Grilled Sirloin with Avocado Corn Relish + Summer Squash Salad
The thing to know about this meal - it’s perfect for Summer, perfect for anyone that’s a grilling newbie (like me!), & a 100% grill-able meal. So in other words you’re not trying to multi-task between getting sides going in your home kitchen while casually manning grill. I’ve tried to do this several times, & usually it’s the beginning of a borderline disaster for me or it just leads to me handing off the job of manning the barbecue to Jordan. But for this doozy, you’re by the grill 100% of the time, and everything from the steak to the salad is done right on the barbecue. The intention in going full grill was to avoid a mess in the kitchen after my Sunday extreme clean, but that didn’t exactly happen. There was less mess! & that was good enough for me.
So Grilled Sirloin with Avocado Corn Relish + Summer Squash Salad. It’s nothing short of a perfect Summer dinner. Perfect for eating in the backyard at your picnic. Perfect for serving up family style with a plate of fresh fruit for an extra munchy. Perfect healthy meal that feels refreshing + satisfying. I mean - it’s just perfect in so many ways. & so conquerable!
Also perfect for amateur griller like myself whose trying to get some good practice in & master not only using the Green Egg, but also grilling a steak without literally grilling it to death. I provided my grill temps in the recipe (which was not a luxury available to me. seriously - what does “high heat” even mean?), & the whole thing from veggies to grilled sirloin turned out amazing. Perfect grill marks. Perfect browned bits. Perfect salty bites. Again - just perfect in so many ways.
Farm to table fresh
Is it still farm to table if you have meat? Regardless - it felt very veggie heavy + very refreshing.
First, I’m a sucker for red meat. Sometimes it just sounds so good, & a Pinterest pic of a big slab of steak, grilled + topped with a corn relish of some kind just sealed the deal for my taste buds. I’ve played the game of making compound butters, loaded with herbs + garlic + spices for some fun flavor. & that’s a very fun game to play! But the idea of putting a pile of veggies on top of a grilled steak for a pseudo salad situation - particularly summer veggies like creamy avocado & sweet corn - sounded very good. Tasted just as good!
The avocado has that fatty, creamy consistent that almost mimics a buttery topping, & it just makes for a really good bite. The corn I grilled for those yummy char marks & a little color for the whole thing, but you can absolutely short cut with canned corn. A single avocado + a generous scoop of corn + a dash of red wine vinegar + salt & pepper. I definitely provided measurements for my own future reference, but you can absolutely pull off an add a little of this + a little of that, taste, adjust, & be done situation opposed to measuring things out perfectly.
Now the salad. The squash salad. Personally, I wouldn’t call myself a squash girl. I often buy them with the intention of using them as dippers for a healthy snack, but then I usually don’t go past the intention to use them stage. I mean - that texture. Raw. Not for me. But grilled squash - now that I can get on board with! They get soft without getting mushy (big plus!), and they take on a grilled flavor that is just really pleasant. The addition of tossing the sliced squash in EVOO plus a few fun spice rack items took it to the next level, & just paved the way for a super healthy + super fresh side.
No oil dressing
I sometimes just don’t like adding oil to my dressings. & this is just a sometimes thing I like for my palette & my meals. If I want a thicker dressing, particularly if I want something to just really coat hearty greens or be a true drizzle on top of some veggies, I go for no oil. The seasoning on the squash has a really good flavor, which makes them delicious on their own post grill, & I just wanted that drizzle of dressing for the added flavor. Just like a little bit of a “sauce” if you will. Mustard + honey + red wine vinegar - just the tangy bite it needed without any extra fat. It works.
It really is simple
From the squash salad to the meat to the corn + avocado relish (which is the simplest & most delicious thing you’ll ever put on a steak), it’s such a truly easy meal to put together. You’ve got a meal that requires no marinades, no pre-cooking of literally anything, & that means that not only are you not slaving away just to get it all ready, but you can also live in the land of “I’ll start cooking when I start to get hungry,” which isn’t a land I get to enter into very often. A composed dinner of any kind takes work, but this grilled situation really took out any time consuming leg work. It’s so easy (+ so yummy) that I’m bookmarking it as a “make again” for friends we’re having over this coming weekend. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure!
Also to note, this was the first real meal cooked back at home post our Summer vacation. & what’s always waiting for me post vacay - a lot of packing & re-organzing & house chores. So as much as I would have loved to devote the better part of my Sunday to being in the kitchen + devoting my full attention to what was going on the table for dinner, there was an immediate need for chores to take precedent. I didn’t want to sacrifice the chore time for meal time, but I did want to eat something delicious (that was for sure). So a salad with little prep & bbq items of the same - perfect.
A very satisfying, very delicious, and very simple meal to set the tone for a cozy Sunday night in!
For the Squash Salad
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon
1 tbsp honey
4-5 summer squashes (a mix of yellow & green)
1 red onion, quartered
2-3 tbsp EVOO (just enough to coat your squash)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt + pepper
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes
For the steaks
1 ear of corn
a 1.25 lb - 1.5 lb steak (one large piece of sirloin)
Salt + pepper
1 avocado
1-2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp parsley
Start by husking the corn & then letting it soak in a large bowl of water for 10-15 minutes.
Move to making the dressing for your squash salad. Take the vinegar, mustard, & honey, whisk together, set aside & keep out at room temp. Move to prepping your squash by rinsing then slicing all squash into 1/4 in thick disks. Place in a large bowl. Add in the garlic + onion powders plus a generous pinch of salt + pepper. Add in the EVOO & toss to coast. Set aside.
Next, get your grill fired up. I use a charcoal grill, & I get my heat up to 450 & then continue to keep it between 400 & 500 during the entire cook time. While the grill is heating up, get the steak out of the fridge, season both sides generously with salt & pepper, & set aside. When your grill is up to heat, place the corn on the grill. Let it cook for 3 minutes, turn, cook another 5 minutes, turning again, and then letting the corn finish cooking for another 3 minutes or so. The corn should be lightly browned for a roasted look when removed from the grill. Set the cooked corn aside on a cutting board.
Once the corn has finished cooking, & the grill is still at 450, add the steak. Cook for 5 minutes, turn, and cook for another 7 minutes. The steak should remain over direct heat for the entire cook time. When you flip the steak, simultaneously add the sliced onions & squash to the grill. Remove the steak once the 7 minute cook time is up, & flip the squash. Place the steak on a cutting board to rest for about 12 minutes. Remove the squash from the grill after they’ve cooked for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the veggies carefully & place them directly in your serving bowl.
Cut the corn off the cob. Halve the avocado, spoon out the flesh, + cut into small cubes, Gently mix the corn, avocado, vinegar, plus a pinch of salt + pepper. Thinly slice the steak, cutting the meat against the grain. Spoon the avocado + corn relish over the meat. Drizzle the squash salad with the dressing, and finish with a sprinkle of parmesan & red pepper flakes. Enjoy!