On the list of things that I have thoroughly enjoyed recently, this salad tops the list. One of my favorite food marriages of all time is that of steak and blue cheese. There is just something about a tangy, creamy blue cheese paired with a nice cut of beef. My husband isn’t a fan of blue cheese. He’s lucky that I love him, otherwise it might be a deal breaker. Haha! I tell him all of the time that he’s missing out, especially when it comes to this Steak & Blue Cheese Salad with Fried Onion.
This salad has so much going on for it. Tangy blue cheese, crispy onion strips, delicious flank steak. It is a true winner. This Steak & Blue Cheese Salad with Fried Onion is the perfect summer salad. Quite frankly, it’s great in any season. But I find that I enjoy it in the summer the most because its a cool, crisp salad topped with steak and onions- so you don’t feel like you’re missing out. Now what takes this salad from great to amazing is the addition of some simple beer-battered fried onion pieces. If you can manage to not eat them all before they make it to the salad, they are absolutely fantastic on the salad! I would recommend making the onions first, or even ahead of time.
-Make the Fried Onion Strips First-
Slice one red onion (or sweet onion) into thin slices or thin rings. I chose slices because red onion rings annoy me on salads- I always have to cut them up. But whatever floats your boat.
Grab a medium sized bowl and add 3/4 of AP flour, 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Whisk it together. Add 1/2 of a beer- I used a variety of a Great Lakes beer. Use whatever you like or have on hand. Add 1 egg and whisk everything together until it’s good and frothy. Drink the other half of the beer and add the red onion slices.
Worth noting…
If you don’t like beer… have no fear, the fried onion pieces will not taste like beer at all. Kids can eat them as well- the alcohol gets cooked out. I don’t recommend any substitution because the beer gives the batter such a lovely airiness.
To a cast iron skillet (or a heavy duty pot), add enough vegetable oil so that it is 1/2” to 1” deep. Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it is hot and glistening, and ready for frying. Use a pair of tongs to pull out some of the onion pieces, shaking off some of the excess batter, and add to the oil. Use the tongs to break up the slices as much as you can and let the onion slices fry for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown, carefully flipping or stirring as necessary.
Remove the golden fried onion pieces to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately sprinkle the fried pieces with some salt (make sure to grab those fried batter pieces as well 🤤). Add more of the onion pieces to the oil and repeat the cooking steps until all of the onion is cooked. Discard any extra batter left in the bowl and the leftover vegetable oil.
Set the fried onion pieces aside and let’s move onto the rest of the salad.
Let me show you how to make this Steak & Blue Cheese Salad with Fried Onion 👇🏻
To a medium bowl, add 1 lb of flank steak slices, 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and toss. Let the steak marinate for at least 10 minutes, up to one hour.
Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add half of the steak (cook it in 2 batches) and sear the steak on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. You want some nice char color on the steak, make sure not to over cook it.
Remove the cooked steak to a bowl. Add the remaining tbsp of oil to the skillet and repeat the steps above with the remaining steak.
When the steak is cooked, it’s time to assemble the salad.
Assembling the Salad
You can either assemble this as one big family-style salad or individual salads, whichever you prefer.
I used 4 cups of romaine and 4 cups of spring mix. Use whatever you like, but I really enjoyed the different textures of lettuce that this gave me. Add 1 chopped avocado, 1 chopped tomato. Add whatever fried onions you have left. 😉 Add some crumbled blue cheese and the steak and then drizzle on some balsamic vinaigrette- homemade or store-bought. And that’s it. Dunzo!
Isn’t it beautiful? And let me tell you, it tastes even better than it looks!
Enjoy!
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Steak & Bleu Cheese Salad with Fried Onion
Ingredients
For the Fried Red Onion
- 1 Large Red Onion (or Sweet Onion), cut into thin slices or thin rings
- 1/2 Beer (I used a variety of Great Lakes)
- 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Large Egg
- 3/4 Cup AP Flour
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- Vegetable Oil
For the Steak
- 1 Lb Flank Steak, cut into 1/4-1/2” wide slices
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt + more
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
For the Salad
- 4 Cups Romaine, roughly chopped
- 4 Cups Spring Mix Salad
- 4 Oz Blue Cheese
- 1 Avocado, diced
- 1 Large Tomato, chopped
- Balsamic Vinaigrette (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
For the Fried Onion Pieces
- Make the fried onion pieces first. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Add the 1/2 beer and egg and whisk really well. To a cast iron skillet (or heavy duty skillet or pot) and enough vegetable oil so that it is 1/2-1” deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is hot and shimmering.
- Add the onion slices to the batter and toss them around in it until thoroughly coated. Using tongs, grab some of the onions and shake off some of the excess batter. You will have to fry in 2-3 batches to not overcrowd.
- Fry the onions for 2-3 minutes,(try and keep them from sticking together) carefully flipping or stirring when necessary. When the onions are golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately sprinkle with some salt.
- Repeat until all of the onion is fried. Set aside and try not to eat them all before the salad is ready. Discard the vegetable oil.
For the Steak
- In a medium bowl, combine the sliced flank steak, the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir. Let the steak marinate for 10 minutes.
- Cook the flank steak in 2 batches. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the flank steak and sear both sides of the steak, cooking about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat steps for cooking the second batch. Set aside.
Assembling the Salad
- Add the romaine and spring mix to a big bowl and mix together. Add the diced tomato and avocado. Add some of the crispy fried onion pieces and the blue cheese. Top with the flank steak and drizzle on the balsamic vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Welcome to Cupcakes and Sarcasm! My name is Maggie and I am the creator of C & S. I am a wife and mom of two beautiful kiddos. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and now live in Northeast Ohio with my family. I have been cooking and baking since I was a kid. I decided in 2017 that I wanted to share my passion (and recipes) with all of you! On this site, you’ll find easy and delicious recipes- both savory and sweet. I’ll also sprinkle in some stories of parenting and our adventures along the way.