Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Corn Salsa
Fire up the grill! This Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Corn Salsa is a great recipe for summer dinners on the back porch!
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There is something about grilling and rain. If it’s dry in your area, then just invite me over to fire up the grill. That’s a sure-fire way to make it rain! Sometimes I feel like Pig Pen from the Peanuts…except the dust cloud is replaced by a rain cloud. Fortunately, I can see the humor in the situation, so we just laugh about it.
I made this Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Corn Salsa recently. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was out, and there was a light breeze in the air. But then I fired up the grill. Sure enough, dark storm clouds started appearing over the top of the house.
I managed to get the steak and corn grilled, but the skies opened up literally as soon as I walked back inside. And this wasn’t just a summer shower. It was the kind of storm that sends everyone running for cover. I think the grill needed about 2 days to dry out after that storm! Fortunately, I stayed dry…this time. We’re planning on making this recipe again soon. Wish me luck dodging the rain!
Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Corn Salsa
Rainstorms aside, this grilled flank steak recipe is fantastic. The flank steak itself is flavorful and tender thanks to the short marinade in a mixture of cilantro, onions and a jalapeno. But the shining star of this recipe? It’s the charred corn salsa!
This charred corn salsa gets piled on top of the sliced flank steak, so it makes for a visually appealing recipe to bring out to the summer dinner table. I’ve always loved grilled corn, and grilling the corn first brings such a boost of flavor to this salsa. Truthfully, the salsa would be quite tasty even if you don’t grill the corn, but the grilled flavor just takes the recipe to the next level!
Laura suggested that I make this corn salsa and serve it with tortilla chips as an appetizer. In fact, I think her words were something like, “We will be making this every time we have friends over this summer.” It’s a great combination of flavors, and I suspect we will be making it many more times this summer. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did – it’s a fantastic grilled option for summer evenings! Cheers!
Did you make this Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Corn Salsa? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Grilled Flank Steak with Charred Corn Salsa
Ingredients
For the Charred Corn Salsa
- 4 ears corn husks and silk removed
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- 1 jalapeno seeds and ribs removed, finely diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the Flank Steak
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 1 jalapeno stemmed (see note)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1½-2 lbs flank steak
Instructions
For the Flank Steak
- Using a food processor or blender, add all of the ingredients except for the steak; pulse until smooth.
- Place flank steak in a large re-sealable bag. Add marinade, turning several times to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour. (Note: When about 30 minutes remain on the marinating time, go ahead and start making the corn salsa.)
- Remove steak from bag; discard marinade.
- Place steak on grill (medium-high temperature). Grill for 4-6 minutes per side, or until steak is done to taste.
- Transfer steak to a large cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes; slice steak against the grain into strips.
- Top with corn salsa before serving.
For the Charred Corn Salsa
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Grill corn, rotating occasionally, for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly charred.
- Let corn cool and then slice kernels into a large bowl. Add remaining salsa ingredients (diced onion, jalapeno, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper); stir until well combined. Set salsa aside.
Notes
Looking for other tasty summer grilling recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
A great option for those times when the rain chases you indoors!
will be making this soon can i use eggplant / mushrooms and zucchini instead as am a vegan i never had salsa before will use my new air fryer for this perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Yes, you may absolutely make any changes to this recipe you’d like, Ramya – that’s the fun part about cooking! This corn salsa is fantastic, and it would be great on top of a lot of recipes. I haven’t made it in an air fryer, but I bet it would work well. Let me know if you make this one!
Darn – I could eat that charred corn salsa with a shovel! That sounds so wonderful and the perfect accompaniment to that steak! Note to self, only invite David + Laura over to grill when the weather is hot and humid and a good downpour would be beneficial…? 🙂
Oh – this charred corn salsa. So good, Shashi! 🙂 Haha – don’t worry about looking at the weather when you invite us over. I can assure you it will rain the moment we fire up the grill!
This is a perfect recipe for this weekend. It’s a great end to the official summer meal. And no rain in the forecast for us this weekend, so I think I’m safe! 🙂
Haha – you think you’re safe on the rain…until you fire up the grill. 🙂 All joking aside, I hope you have a wonderful long weekend, Kathy!
So, you’re basically saying all these rains and (and possibly storms and floods) happening in North America are not because of the season of rain and hurricanes, but because of you? There’s Atlantic hurricane season, and it also should be “David’s Grill and Rain season”. Maybe we should even name the next tropical storm “David”. Anyway, this dish looks terrific – loving all these vibrant colours, textures, and flavours!
I am indeed saying that, Ben. We’ve had a rainy summer…and I think it’s all due to the fact that I love to grill. 🙂 All kidding aside, this is a fantastic recipe for the grill! Thanks, Ben!
Very high on my yum scale. I’m making this Sunday as our local fresh corn is now in the market. Thanks for the inspiration…
Haha – yum scale. I like that! This charred corn salsa is fantastic, Ron, and it would go great on top of all sorts of recipes. And the fact that your fresh local corn is available? Even better! You can’t beat local corn when it comes to sweetness!
David, I just wanted to let you know that this turned out fantastic. I made it as per your recipe with one exception when making the salsa. Our local corn turned out to be tuff and flavorless, so I used canned Green Gaint whole kernel corn (from the USA). I drained it and let it air dry and then charred it using my hand torch. I think it turned out very good although I’d like to try the salsa with grilled some good quality sweet corn. But, the upside is that I know I can make this dish any time of the year now.
Ah – I was wondering about your local corn season over there, Ron. Innovative way to char that corn! I wonder if next time you spread that corn on a sheet pan and broiled it for a bit. I’ve charred corn under the broiler before with good success – it takes a while, but it works. Just a thought! Glad y’all enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
I’ve been wondering what to grill for our Labor Day cookout. Now I think I know! Sounds fantastic!
You know me, Frank…I love pulling out the grill! Steak is always great for a Labor Day grillout, although we opted for burgers here this year. That charred corn salsa, though? It could work for all sorts of recipes! I would say you could pile it on a burger, but that might be a bit odd. Haha!
Your flank steak is grilled to juicy perfection, David! And that charred corn salsa has my mouth watering! This needs to be on our menu before summer slips away.
Thanks so much, Marissa! Summer is quickly slipping away here in upstate NY – I had to get out the pajama pants the other day. I’m not ready! But this is a good reminder to take advantage of grilling season while it lasts. 🙂
What a beautiful, colorful and tasty recipe, David! I love charred corn, and any corn salad just screams summer! I guess that means i need to get going on this, as summer is kind of slipping away. I saw our friend Ron post this on Instagram, so I knew this was a recipe to definitely check out!
Thanks so much, Laura! Like you, I love grilled corn, so this recipe is particularly fun as it highlights the charred corn flavor. Plus, this corn salsa is good on all sorts of recipes – even as a side dish by itself! Also, Ron is the best! 🙂
Just looking at this dish, I cant wait for summer now. Looks really good
Haha – I wish we were heading into summer here! Enjoy, Raymund!