Tostadas with Flat Iron Steaks

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19 January 2021 BY Julie Biuso
SERVES: 3-4

You can gives these the devil's punch if you want, or just a little nip with your favourite hot sauce.

Ingredients

Tostadas ½ tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp ground cumin 1 Tbsp chopped chipotle in adobo sauce 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 x 220g (7-8 oz) flat iron steaks, or equivalent 6 or more tostados Quick Yellow Pepper Pickle ¼ tsp white sugar 1 Tbsp tarragon or good wine vinegar 1 yellow pepper (bell pepper / capsicum) Half a small red onion, peeled and slivered 1 Tbsp chopped mint Few pinches flaky sea salt Salad 2 medium vine tomatoes, diced and drained for 10 minutes 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion ½ cup chopped coriander (cilantro) 2 Tbsp lime juice ½-¾ tsp flaky sea salt, or to taste

Method

1 Mix salt, paprika and cumin and rub into steaks. Mix chipotle sauce and oil in a dish and add steaks. Turn them in the spicy oil, cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

2 To make the pickle, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and set aside. Cut the pepper in half, remove core and seeds and rub lightly with olive oil. Cook on a hot barbecue grill until lightly browned and just starting to soften. Alternatively, bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes. Cool and slice thickly. Mix pepper, onion, mint and salt together 5-10 minutes before serving.

3 Prepare salad ingredients but don’t mix until just before serving.

4 Preheat a barbecue on high. Turn steaks in the marinade then transfer them to the barbecue grill. Grill no more than 3 minutes a side (or use the touch-test to see if they are done to your liking). Transfer to a board, sprinkle with salt and rest for 7-10 minutes. Slice thinly.

5 When everything is ready, toss the salad and assemble tostadas any which way you fancy, adding extra chipotle in adobo sauce if you like things hot and spicy.

Recipe Notes

Buy a small can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. These are readily available under the La Morena brand in New Zealand, but you can substitute your favourite chilli sauce.

Flat iron steaks (also known as oyster blade steak and butler’s steak) are a marbled steak cut from the shoulder. The thin silver skin must be removed before cooking as it doesn’t become tender no matter how long you cook it. Flat iron steaks are quick to cook – they’re best rare or medium-rare – and are tender and tasty.