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While you might look at this recipe for Traeger Seared Steak Salad with Ponzu Dressing and think “that’s a summer dish”, the reality is that leftovers happen year round and this is the perfect easy weeknight dish that uses up some leftover steak in your fridge. Give it a go– I promise that even on a wintry night the bright flavors and hint of spice will be a welcome experience.

AN IDEAL US FOR LEFTOVERS

Often when we cook, we end up with leftover steak. It’s part of the game– cooking up meat that is impressive and tasty usually requires cooking more meat than two people can enjoy. Now that the twins are eaters, they are starting to pick up the slack, but we still cannot get through most steaks in less than two meals.

This recipe for Traeger Seared Steak Salad with Ponzu Dressing is an ideal way to use up some of that leftover medium rare steak that ends up in the fridge after a night of grilling. Sliced thinly after being cooked medium-rare, we assembled this dish on a big platter with a bit veggies (gah! I know– on a BBQ blog) and topped it with a really tasty ponzu dressing.

STEAK TO USE

Pretty much any steak will work for this dish, but you’ll be best off with a steak that is naturally tender and can be sliced thinly. We used a New York Strip steak– which has good and consistent marbling without any big pockets of fat (like a ribeye). Once it was cooked to medium rare, it was refrigerated (because it was leftover) and then sliced thinly while still cold. It is probably best served a bit above refrigerator temperature– or room temperature if you desire. Whatever works for this Traeger Seared Steak Salad with Ponzu Dressing.

VEGGIES– YES VEGGIES

To compliment the rich and flavorful steak slices, we used a variety of vegetables to assemble this “salad”. Thinly sliced persian cucumber, thinly sliced radishes, serrano peppers green onions, cilantro and basil are all you need. You could add other things, but we think that these ingredients are the perfect addition to this seared steak salad.

Persian cucumbers are a personal favorite because they are small and tender and easy to slice. No need to remove the skin, and they don’t come wrapped in plastic like english cucumbers. We cut the persian cucumbers on the bias (diagonally) and as thinly as possible to result in a veggie that goes well with the steak without being overpowering.

PEPPER FOR HEAT

We used a serrano pepper in this seared steak salad with ponzu dressing recipe– and serranos are our favorite. They’re flavorful and consistently pretty spicy– but just enough to give the dish a pop. We also sliced it thinly and used a lot of it across the entier platter which ensures that most bites get a pop of flavor. Wear gloves or be careful when you’re cutting the pepper– you don’t want touch your eyes after handling it cut up!

HOMEMADE PONZU SAUCE

You can buy ponzu sauce in the grocery store (in the Asian aisle), but we like to make our own with simple ingredients already in our pantry. A simple combination of lemon juice and zest, soy sauce, mirin (Asian cooking wine), rice wine vinegar and olive oil come together in no time and provide a bright and flavorful sauce for this Seared Steak Salad with Ponzu Dressing. I recommend making a little extra dressing so you have some for dipping if desired!

PRIMARY INGREDIENTS

Seared New York Strip steak, cooked to medium rare
Persian cucumber
Radish
Serrano pepper
Green onions
Cilantro
Basil
Wonton wrappers
Lemon juice and zest
Soy sauce
Mirin
Rice wine vinegar
Olive oil
Flaky sea salt

WHY COOKING STEAK SALAD ON THE TRAEGER WORKS

Any steak cooked on the Traeger is going to be a winner. With this dish, you can use leftovers you have in your fridge from the night before and put them to goo use. Of course, if you don’t have leftovers on hand, you should go ahead and reverse sear a steak for this dish, let it cool down to refrigerator temperature and slice and serve it in this Traeger Seared Steak Salad with Ponzu Dressing. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

STEP-BY-STEP

At least 90 minutes before serving
Preheat Traeger grill to 225*
Rub the steak on all sides with oil and then season generously with seasoning
Cook the steak in the grill until the internal temperature reaches 115* internal
Preheat a cast iron pan until very hot as the steak reaches temperature
Sear the steak on the hot cast iron on all sides until the internal temperature reaches 125-130*
Remove the steak from the grill and allow to rest on a plate, tented loosely for about 15 minutes
Then transfer the steak to the refrigerator and allow to chill completely– at least 30 minutes
Just before serving, remove the steak from the fridge
Using a very sharp chef’s knife, thinly slice the chilled, cooked steak into paper-thin slices and set aside
Slice the cucumber on the bias in paper thin slices; do the same with the radishes
Slice the serrano into thin rounds (use about ½ the pepper depending on your desired spice level)
Chop the cilantro into fine mince
Chiffonade the basil leaves
Cut the wonton wrappers into four triangles
Preheat your air fryer to 350* and briefly cook the wonton wrappers until brown and crispy (about 3 minutes per batch)
In a bowl, combine the lemon juice and zest, soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar and olive oil
Whisk to thoroughly combine and adjust seasoning to taste
Assemble the salad on a big plate or platter
Arrange cucumber and radish slices in alternating pattern on the plate
Sprinkle cilantro and basil all over
Place steak slices atop cucumber and radish slices
Distribute serrano slices and green onions across the steak slices
Pour prepared sauce on the platter
Season with flaky sea salt
Serve your seared steak salad with ponzu dressing along with crispy wonton chips

ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS

Products used in this cook:

Traeger Timberline XL
Cast iron pan
Knife and cutting board
Mandoline (optional)
Bowl and whisk

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