basil butter. I spent June making several iterations of this and wrapped up with my favorite version in Sea Ranch that was served alongside Gochujang cucumbers with crushed peanuts. Hope you love this one!
Ingredients:
1 boneless ribeye or NY strip steak, 1.5 in. - 2 in. thick, will need to fit in your cast iron pan
Scallions, 1/2 bunch, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
5 small cloves garlic, smashed and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and roughly chopped
1 (8oz) stick of butter, at room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grapeseed oil
Directions:
Start by toasting the sesame seeds: heat a pan over medium-low and once warmed through, add the 2 Tbsp sesame seeds and stir so they’ve got some space. Once fragrant (about 2 mins.) remove from the heat, transfer to a cutting board, and give them a rough chop. Divide the sesame seeds and set half aside in a small mixing bowl, and the other half aside in a tiny bowl or the corner of your cutting board.
Aggressively season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper and let it come to room temp. on a plate covered loosely with foil. Take the butter out of the fridge at the same time to soften over the next hour, which is how long I like to let the steak come up to temp. before starting this process. (Your steak may need an additional 30 mins at room temp. if it’s closer to 2 inches thick)
Heat the oven to 265ºF. Add the steak to a wire rack laid inside a sheet pan and place in the oven until it reaches 110ºF. Check as you go that your oven stays at 265ºF, mine likes to jump up quite a bit so I have to keep lowering the temp. every few minutes. All in all, this takes about 20 minutes when I go for 1.5” thick steaks but can take an additional 10 minutes with a thicker cut. Remove the steak from the oven and let it rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
In the small bowl you set aside with the sesame seeds: mix in the scallions and 3 of the thinly sliced garlic cloves. Add the softened butter and mash together with a fork until fully combined. Keep this out at room temp. for serving.
Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet over high heat, and wait 7-8 minutes until smoking. (If you add 1/2 tsp. water to the middle of the pan and it’s completely evaporated in 5 seconds, you’ll know the pan is hot enough!)
Brush a very light coat of grapeseed oil onto both sides of the steak. Transfer to the skillet and sear on each side until golden brown, flipping every 50 seconds per side: this should only take about 3-4 minutes total depending on the size of the cut. You’re looking for 130ºF on a thermometer (inserted into the thickest part of the steak) for medium rare.
Remove the steak from the heat, add to a cutting board, and top with the sesame scallion butter. Let rest for five minutes. Slice diagonally against the grain to serve, and top with the reserved toasted sesame seeds, a pinch of flaky salt, the remaining raw garlic, and additional scallions if you’d like.
*You can make the butter earlier that day or a day in advance to remove a step from this rather involved process. If you make it in advance, just take it out of the fridge to soften about 45 mins before searing the steak.
Gochujang CUCUMBERS WITH ROASTED PEANUTS & CILANTRO
I adapted this recipe from the NYT with the addition of honey and gochujang (and more garlic) and it’s become my all-time favorite way to make cucumbers 🥒
Ingredients:
6 Persian cucumbers (around 1 pound), thinly sliced or cut on the mandoline
Kosher salt
¼ cup salted, roasted peanuts
¼ cup cilantro leaves, plus more for serving
1 tsp red-pepper or Aleppo pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. natural unsalted peanut butter
2 Tbsp. soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp. gochujang paste
1 tsp wildflower honey
3 small garlic cloves, grated
Directions:
Toss cucumbers with ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a colander. Set aside to drain.
Roughly chop peanuts, cilantro and red-pepper flakes together until very fine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochujang, honey, garlic, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Add up to 1 tablespoon of water, if needed, to thin the mixture. Transfer salted cucumbers to the bowl with dressing and toss to coat.
To serve, place half of the cucumber salad on the plate and sprinkle with half of the peanut mixture. Repeat with the remaining cucumber salad and peanut mixture. Top with additional cilantro and serve right away to retain the crisp and crunchy cucumbers.