Filet Steak Salad, using the filet mignon cut of beef [ or filet de bœuf in France or filet steak in the UK] , is the ultimate salad meal. For those of you who know me by now, you will know I love salads, and more importantly, I adore a large filling salad as a meal. It ticks all the boxes for me. You’ll also know that I am fascinated by a holistic approach to food and how foods heal or nourish the whole body and the relationship of certain foods to specific parts of the body.

This Filet Salad is indulgent. Indulgent because it contains the best and most expensive cut of beef, and indulgent because it contains a multitude of Superfoods: Lean beef, red cabbage, wild rice, broccoli, walnuts to name a few. It is topped with crumbled blue cheese and then served with a creamy blue cheese dressing on the side. Use any size of steak you want with this recipe, and make sure you cook it to medium at most. This cut of meat really wants to be medium/medium-rare because it is very lean. If you over-cook it, it will go dry and mealy which doesn’t taste or look good, nor is it very good value for money!

To me, this is a year-round salad; play around with the ingredients and what is available in your market and mix and match the ingredients to your liking. Also, in my experience, this is a great “man” salad; it’s a filet steak salad afterall. When this was on the menu for our corporate clients, it was mostly ordered by men. So, if your man claims to dislike salad or simply doesn’t eat enough salad or vegetables, this is the salad for them.

If you’re bothering to read this, there is another thing you may already know about me, and that is I have “texture” issues, and I’m not alone; texture plays a huge part of how we experience our food, so it is always important that when you assemble the salad and start the layering up process, that you remember to think about the texture, ingredient compatibility and flavour combinations.

Like most of my “filling” salads, this is brilliant for lunch or a smaller portion for a starter. This is a meal in our house, and sometimes we will have this salad with a starter of steamed mussels and we’ll serve the Filet Steak Salad with some crusty bread and a bottle of a lovely full-bodied red wine. However you serve it, enjoy and let us know how you served it!

Filet Steak Salad

Dawn

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 14

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course, Salad, Starter

Cuisine American, Australian, British, Continental, International

Servings 2 People

Equipment

Electronic digital scales
Heavy bottomed fry pan ideally cast iron

Ingredients

2 Fillet Steak [ filet mignon] - room temperature Any weight. For best results, make sure your steak isn't more than 3-4 centimetres [1 1/2 inches] MAX Note 1
Mixed Leaves (Roquette [Arugula], Baby Leaf, Spinach, Beet Root) I like to add a handful of fresh, washed oregano leaves to the mixed leaves
40 grams Washed, sliced radish a good couple of handfuls
50 grams Washed, sliced broccoli florets [ 1 3/4 ounces]
50 grams Carrot Baton, peeled and cut into 4cm [2 1/2 inches] matchsticks 1 3/4 ounces
50 grams Washed, thinly sliced red pepper [1 3/4 ounces] or any colour Capsicum (Bell pepper)
25 grams Raw, Black rice [just under 2 Tablesoons] substitute Wild Rice or Red Rice
30 grams Raw, Pearl Barley - 2 Tablespoons
30 grams Red Onion - 2 Tablespoons
50 grams Purple Cabbage - 1 3/4 ounces
30 grams Crushed Walnuts - a couple of handfuls optional
30-50 grams Crumbled Blue Cheese to taste

Instructions

Gather and weigh your ingredients
Flash the Broccoli and Carrot Baton if desired. Drain, refresh and set aside
Peel the onion, and thinly slice into strips
Wash the rice, and cook to packet instruction. Drain, refresh and set aside
Wash the pearl barley and cook to packet instruction. Drain, refresh and set aside
Wash and thinly "slice" the purple cabbage
Preparing the Steak
1. Remove the steak from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come up to room temperature [no more than 2 hours]
2. Season the steak all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle over a little bit of oil. [rub this in using your fingertips]
3. Place your frying pan over a high heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. We want to sear the steak first, so when the pan is smoking hot, add the steak and move it around the pan for a few seconds so it doesn't stick. Then, leave the beef to cook without moving it for 2–3 minutes, until it has a lovely golden crust. Turn the steak over and repeat
4. Now, sear the steak along the sides to a nice colour, then cook each side of the steak again, for 2–3 minutes for a perfect medium-rare finish.
Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Slice the filet Steak in 1 cm slices [ 1/2 of an inch]

Assembly

LAYER UP !
1. Using a bowl or plate, start with some leaves at the bottom
2. Sprinkle over some Pearl Barley
3. Add the Broccoli
4. Add the Onion
5. Add the Rice etc
6. Keep layering up until you finish with the Steak slices arranged on top
7. Sprinkle the crushed walnuts and crumbled blue Cheese on top
8. Add a dash of salt and a good grind of fresh pepper
9. Serve with the Blue Cheese dressing

Blue Cheese Dressing

Notes

Note 1. If your steak is too thick, it will over-cook on the outside and be undercooked inside.

Filet Steak Salad