Flank Steak with Tamarind Glaze and Orange Gremolata

Food & Wine (June 2008)

As grilling season continues to ramp up, we're continuing to experiment with new recipes that can dress up the most common meats we typically grill.  In the case of Flank Steak with Tamarind Glaze and Orange Gremolata, we've found a winner. 

At first we were a little daunted by the name of the dish, not being familiar with either tamarind or gremolata.  Both components, without knowing what they mean, conjure thoughts of an exotic shopping list and extended time in the kitchen.  How wrong we were . . .

Tamarind is an African fruit, but it's most closely associated with Indian food. Can't find tamarind? You can easily substitute a combination of lemon juice, lime juice and molasses (other combos include orange juice or brown sugar).

Gremolatas vary, but cooks seem to agree that the three basic ingredients are citrus zest, parsley and garlic, mixed together to form something between a salsa and a garnish.  Some recipes call for adding onion or olive oil as well. 

The glaze -- made with sweet and spicy ingredients -- is prepared on the stovetop.  The steak is prepared on the grill and brushed lightly with the glaze.  After a brief rest, you serve the steak topped with the gremolata and served with the remaining glaze. 

The result is an extremely flavorful steak -- easy enough for a weeknight meal but also fancy enough for guests. 

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Flank Steak with Tamarind Glaze and Orange Gremolata
Food & Wine (June 2008)
Subscribe to Food & Wine

TOTAL TIME:  50 MIN
SERVES:  4

Ingredients

    * 1 1/2 cups water
    * 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh ginger
    * 1/4 cup honey
    * 1/4 cup ketchup
    * 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
    * 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, stemmed and finely chopped
    * 3 garlic cloves—2 smashed, 1 minced
    * 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    * Kosher salt
    * 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
    * 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
    * Freshly ground pepper
    * One 1 3/4-pound flank steak

Directions

   1. Light a grill. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, ginger, honey, ketchup, tamarind concentrate, chipotle chiles, smashed garlic and cider vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer over low heat until thickened, about 20 minutes. Strain the sauce and season with salt.
   2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the minced garlic with the parsley and orange zest. Season with salt and pepper.
   3. Season the steak with salt and pepper and grill over high heat until well-browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 125 for medium-rare, 5 minutes per side. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, liberally brush the steak with the tamarind glaze.
   4. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on the diagonal and garnish with the orange gremolata. Serve, passing any remaining glaze at the table.

Comments

[Luke]

Nice photo guys! Now I am really jealous that we don't have a grill. Stupid DC condos. I am going to try broiling though and see how that comes out.

[Laura]

Wow this looks good--and really different. Into the to try file....

[Donald]

Excellent job! I too saw this recipe in F&W and it is actually on the menu for this weekend.

I think that I am going to marinate the steak overnight in the glaze. I'll make a bit more in order to do this.

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

Donald -- Marinating is a great idea! We actually talked about that. I mean, part of the beauty of this dish is how quick it is to prepare. But if you've got the time, I think marinating it would make it that much better.

[rachel]

I love tamarind. This looks great.

[Kevin]

This sounds really tasty. I have been looking for recipes so that I can use some of that tamarind that I have.