Living dairy-free isn’t about dairy alternatives. Far from it. In fact, it’s mostly about all of the wonderful foods you can enjoy without a hint of dairy. North America might be notorious for putting cheese and cream in everything, but there really are many naturally dairy-free dishes for your dinner table. Like this grilled skirt steak with saffron rice. It’s a wonderful meal shared with us by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.
Grilled Skirt Steak with Saffron Rice is an Easy, Allergy-Friendly Meal
Jaden gives us the inside scoop on skirt steak, how to cook it, and her favorite way to serve it.
You’ll never see it advertised in the slick supermarket flyers or highlighted with a big sign. And when you do find it, it’s probably one of the strangest looking cuts of beef. But don’t let looks fool you, or you might pass up one of the best kept secrets in the meat department. The humble skirt steak.
Skirt steak is a close cousin of flank steak. It’s long, flat, and extremely flavorful. It’s a favorite for fajitas and authentic tacos? In fact, the butcher at my local warehouse store tells me they sell a ton of skirt, but only Spanish customers purchase them. In the past, Skirt would be thrown in with the rest of the trimmings to make ground beef. Or butchers would keep the cut for themselves to savor at home. They knew the secret to taming this otherwise tough meat into tender, supple steak.
My favorite way to cook skirt is to marinate and grill it on the barbecue. Direct, high heat produces a beautifully seared meat. Since the steak is thin (typically ¾-inch thick) it cooks up in just a few minutes, making a great no-fuss entrée. And for the perfect tender bite, I always cut it across the grain.
I often serve skirt steak with saffron rice. Its honey-like, floral aroma complements the spices I typically use on skirt steak. And for vegetables, I like to make a simple salad with sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and vinaigrette.
Special Diet Notes: Grilled Skirt Steak with Saffron Rice
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and top food allergy-friendly.
- 2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch saffron threads
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 3 ½ cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, and pepper.
- Place the steaks in a dish, pour the marinade on, and toss to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate the steak for up to 12 hours (a minimum of 1 hour).
- When ready to cook, pre-heat your BBQ grill.
- Grill the steaks for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steaks and how you like your steak done. Generally 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes on your cutting board.
- Lay one of the steaks in front of you, with the grain running left to right. Cut across all the fibers of the grain. Cut each steak into ¼-inch thin slices. Since how you cut is so crucial to the tenderness of the steak, I like to cut all of the meat first and serve on a platter.
- Soak the saffron threads in the hot water for 10 minutes.
- Rinse and drain the rice.
- Put the rice, broth, saffron + soaking water, and salt in a 4-quart pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once it starts boiling, immediately cover and turn the heat down to low heat. Let the rice cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and let it sit for 5 minutes, still covered.
- Use a fork to fluff up the rice before serving.
Sodium Note: The nutrition facts are based on the full ingredient amounts, but the excess marinade is discarded. So the actual sodium in each cooked serving is quite a bit less.
More Dairy-Free Dinners from the Grill
Grilled Fish Tacos with Pickled Slaw
Balsamic Grilled Tofu with Cilantro Cauliflower Rice
Asian Grilled Chicken Noodle Bowls with Ginger Lime Soy Sauce
