Grilled Flank Steak with Corn & Black Bean Salad

Sweet corn, creamy black beans, fresh veggies, queso fresco cheese, and mesquite grilled flank steak get tossed together and topped with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. It’s summer in a bowl, and it’s the perfect way to celebrate the grill with oxo and their #WhatAGrillWants campaign. 

You guys, the title…it’s a doozy. Grilled Flank Steak with Corn & Black Bean Salad. Wow, that’s a mouthful. It sorta rolls off the tongue, right?

I tried trimming it down a bit but felt that each ingredient was just as important as the next. So, you’ll just have to excuse the chapter-long title.

Just this once.

Our grill has been getting a workout this summer. We’ve been workin’ the old gal so hard that one of the burners caved in. It’s a good thing Squirrel is handy with a drill.

Every grill master deserves a good set of tools in his/her arsenal. My favorite, and most used, tool is what I like to call my long tongs. Oxo sent me a pair of their 16-inch tongs with a rubber grip handle that I’ve fallen head-over-heels for. My fingers are especially thankful.

Corn… Can we chat about it? Who else is obsessed with the sweet, juicy kernels this summer? I can’t get enough. Every time I hit up the market, I throw a few ears in the ol’ market bag.

Oxo has this new handy-dandy corn stripper. One swipe and the kernels come right off the cob.

People, it’s magic!

No more almost-cutting-off-my-fingers while trying to strip the corn of its precious kernels. And, it captures the kernels with every swipe and acts as a measuring cup and holding container until you’re ready to use it in a recipe. Magic!

Since I’m the only photographer in the house, I had to get cirque dol soleil with my arms in order to grab that last action shot. I pretty sure I can cross contortionist off my list of potential job options.

I decided to go with a flank steak for this recipe. The cut of meat is perfect for grilling and only takes about 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. I used my new oxo bladed meat tenderizer to poke my meat into submission.

Since flank steak can be a bit tough, hitting it with a meat tenderizer will loosen it up and help the meat cook up juicy and tender.

I whisked up a mesquite marinade and soaked the steak overnight. The marinade adds a sweet, smoky flavor to the steak and helps keep the meat tender as it cooks.

The corn & black bean portion of this salad has to be my favorite. It’s full of seasonal veggies, creamy black beans, vibrant cilantro, and queso fresco cheese. I ate the bowl until it was empty.

If you prefer your salad meat free, leave off the steak. Or, if you prefer chicken, add some thick slices of grilled chicken. With or without the meat, this salad rocks my socks!

Let us not forget about the wicked delicious vinaigrette and the wonderful little salad dressing shaker I made it in. It’s full of fresh cilantro, zesty lime, and smoky cumin. It’s flavor central, folks. I like to add extra to my salad bowl.

I don’t know about your grill, but my grill wants beef-topped summer salad goodness.

Print Recipe

Grilled Corn & Black Bean Salad with Mesquite Flank Steak

Sweet corn and black beans layered with fresh veggies and mesquite grilled flank steak topped with a zesty cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

Yield: 1 Salad

Total Time: 35 minutes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Mesquite Flank Steak:

1 (1-pound) flank steak

juice 2 limes

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons mesquite seasoning

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad:

2 ears corn, husked

1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped cubanelle pepper

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

1/3 cup diced red onion

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup (or more) queso fresco cheese

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette:

juice of 2 limes

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon honey

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon cumin

5 dashes Tabasco

salt and pepper

 

Directions:

Flank Steak:

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, honey, garlic, mesquite seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place your flank steak in a plastic bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling. Remove excess liquid with a paper towel.

Preheat grill to high. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Corn & Black Bean Salad:

While the steak is cooking, rub each ear of corn with olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the steak directly to the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning every few minutes to add a slight char to all sides of the corn. Remove from the grill and allow to cool slightly. Using a knife or a corn stripper, cut the kernels off each ear of corn.

In a large bowl, add the corn kernels and remaining salad ingredients. Stir to combine. Top the salad with a few slices of flank steak and drizzle with cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette:

In a small bowl, add vinaigrette ingredients. Whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

If you’re unable to find queso fresco cheese, substitute with crumbled feta.

All images and text ©One Sweet Mess.

Whipping up one of my recipes? I wanna know about it! Snap a photo and tag your post with #onesweetmess on Twitter or Instagram. Seeing your creations come to life makes my day!

Disclosure: oxo was kind enough to send me a #WhatAGrillWants package to play with. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.