I’ve been reaching for miso paste a bit more lately. Maybe it’s the saltiness as a result of such hot sweaty weather. Maybe it’s just the comfort of its umami-rich flavour. Either way it just adds a delicious, savoury, slightly sweet flavour in a marinade. Along with roasting mushrooms, one of my favourite dishes is this Miso Marinated Steak with Lime and Chilli recipe. The crust that develops on the steak is deep and dark, which means the heat of the barbecue flat grill plate can’t be smoking hot. There’s a big taste difference between deeply caramelised and burnt to a bitter, acrid layer so take it easy on the dial. Left to rest, sliced and served doused in lime juice and wrapped in an iceberg lettuce leaf it’s kind of street food at home. Perfect backyard summer food.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
3 tbsp white miso paste
1 tbsp rice wine or sake
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
3 limes, finely zested
¼ tsp + extra dried chilli flakes
4 x 200 g scotch or flat iron steaks
freshly cracked black pepper
olive oil
1 iceberg lettuce, washed & leaves separated
2 limes, cut into cheeks or wedges
¼ cup Italian parsley leaves
Method
- Combine the miso, rice wine, mirin, soft brown sugar, lime zest and ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes in a small bowl until a wet paste.
- Place the steaks on a plate and evenly spread the marinade on both sides followed by a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Preheat a flat barbecue plate or heavy cast iron grill pan.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the steaks before grilling 4 – 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness and how you like your steaks cooked.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes before thickly slicing and serving on iceberg lettuce leaves with lime cheeks and garnished with Italian parsley leaves and extra dried chilli flakes.
