OLÉ, MEXICALI STEAK SALAD PLATTER IS SO PRETTY!

MEXICALI STEAK SALAD PLATTER

This recipe is spicy, redolent of garlic and bursting with flavor from the Mexicali Dry Rub/Seasoning Mix used to infuse the steak.  Mexicali Steak Salad Platter is a main course salad that makes a beautiful presentation on a party buffet.

So it was a no-brainer to add this recipe to the menu for the dinner buffet of my Fairies of the Forest Twilight Soiree.  We hosted this fabulous party to celebrate summer’s bounty and the last waning days of the season. 

ADDING “WOW” FACTOR TO YOUR BUFFET TABLE

I like to have a few dishes on a party buffet that have some real “wow” factor, and this entree salad surely qualifies.  All the colors of summer are prevalent in this salad, for sure.

The selection of vegies like corn off-the-cob, sugar snap peas and red bell pepper signal summer is in it’s full glory.  With all those yummy vegetables accompanying the medium-rare, thinly sliced London broil, this salad is a winner.

If I’m making this salad for a family dinner, I’ll drizzle the whole salad with my Creamy South-of-the-Border Salad Dressing to keep it easy.  But on a party buffet, it’s a different story.

 

DON’T COVER UP YOUR HARD WORK WITH SALAD DRESSING!

First, I don’t want to cover up the beautiful composition I so carefully created.

Second, I wouldn’t want to presume how much dressing each of my guests wants, or if they will want any at all. 

At a party, the guests rule, you always want to give them options to customize their plate to their own tastes. 

 

BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET’S DISCUSS HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT STEAK!

Here’s the technique I use when I’m preparing a nice steak.  

In order to get that fabulous seared crust that we’re looking for, you’ll want to follow these tips. These are the steps I take to achieve a perfectly prepared hunk of burning love, oh sorry, I mean meat.  H.H. (hunky husband) was distracting me!

 

• Pat your steak dry and place on a clean plate.  Rub the Mexicali seasoning into one side of the meat, flip and repeat the
• process.
• Let sit for up to an hour to completely reach room temperature.  Your steak will cook much more evenly this way.
• When you are ready to cook the steak, gently pat it dry again, yes, again.  Dry, dry, dry as a bone is what we’re after here.
• Set your dry frying pan (hopefully you’re using a cast iron skillet!) over medium-high heat, turn on your stove vent, open a window or door and/or deactivate your smoke detector temporarily,  cause IT’S GONNA GET SMOKY FOLKS!
• As the pan is heating up, gently brush both sides of the steak with 1 Tbs. oil.  I know this is counter-intuitive since I’ve been whining about the meat being dry, but trust me. This reduces the total amount of oil used and the amount of smoke the meat will ultimately produce as you sear the two sides.
• You can test the pan with a few drops of water to see if they dance and disappear quickly.  If so, its time to grab a pair of tongs and gently lay the steak into the hot pan. 
• Remove steaks from heat when they are 5-10 degrees from your ideal done temperature. Residual heat will cause the temperature of your steak to rise while resting.

 

FOLLOW THESE COOKING TIMES FOR THE PERFECT STEAK

DON’T FORGET THE DRESSING!

You’ll want to make the dressing ahead of time.  I try to get my condiments done a few days ahead, so on party day I’m not swamped with the little things that can clog a prep schedule. 

I prepped the corn, peppers, potatoes, sugar snap peas and onions the day before the party and kept them in the refrigerator in plastic storage bags.  This makes assembling the salad platter a breeze on the afternoon of the party.

Do make sure you have ample space for the finished platter in your refrigerator, otherwise you’ll need to assemble the salad within an hour of the party’s start time.  (make room in your refrigerator,  you’ll be less frazzled)

 

LET’S PUT THIS MEXICALI STEAK SALAD PLATTER TOGETHER

When it comes time to assemble the salad, here’s the scoop.  Be it ahead of time or T-minus party time, you’ll want to take all your ingredients out of the refrigerator.

Then do any last minute prep necessary and get out your platter.  In cooking, this is called the practice of “mise en place”, or everything in its place. 

Now you’ll be able to see the quantities of all the individual ingredients.  This will aid in putting together a pleasing composition as you arrange the platter.  Pay attention to how you play one color off another.

Make sure to group each food type together to give a feeling of abundance, crowded is good in this instance.

 

REMEMBER THIS SEASONING TIP FOR YOUR GREENS

I also like to season my greens before putting them on the platter.  So sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over the butter lettuce before you use them to build the base for the salad. 

It’s a good practice to season all your components along the way when building a dish like this.  You won’t know exactly what each guest will take when they compose their salad on their plate. 

If all the layers and components aren’t properly seasoned, the salad can taste flat.  And that’s not a great thing, if you know what I mean!

 

YOU’RE GOOD TO GO, AND ALMOST DONE! 

You’ve learned how to cook the perfect steak.  And you have a jar of the perfect dry rub in your spice cabinet, so you’re ready to put together this stunner of a salad.  It’s a fabulous addition to any menu, be it for a party or a relaxing evening out on the back deck watching the sunset with your sweetie.

Don’t forget to take a nice glass of Shiraz outside with you, its gutsy flavor profile is perfect with the south-of-the-border flavors of this entree salad. 

 

FAIRIES IN THE FOREST TWILIGHT SOIREE

I don’t think you’re going to want to miss reading the master post for my Fairies in the Forest Twilight Soiree .

You’ll get the scoop on how I hosted an intimate dinner party to celebrate the last days of Summer.

Each time I publish a new “theme party”, I’ll be posting a group of related articles simultaneously.  They’ll include the gathering’s theme decor, menu, recipes, invitations, theme craft projects, guest favors, and everything else you’ll need to tap into your own creativity.

Each recipe and craft project come with their own printable “how-to” cards for your convenience.

Here’s some of the fabulous things you’ll find in this theme party’s posts:

• 3 Fairy themed printable invitation designs to send to your guests
• Complete menu from appetizers & signature cocktail, a cold buffet dinner & 2 desserts
• Moss photo framed menu project
• Fairy Lite Blossom Chandelier project & shopping list printable planner
• Fairy themed centerpiece and guest “take-home” favor projects
• Table runners, napkins and place card holders

 

I’ve put together an incredible party to help you and your friends celebrate the last waning days of Summer.  Go forth and celebrate!

I like to think, that if you unleash your creativity and use my recipes and tips that you can host and enjoy your own Fairies in the Forest Twilight Soiree this summer too.

CLICK THIS LINK TO GO TO MASTER ARTICLE – FAIRIES IN THE FOREST TWILIGHT SOIREE

 

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Mexicali Steak Salad Platter

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

A fabulous salad that can feed all your friends of family with style and lots of South of the Border flavor.

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs. London broil steak
• Mexicali Spice Rub (recipe index-Condiments)
• 3 cobs of sweet corn
• 16 multi-colored new potatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• Small red onion, cut in quarters, cut into slices
• 1 1/2 cups whole sugar snap peas
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• Avocado, thinly sliced, spread accordian-style
• Boston lettuce leaves
• Lime wedges
• Creamy South-of-the-Border Dressing recipe

Instructions

1. Dry all steak surfaces well, rub with 1 Tbs. spice mix on each side. Place on a plate, cover and leave on kitchen counter to come to room temperature while you prepare remainder of ingredients.
2. Fill a large saucepan with cold, salted water and set on med-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until just soft, but still firm. Using a spider or large slotted spoon, scoop out the potatoes, keeping your cooking water over the heat. Cool potatoes and chill until you assemble the salad. (bring water back to a boil)
3. Place corn in boiling water and cook 4 minutes, remove, and cut off of cobs. Chill until salad assembly. (bring water back to a boil)
4. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Add snap peas to boiling water, drain pot and remove after 1 minute. Immediately plunge in ice water. Chill until ready to assemble salad.
5. Cook steak as DIRECTED IN STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS IN POST.
6. Assemble salad on a large platter or as individual composed salad plates as desired. SEE NOTE

Notes

The related post has lots of tips on how to cook your steak perfectly and exactly how to assemble a beautiful presentation for your salad.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 638Total Fat 33gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 160mgSodium 248mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 7gSugar 6gProtein 47g

Calorie and fat content will vary according to ingredients used and size of portions.