Fun Fearless Foodie

I am over the moon that the team at Gourmet LIVE have introduced an iPhone version of their popular magazine app for the iPad, providing me with the perfect subway-ride companion. Each issue features not only interesting and diverse food articles, but recipes from the Gourmet archives. On today’s ride home I discovered a recipe for Grilled Lime-Curry-Rubbed Hanger Steak with Fresh Melon-Cucumber Chutney. Desperate for a dinner idea, this sounded like the perfect meal for this hot and muggy day.

After cruising the aisles at my local market, Grace’s, I picked up the required ingredients, but also felt inspired to take my own spin on the dish. The butcher only had teriyaki-marinated hanger steak on hand, so I went with the skirt steak instead, one of my favorite cuts for it’s fast cooking time and tender texture. I also couldn’t help but notice the pink Florida shrimp on display at the seafood counter and thought: surf and turf!

I spotted some gorgeous baby Bibb lettuces and felt like this was the perfect dish to be eaten in a lettuce cup and a nice way to introduce more green. After waiting anxiously for a torrential rainstorm to subside, it was off to my kitchen and time to get cooking.

The original recipe calls for curry powder to be rubbed on the steak, but I’m not crazy about the premixed version in most stores, I prefer to blend my own spices to get the exact flavor I’m looking for. Cumin, coriander, and fenugreek are classic curry spices and blend really well with lime. The flavor this marinade gave the steak and shrimp was fantastic, it had the right blend of spice and acidity and paired well with the sweet and spicy salsa.

This is the perfect summertime meal when you want to get dinner on the table fast and don’t want to mess with lots of pots and pans. Feel free to add your own flair to the salsa or marinade based on your preferences. I can promise you this, if you find a ripe and sweet summer melon you’ll want to eat this salsa straight out of the bowl.

Steak and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with Cucumber-Melon Salsa

Recipe adapted from Gourmet, June 2009

Serves 2

Cucumber-Melon Salsa

This simple “salsa” is a cinch to throw together and bursting with the bright flavors of summer. Be sure to use a ripe and sweet honeydew mellon so it’s flavors really shine through. This would also be delicious with tacos, over rice, tossed into a salad, or with tortilla chips.

Ingredients

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, small dice
1 cup honeydew mellon, small dice
1/2 red onion, small dice
1 jalapeno, small dice (seeds in or out based on heat preference)
Juice of 1 lime
Cilantro, chopped
Splash of rice vinegar
Salt

Procedure

Combine all the ingredients in a glass or plastic mixing bowl. Add as much cilantro as you like, and adjust the acidity with lime juice and rice vinegar. Season to taste with salt. Allow to marinate for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature before using. Store remaining salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 to 3 days.

Steak and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

The fragrant and herbal flavors of cumin, coriander, and fenugreek take your average grilled steak and shrimp to the next level. Fenugreek has both a sweet and savory flavor and is used in Indian curries. If you can’t find it at your grocery store, substitute a little curry powder instead.

Ingredients

1/2 pound skirt steak
1/2 pound 21-30 count shrimp, shelled and deveined
Bibb lettuce, for serving

For marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek

Serving suggestion: jasmine rice tossed with lime juice and chopped cilantro.

Procedure

1. Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade together in a medium glass or plastic mixing bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. Coat the steak with 3/4 of the marinade and allow to come to room temperature and absorb the flavors for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat your grill, grill pan, or cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.
4. When you are getting ready to cook the steak, toss the shrimp in the remaining marinade and allow to soak up the flavors for 5 minutes. Don’t let the shrimp sit in the marinade too long, it’s acidic and after a while it will begin to cook them.
5. Place the steak on the hot grill or pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes so it can reabsorb all its juices and stay tender.
6. Place the shrimp on the hot grill or pan and cook for about 30 seconds on each side, until they just turn pink. Remove and set aside.
7. To serve, slice your steak into thin strips across the grain. Serve the steak and shrimp with lettuce leaves and top with the Cucumber-Melon salsa.