Tex-Mex Flank Steak Salad With Avocado Lime Dressing

Outrageously good Tex-Mex Flank Steak Salad stars a jalapeño lime marinated steak, sweet corn, cheddar cheese, creamy avocado, and crunchy tortilla strips. Full of flavor, color, and nutritious deliciousness!

This one of those salads that is substantial enough to enjoy alone but light enough to have as a side to your favorite main dish like the best stuffed peppers recipe or one of your favorite pasta salad recipes.

I don’t eat steak very often, but when I do, I enjoy it cooked at a perfect medium-rare temperature and nestled into brightly flavored tacos or on a bed of mixed greens with all the salad toppings.

If you’ve been a frequent reader of my blog, you know that I only like salads FULL of flavor and textures that satisfy all the cravings. Which is why there are so few salad recipes on here.

Who likes a sad and soggy salad anyways? You know what I’m talking about? Like those sad “side salads” you get at a restaurant when you choose to give up the side of crispy french fries when you’re trying to be all healthy and stuff.

The ones that are basically romaine lettuce, tomatoes, shredded carrots, and a “house dressing”. Ugh ok, rant over. But those are the salads that make me dislike salads.

You might have tried my Winter Citrus Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette, or my Fall Harvest Salad Recipe. They’re both so good, full of different flavors, and the totally satisfying! Aka not a sad salad!

Today we’re switching it up a bit, steering away from those vegetarian salads and making a Tex-Mex Flank Steak Salad with a creamy Avocado Lime Dressing. It’s bright, it’s packed with all your favorite Tex-Mex flavors, and it will actually fill you up.

How To Cook Flank Steak

Using the air fryer is my preferred method of cooking just about anything. Especially steak. It’s so easy and it cooks quickly!

This is how I do it:

1. Prepare the marinade. In a large bowl, combine avocado oil, paprika, pepper, brown sugar, cilantro, minced garlic, jalapeño, and lime zest. Season the steak with salt and pepper, then add the steak to the marinade, tossing to coat. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

2. Cook the steak. Preheat the air fryer to 400F and cook the steak for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. When the steak is finished, squeeze lime juice from half a lime over it and allow it to rest with the air fryer lid open for 10 minutes before slicing.

Can I Cook Steak In The Oven?

Yes! If you prefer to cook the steak in the oven, preheat the broiler to high and place the steak on a baking sheet on the top rack. Cook the steak for 6 minutes for medium-rare or until the internal temperature of the steak has reached 125 F.

If you like your steak more well done, adjust the cooking time by a few minutes. Meat thermometers come in handy for this!

You can even give your steak a nice sear on a scorching hot cast iron skillet if you’d like.

TEMPERATURE GUIDE FOR COOKING STEAK

• Rare 120
• Medium rare 125
• Medium 135
• Medium well 140 to 145

How To Make This Tex-Mex Steak Salad

This Tex-Mex Steak Salad is simple to make! While the steak is cooking, you can prep the rest of the ingredients and put the salad together.

It all comes together in less than 20 minutes and it’s something everyone will love. I mean it’s pretty much a deconstructed taco and if you don’t love tacos, we can’t be friends!

1. Make the Avocado Lime Dressing. Add the avocado, greek yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, water, and fresh cracked pepper to a food processor or blender and process on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. If you like your dressing thinner, you can add 1 tbsp of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached (I added about 4 tablespoons to mine).

2. Massage the kale. This step is important! Add kale to a large mixing bowl and add half of the avocado dressing, along with a pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Using your hands, massage the dressing into the kale for a minute or so until the kale reduces in volume and gets softer.

3. Mix in the salad toppings. Mix in the tomatoes, corn, shredded cheese, avocado, tortilla strips, and the rest of the dressing. Thinly slice the steak into 1/2 thick strips and add it to the salad.

Feel free to switch up the toppings too! Here’s a few ideas:

• Use queso fresco instead of cheddar
• Crush up some Doritos instead of using tortilla strips (huge power move)
• Char the corn on the grill or on a cast iron grill pan
• Try adding red onion, bacon crumbles, or black beans

Other Recipes You Might Like

• Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Peppers
• Maple Miso Mushroom Bowls
• Easy Broccolini Recipe
• Bacon Mushroom Smothered Pork Chops

Useful Items For This Recipe

• Meat thermometers are great tools to help you figure out if your steak is done to your liking based on the internal temperature.
• A good quality air fryer is essential to cooking your steak (and anything else you cook in it) evenly. This is another great option at a lower price.
• Avocado oil has a high smoke point that works well in the air fryer or in the oven at high temperatures. You can also use an olive oil with a high smoke point.
• Salad dressing storage containers are great if you want to make extra dressing to have on hand for the week.

WANT TO TRY THIS TEX-MEX FLANK STEAK SALAD?

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