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Close-up of a fajita steak salad arranged on a blue and white platter with lime wedges and slices of avocado.

Fajita Steak Salad

40aprons.com/fajita-salad-with-steak-whole30-low-carb-keto/
A salad fit for a meal, this loaded fajita steak salad features tender, juicy steak, sautéed fajita-style vegetables, and a tangy dressing that's packed with flavor.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 45 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 4 servings

Equipment

  • small mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • 2 cutting boards or one board cleaned during cooking
  • Large cast-iron skillet 10-inch or 12-inch
  • Tongs
  • internal meat thermometer
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Sharp chef's knife
  • large serving platter

Ingredients

For the Fajita Salad Dressing

For the Steak

  • 1 pound flank steak (or skirt steak)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
  • kosher salt (to taste)
  • freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

For the Fajita Veggies

  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small red onion (thinly sliced, approximately 4 ounces)
  • 2 medium bell peppers (red or orange, thinly sliced; approximately 6 ounces each)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (more or less to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)

For the Salad

  • 8 ounces chopped romaine lettuce (approximately 1 medium romaine lettuce heart)
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes, halved)
  • 1 medium avocado (sliced)

Instructions

For the Dressing

  • Add ½ cup olive oil, ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 pinch cayenne pepper to small mixing bowl.
  • Whisk ingredients together vigorously until fully emulsified. Set bowl aside.

For the Steak

  • Place cast-iron skillet on stovetop over high heat. Warm skillet for 10 minutes or until skillet begins to smoke slightly.
  • While skillet warms, place 1 pound flank steak on plate or cutting board. Season flank steak with ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon sweet paprika, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper, making sure to season both sides of flank steak evenly.
  • When skillet begins to smoke, place seasoned flank steak in skillet, laying steak completely flat. Cook steak, undisturbed, approximately 4 minutes or until bottom of steak develops rich, golden-brown crust.
  • Once crust develops, flip steak over. Cook steak approximately 2 minutes, then insert internal meat thermometer and check temperature of steak.
  • Continue cooking steak until thermometer reaches desired temperature (see Notes below). Note: if cooking steak longer than 4 minutes, flip steak every 2 minutes to prevent burning.
  • Once desired internal temperature is reached, transfer steak to clean cutting board. Cover steak loosely with aluminum foil and allow steak to rest 10 minutes.

For the Fajita Veggies

  • While steak rests, return skillet to stovetop and reduce heat to medium. Let skillet cool slightly, then add 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil. Heat skillet until oil is hot and shimmery.
  • When oil is hot, add slices of 1 small red onion, slices of 2 medium bell peppers, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to pan. Stir to incorporate.
  • Sauté vegetables, stirring occasionally, approximately 8 minutes or until softened and lightly charred around edges.
  • Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

For the Salad

  • Arrange 8 ounces chopped romaine lettuce on large serving platter.
  • Add sautéed peppers and onions, 2 cups grape tomatoes, and slices of 1 medium avocado to platter, arranging ingredients as desired.
  • Remove aluminum foil from steak and discard. Carve steak into thin slices, making sure to slice perpendicular to grain of meat.
  • Lay slices of steak on top of salad. Drizzle prepared dressing over salad and serve warm.

Recipe Notes

  • Storage: Undressed leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days. Refrigerate dressing in a separate airtight container.

Internal Temperature Guidelines

To cook your steak to your desired temperature, follow this chart:
  • Rare: Target temperature: 120°-125°F. Remove from skillet when internal temperature reaches 110º F.
  • Medium Rare: Target temperature: 130°-135°F. Remove from skillet when internal temperature reaches 120º F.
  • Medium: Target temperature: 140°-145°F. Remove from skillet when internal temperature reaches 130º F.
  • Medium Well: Target temperature: 150°-155°F. Remove from skillet when internal temperature reaches 140º F.
  • Well Done: Target temperature: 160°-175°F. Remove from skillet when internal temperature reaches 160º F. 

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1 servingCalories: 576calProtein: 28gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 663mgPotassium: 1141mgTotal Carbs: 17gFiber: 7gSugar: 6gNet Carbs: 10gVitamin A: 6081IUVitamin C: 74mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 4mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/fajita-salad-with-steak-whole30-low-carb-keto/