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We’ve cherry picked the best salad for summer!! This cherry steak salad is pretty filling and meant to be a main course dish. A bed of romaine and arugula are tossed a basil mint vinaigrette and topped with sliced cherries, sliced steak, feta crumbles and dijon croutons. Every bite is full of flavor and texture. The flavors are all over the map – in a good way! You get a lot of saltiness from the steak and feta cheese, that balances so well with the juicy sweet cherries and tangy dijon croutons.
This salad is perfect for 4-6 people would be perfect with some dinner rolls, a fun drink and dessert and you have a meal. There’s a lot of yummy components to this salad so let’s hop into the details of making this dish.
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Cherry Steak Salad
What You’ll Need
For the salad…
Basil Mint vinaigrette
- Flank steak
- Cherries
- Feta cheese
- Arugula
- Romaine lettuce
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Lemon
- Mint leaves
- Basil leaves
- Honey
- Salt and pepper
Steak Merinade
dijon croutons
- Balsamic vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Dijon mustard
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Sourdough bread
- Garlic powder
- Dijon mustard
- Paprika
The salad toppings!
We are turning a boring bed of lettuce into an elegant dinner. And to do that, we are getting a little extra with the toppings. We’re searing steak, making homemade croutons and dressing. This salad is the main course, so think of all the toppings as if you were preparing side dishes. Good news is, that everything is actually super simple to make!
Marinaded and Grilled Steak
First thing you will need to prep is the steak marinade. It is a mixture of balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, dijon mustard, olive oil and garlic powder. The acid from the vinegar is going to break down the tough meat fibers and make it super tender. You’ll want to leave it to marinade for at least 30 minutes. But if you have time to marinade for more than an hour, that’s better. We recommend not marinading more than 24 hours.
Grilling steak is actually super simple to do, but you have to pay close attention while it’s cooking. Scroll below to Steak Grill Guide for our recommendations for time and temperature of doneness.
Fresh Cherries
Fresh cherries are a must! Good news is that during the summer, they are in season. They add so much freshness and color to this salad. Read How to Pit Cherries below!
Mint Basil Vinaigrette
The vinaigrette is so delicious and super easy to make. It’s tangy and herby which will complement the salad toppings perfectly.
All you need is a handful of ingredients and a mason jar. Start by adding vinegar, oil, honey, fresh mint and basil to a jar. Seal the lid and give it a good shake to emulsify.
Dijon Mustard Croutons
Possibly my favorite part of the salad – the croutons! These aren’t your normal croutons, they are slightly tangy and spicy from the croutons. They are an extra twist you wouldn’t expect that truly elevate the salad.
Feta Cheese
The feta cheese is the piece that brings this whole salad together. It adds just the right amount of saltiness to each bite.
Steak Grill Guide
When grilling your steak, you want to start with a hot grill or overtop grill pan . The steak will cook fast, so here is a guide for time and temperature depending on how rare you like your steak.
- Rare – 3-5 minutes each side until it reaches 125ºF
- Medium rare – 3-5 minutes each side until it reaches 130ºF
- Medium – 5-6 minutes each side until it reaches 140ºF
- Medium well – 5-7 minutes each side until it reaches 150ºF
- Well done – 6-8 minutes each side until it reaches 160ºF
How to Pit Cherries
If you don’t have a cherry pitter, find anything that you can poke through like a tooth pick, metal straw or pastry tip.
To pit the cherries without a pitter, place the cherry on a flat surface or the bottom of a bowl. Remove the cherry and hold the cherry against the surface with the stem side down.
Press the device of your choosing through the bottom of the cherry. The device will either push the seed straight through or split the cherry. If your cherry is split, remove the pit with your hand and repeat this step until you have a cup of pitted cherries.
What to Serve with Cherry Steak Salad
A side of veggies, like corn or potatoes, or bread pair so well with this salad. We also think that chocolate would be a nice complement for dessert and have listed some of our favorite desserts below as well!
- Corn on the cob
- Dinner rolls
- Jalapeno cheddar rolls
- French fries
- Fluffernutter S’more Bars
- Fudge Brownies
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Cherry Steak Salad
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Description
A bed of romaine and arugula are tossed a basil mint vinaigrette and topped with sliced cherries, sliced steak, feta crumbles and dijon croutons.
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 3 cups or arugula
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
Steak Marinade
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Basil Mint Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp basil leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp honey
- Salt and pepper to season
Dijon Bread Crumbs
- 2 c sourdough bread, cubed (or bread of your choosing)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Before you begin, set steak out on countertop to get to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF for cooking the croutons.
- Make steak marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, dijon mustard, olive oil and garlic powder. Pour marinade in a airtight container or plastic bag and place steak flank in container to marinade for at least 30 minutes. If you can do a couple hours or up to 24 hours.
- Grill on high heat. You can use patio grill or stove top grill. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Or 5-7 minutes if you want medium done.
- After cooking, let steak sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice in 1/4 inch pieces.
- Make vinaigrette. Pour all ingredients into a jar, close with lid and shake to emulsify. Set aside.
- Make croutons. Slice bread, sliced in 1/2 inc cubes and pour in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together olive oil, dijon, garlic powder and paprika. Drizzle over bread cubes and lightly toss. Spread out over parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes until golden and crispy. Let cool for several minutes while your assemble the salad.
- In a large bowl, toss romaine and arugula in the vinaigrette. Save a little for drizzling over the top at the end.
- Top with steak, pitted and sliced cherries, croutons, feta crumbles and drizzle with remainder of vinaigrette.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Marinade Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
