Flank Steak with Corn Salsa is a delicious dinner that’ll join the clean plate club. The best part? You can make it on the grill or stovetop!
Why We Love Flank Steak
- I love grilling steak and flank steak is great for a quick high-heat cook. It’s flavorful and delicious. Give it a quick seasoning or let it hang out in your favorite steak marinade!
- Flank steak topped with tangy corn salsa is perfect for summer! It’s a great meal you can serve family-style for a fancy steak presentation. Eat on the patio and serve it up with all your favorite sides.
- Sure this corn salsa is great over steak and chicken, but you can totally eat it with tortilla chips or add it to tacos and nachos too.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Grilled Flank Steak
STEAK: You will need a 2-pound flank steak for this recipe. If you can’t find one that big, get as close as you can.
SEASONINGS: You’re going to season the steak with salt, pepper, onion powder, and ground mustard. Then you’ll need some salt and pepper to season the salsa along with sriracha for a kick.
PRODUCE: Grab a bunch of green onions, a jalapeno, a lime, a numb of fresh ginger, and some corn. You can use canned or fresh corn – I’ve even used frozen corn in a pinch.
FATS: We’re using butter and olive oil to cook everything. You can use salted or unsalted butter, whichever you have on hand is fine.
How to Cook Flank Steak
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat while you prep everything. You want the skillet screaming hot when you start to cook. Now you want to trim any excess fat and connective tissue from the steak. Then take a paring knife and poke holes all over one side of the steak. Flip the steak over and poke more holes parallel to the first set.
STEP 2 In a small bowl, mix together the ground mustard, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the seasoning mix over both sides of the steak and then set it aside.
STEP 3 Add 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil to the skillet. Once the butter has melted, cook the green onions for 30- seconds to 1 minute on each side. They should be wilted and slightly charred. Set the onions aside.
STEP 4 Add the rest of the butter and olive oil to the skillet. Sear the steak for 2 minutes on each side. Then turn off the heat and cook the steak for another 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the steak to a cutting board, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
STEP 5 In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the corn, jalapeno, lime zest, lime juice, ginger, and sriracha. Taste the salsa and add salt and pepper to taste. Once the steak is rested, cut it into thin slices against the grain. Place the steak strips on a large platter before topping them with the corn salsa and wilted green onions.
Tips & Tricks
- You can cook this recipe on the stovetop in a skillet, like I’ve shown above, on the grill, or on the stove with a grill pan. All these options work well as long as you do a high-heat cook on the steak.
- If grilling, cook the steak over the flames for the first 4 minutes and then over indirect heat for the remaining 5 minutes.
- If fresh corn is in season, I’ll grill the corn and then cut it from the cob once cooled. This is a great way to add flavor to the salsa. You could also char the canned corn in a hot skillet (with no fat) for 5 to 7 minutes.
- You can chop the wilted green onions into more manageable pieces before serving if desired.
Best Flank Steak Recipe FAQ
What is flank steak? (Flank Steak vs Skirt Steak)
Flank steak is sometimes called London broil or skirt steak interchangeably. London broil is a flank steak and the name “Lond Broil” refers to the cooking method vs the cut. On the other hand, skirt steaks and flank steaks are two different cuts and are not actually the same thing even though they can be used interchangeably in most recipes.
Flank steak comes from the abdominal muscles behind the chest near the tenderloin. Skirt steak comes from behind the diaphragm near the brisket.
What is the best method to cook flank steak?
The best way to cook a flank steak is by grilling. But you can also pan-sear or broil it in the oven. This cut also loves a good marinade to help add flavor and tenderness to the meat.
How do you cook flank steak so it’s not tough?
The trick to tender flank steak is to cook it over high heat for a short period of time. You don’t want to go any higher than medium cook.
How to cut flank steak is also important for keeping it tender. You want to thinly slice it against the grain of the meat. Once cooked, you’ll see lines running the length of the steak, that’s the grain. Cut across (perpendicular to) the lines to shorten the meat fibers making each slice nice and tender.
What is flank steak good for?
Flank steak is great all by itself, but also lends itself wonderfully to Asian and Mexican dishes. I love flank steak tacos and flank steak fajitas or you can use it to make yummy Mongolian Beef or Beef and Broccoli. My favorite one-pan option is this crazy good Skillet Steak and Potatoes recipe.
Other Recipes You May like
- One-Pan Beef Burrito Skillet
- Skillet Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole
- Instant Pot Old-Fashioned Pot Roast
- Smoked Sausage and Potatoes Foil Packet Meal
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Avocado Peach Salsa
Flank Steak with Corn Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds flank steak
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 green onions ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divded
Corn Salsa
- 15 ounces canned corn kernels drained (see note)
- 1 large jalapeno seeded and diced
- 1 lime zested
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (1/2 lime)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and grated
- ¼ teaspoon Sriracha
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Do this before you start prepping. The skillet should be really hot when you start cooking. (see notes for grill cooking)
- Trim the flank steak of any excess fat and tough connective tissue over the steak's surface. Grab a paring knife and insert the knife at an angle, almost all the way through the steak, to create multiple holes all over the surface. Flip the steak over and repeat the process on the other side – making sure the second set of holes is parallel to the first set so you don't create gaping holes in the steak.
- In a small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, ground mustard, and onion powder. Season both sides of the steak with the seasoning mixture. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter to the skillet. Once the butter melts, add the whole green onions. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side until the greens have wilted and are slightly charred. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil and butter to the same skillet. Sear the flank steak for 2 minutes on each side until a nice brown crust forms. Turn off the heat and let the steak hang out in the skillet for another 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. (The steak will be cooked medium.)
- Remove the steak from the pan and allow it to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board loosely covered with aluminum foil.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the corn, jalapeno, lime zest, lime juice, ginger, and Sriracha until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the steak has rested, slice it into thin strips against the grain. Place the steak slices on a large platter. Top with the salsa and then the wilted scallions. Serve warm.
Notes
- If corn is in season, I’ll grill the corn and use that for the salsa. (1 1/2 cup total) You can also use frozen corn that’s been steamed and cooled.
- If you want to add some heat to your salsa, increase the amount of Sriracha to taste and/or leave in the jalapeno seeds.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
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