A hill I’ll die on: The best partner for a steak isn’t French fries/chips/frites – it’s tomato salad.
At this time of year, tomatoes are ridiculously juicy, almost sweet, both brightly acidic but thrumming with umami. A good tomato salad stands up to steak and is also a refreshing foil. This year, feeling a little tired of caprese and panzanella, I was inspired to try something different – what I’m calling a Spanish-style tomato salad. Big, juicy tomatoes are chopped and mixed with toasted almonds, freshly seared padron peppers, olives and spicy, biting guindilla chillis.
It’s a salad that evokes gilda skewers (though I left out the anchovies); my husband also suggests it should be called a “bar snacks tomato salad.” However you want to describe it, it’s a briny, savoury, nutty twist on the typical format.
Another hill I’ll die on: Bavette is a truly great everyday steak. I’ll turn to a bone-in ribeye when celebrating a special occasion, but bavette – that great bistro cut – is quick, versatile and brilliant in all kinds of preparations. In this case, it might be slightly less quick than usual, however, because I borrowed Andy Baraghini’s idea to marinate it for hours in Greek yoghurt, harissa paste and olive oil. The steak is seared straight out of the marinade, which forms a delicious crust that contrasts with its ruby interior.
Normally, sturdy wines like Argentine malbec are called for whenever steak is served, but this time I opted for a rosé. Do not picture a pale, blush-pink Provencal rosé: The new ‘W’ Rosato 2022 from Walgate Wines – founded by Ben Walgate, formerly of Tillingham – is much more structured. Bright ruby in the glass, it blends pinot noir with chardonnay. The additional tannins and body help it stand up to the steak, while its own mix of savoury, herbal notes and red fruit complement what’s on the plate.
Summer has just kept on rolling this year, but I can’t think of a better swan song/last meal for the season than this.
Harissa-Marinated Bavette Steaks with Spanish Tomato Salad
Steak adapted from Andy Baraghani
Serves 4
For the steak:
4x 250g bavette steaks
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons full-fat Greek yoghurt
4 tablespoons concentrated harissa paste (I used Le Phare du Cap Bon)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Cooking olive oil
For the salad:
3-4 large, juicy tomatoes
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
100g blanched almonds
150g padron peppers
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5-6 pickled guindilla chillis
150g green pitted olives
1. The night before you plan to cook, marinate the steaks. Pat them dry and season well with flaky salt and pepper on both sides. In a large bowl, mix the yoghurt, harissa paste and extra-virgin olive oil, and stir until uniform. Add the steaks, one by one, flipping to ensure they are all well-coated in the marinade. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge overnight.
2. The next day, remove the steaks from the fridge roughly 1 hour before you plan to cook and leave them to warm up a little. Meanwhile, begin to prep the side salad components. Core the tomatoes and chop into large chunks; season well with flaky sea salt and set aside.
3. Toast the almonds: Add to a medium frying pan and place over medium-low heat. Toast, tossing frequently, for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
4. Next, prep the padron peppers: Add the extra-virgin olive oil to your frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the peppers. Cook, tossing frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until they start to char and blister. Remove from the heat and sprinkle over flaky sea salt to taste. 5. Meanwhile, stem and finely dice the guindilla chillis. Set aside.
6. Next, cook the steaks. Preheat the oven to 100°C and place a large plate inside to warm up. Meanwhile, turn your extractor fan up to its highest setting and open all your windows; this will likely get pretty smoky, so be forewarned.
7. Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon or two of cooking olive oil. Once very hot, add 2 of the steaks. Cook for 2 ½-3 minutes on the first side, or until well browned and slightly charred. Flip and cook on the reverse for 2-2 ½ minutes more (for medium rare). Once cooked, transfer to the preheated plate in the oven and repeat with the remaining two steaks.
8. Remove the steaks from the oven and leave them all to rest for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, assemble the salad: Drain any water that has accumulated from the tomatoes and add to a large bowl. Next, add the almonds, padron peppers, guindilla chillis and olives. Mix lightly with your hands until incorporated and divide between plates.
9. Once the steaks have rested, use a sharp knife to cut each into large pieces, against the grain. Transfer to the plates and serve right away.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our Natural Wine Killers wine subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings plus expert tasting notes for three amazing wines like this one every month (or two, if you choose our bi-monthly option).
