Juicy steak with fresh herbs, tomatoes, cucumber and a zingy dressing makes this Thai beef salad a delicious, easy and healthy lunch or dinner recipe.
Ingredients
- Steak. I used sirloin but any cut of steak can be substituted.
- Cucumber.Â
- Cherry tomatoes.
- Spring onion / Green onion / Scallions.
- Thai chillies. If you can’t find Thai chillies/Bird’s eye chillies use any red chilli pepper.
- Fresh herbs. I used fresh mint and coriander/cilantro. Thai basil is recommended but I didn’t have any.
- Soy sauce.Â
- Fish sauce.Â
- Oil. A neutral oil like canola or vegetable is preferred.
- Sugar.Â
- Lime juice.Â
- Garlic.Â
- Peanuts, optional.
How to make Thai beef salad
- Make the marinade/dressing: Whisk together the oil, lime juice, sugar, crushed garlic, soy sauce and fish sauce. I also grate in a little chilli but this can be left out if you don’t like spicy food.
- Marinate the steak: Place the steaks in a ziploc bag or suitable container and pour over half of the marinade. Reserve the rest to use as dressing on the finished salad. Allow the steak to marinade for 20-30 minutes (ideally overnight in the fridge).
- Cook the steak: Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill until hot then quickly cook the steaks until done to your preference. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Assemble and serve: While the steaks are resting, prepare the salad vegetables. I like to slice the cucumber into long thin slices. Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the spring onions. Pick the mint and coriander/cilantro leaves off the stems and finely slice a few red chillies. If using, crush the peanuts. Combine the salad ingredients and steak in a large bowl and pour over the reserved dressing. Toss well then serve.
Can I make this ahead?
The steak can be marinated up to 24 hours ahead and kept in the fridge. This salad is delicious served at room temperature so the steak can be cooked up to an hour in advance. Assemble and dress the salad right before serving.
Salad recipes

Thai beef salad
Juicy steak with fresh herbs, tomatoes, cucumber and a zingy dressing makes this Thai beef salad a delicious, easy and healthy lunch or dinner recipe.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 343kcal
Ingredients
For the dressing / marinade
- 3 tbsp oil canola / grapeseed oil
- 4 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp red chilli grated or finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
For the salad
- 500 g (1lb) steak
- 2 cucumbers sliced
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 red chilli finely sliced
- 1 cup spring onion / green onion sliced
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup fresh coriander / cilantro leaves
- ½ cup peanuts crushed (optional)
Instructions
- To make the marinade, whisk together all the ingredients.
- Place the steak in a Ziploc bag or suitable marinating container and pour over half the marinade. Reserve the rest. Marinade the steak for at least 20 minutes but ideally overnight in the fridge. (Remove the steak from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.)
- To cook the steak, heat a grill pan or outdoor grill until hot then cook the steaks for a few minutes per side, to your preference. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Assemble the salad by combining the cucumber, tomato, chilli, spring onion and herbs in a bowl. Slice the steak and add to the salad, pour over the remaining dressing. Toss to combine.
- Serve sprinkled with crushed peanuts if using.
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 666mg | Potassium: 1084mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1960IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 5mg
Amazing recipe, but you’ve left out what to do with the garlic how much to put in?
I’ve amended the recipe.
This is my kind of food. One meal in a salad – or salad is a meal. Great news – this will be a priority for a casual “few friends” evening or week-end special. Thank you
Oh, this looks very, very delicious!
Thanx! 🙂
Simply delicious!!!