Flank Steak with Corn Salsa (2024)

You won't want to miss out on this tangy and tender recipe!

For us meat eaters, craving a steak is inevitable. And out of all the cravings a person could have, it’s one of the more expensive to satisfy– until now, that is. This flank steak with corn salsa is an easy steak meal that is full of zip and the flavors you love. Plus, it won’t cost you a fortune! We think you’ll be overjoyed at how much juicy flavor you’ll get out of such simple (and affordable) ingredients!

If You Like Carne Asada…

We decided to channel the ever-popular Mexican dish, Carne Asada, when creating this flank steak with corn salsa recipe. It’s full of the best ingredients that Latin cuisine has to offer. Carne Asada is a dish of marinated beef– traditionally using skirt steak, but can also be used with other cuts — then grilled over an open fire. While you can certainly grill this version, we’ve made it a bit simpler, and all-season friendly, by using a grill pan to get some great char marks and flavor, but not requiring you to light a fire.

Like traditional Carne, we start by creating a flavorful marinade that will give our flank steak a great taste infusion. Citrus juices are the basis of most asadas and ours is no different. We combine lime and orange juice along with some aromatics such as onion, garlic, chili powder, and cumin along with a great herby and convenient dried oregano to build our marinade base.

We’ll add the flank steak to the marinade and let it sit for about 2 hours– you can marinate the steak for longer, even overnight, but even just two hours will penetrate the meat nicely and give it the flavor we are looking for.

Not All Oregano is Alike…

Before I move on, let’s talk about oregano. Not all varieties are alike and if you want to give your flank steak a little more authentic flavor, it’s fun to use Mexican Oregano instead of the “garden variety” we are all familiar with. Mexican Oregano has more flavor that typical oregano, featuring some slightly bitter and sweet notes you won’t get with regular oregano. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, these days it’s quite easy to find in Latin markets or, of course, online!

Salsa Time!

While your meat is marinating, you can start putting together your salsa ingredients. Again, invoking some of the flavors so prevalent in Latin cuisines, we’ll use:

Corn– fresh is best, but if you can’t find good fresh corn, feel free to use frozen, defrosted corn as an option.
Red onion
Jalapeno pepper– if you like your food spicy, feel free to add more than the 1/2 pepper called for below.
Cilantro
Lime juice
Cherry tomatoes

…in other words, all the fresh, colorful components you’d expect in a good salsa!

Mix all these together and set aside while you are cooking your steak.

How to Cook and Slice Your Steak

To cook your steak you’ll use a two-step process; first you’ll sear your steak in a hot grill pan. If you don’t have a grill pan, a regular heavy skillet will work, but make sure it’s oven-safe. Once you’ve seared the steak, you’ll pop it into a preheated 400 degree oven to finish cooking.

Finally, take the beef out of the oven and. Before you serve it, let it rest, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes. You want to do this so that the steak’s juices are reabsorbed into the meat. Otherwise, if you serve it before resting it, most of that yummy juice– and much of the flavor– will run out of the meat, onto your cutting board! Can’t have THAT!