Marinated Steak Lettuce Wraps

Courtesy of Cara Nicoletti

• Ready In: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• For the marinade and dressing

• 1  cup  rice wine vinegar
• 1  cup fish sauce
• 1 1⁄2 cups light brown sugar
• 2  limes, zest of
•  fresh ginger, peeled and grated (3 T.)
• 1  garlic clove, grated (1 t.)
• 1  Thai chile, thinly sliced
• 2  cups  ice cubes
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 2  lbs  skirt steaks or 2  lbs  flank steaks

• For the rice

• 1  cup basmati rice
• 1 1⁄2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1  lime, juice of
•  kosher salt, to taste
• 1⁄2  bu. cilantro, roughly chopped

• For serving platter

• 2  heads butter lettuce or 2  heads romaine lettuce, leaves separated
• 1⁄2 bunch cilantro
• 1  bunch mint
• 1  bunch basil
• 3  medium carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (1 c.)
• 2  Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (1 c.)
•  scallion, thinly sliced (1/2 c.)
•  jalapenos (1/4 c.) or   fresno chile pepper, thinly sliced (1/4 c.)
•  roasted peanuts, crushed
•  lime wedge
•  chili sauce, such as sriracha or  sambal oelek

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, ginger, garlic, and chili. Cook over medium heat, whisking until sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and add ice cubes, stirring until melted and mixture is cool. Transfer half of the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside to use as dressing.
3. Whisk vegetable oil into remaining marinade and transfer to a large Ziploc bag. Add steak to bag, pressing air out and sealing tightly, and allow to marinate for 1-2 hours (this is a highly acidic marinade, so marinating any longer will start to denature the meat).
4. Meanwhile, prepare the rice (it should be cold or room temperature for serving). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together rice, chicken stock, and butter in a medium oven-safe pot and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for exactly 17 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, fluff with a fork, and season with lime juice and salt, to taste. Once the rice has cooled to room temperature, stir in cilantro, transfer to a serving bowl, and set aside.
6. Arrange lettuce leaves, cilantro, mint, basil, carrots, cucumber, scallions, jalapeno, peanuts, and lime wedges on a large platter, along with small bowls of chili sauce and dressing. Set aside while you grill your steak.
7. Heat a cast iron grill pan or skillet over high heat. Remove steak from the marinade and trim, if necessary, to fit your pan. Working in batches, add steak to pan and sear hard, 2 minutes per side.
8. Remove to a grooved cutting board and allow meat to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing against the grain into strips. Serve alongside rice and lettuces, herbs, veggies, and dressing.