Steak With Cherry Tomato Chutney
Welcome to Tomato Week, Bon Appétit’s high-summer celebration of our all-time favorite fruit. Fill your totes with heirlooms and pack your pockets with Sun Golds: Each day, we’re sharing a brand new, extra-delicious way to make the most of this fleeting season.
While we’d never say no to an herby chimichurri or salsa verde, nothing packs the same umami punch as a sauce made from cooked-down tomatoes. Their sweet-tart-savory qualities become deeper and more majestic as they reduce, like a reddening sun diving toward the horizon. Add a handful of carefully layered spices and aromatics, and you’ve got a sauce that transforms a platter of steak into a summer fireworks display. Double up and save some in the fridge for later. Also excellent over grilled or roasted chicken or grilled eggplant.
This recipe is a part of Tomato Week 2025, a toast to summer's best produce.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
¼
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1½
Preparation
Step 1
Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Cook 1 tsp. cumin seeds and 1 tsp. fennel seeds, swirling pan, until fragrant and oil around seeds is sizzling, about 1 minute. Add 1 serrano chile or jalapeño, depending on heat preference, thinly sliced, one 1" piece ginger, peeled, finely grated, 1 Tbsp. paprika, and 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (if using). Cook, stirring often, until very fragrant and bubbling subsides slightly, about 1 minute. Add 1 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved, 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. sugar, and a large pinch of kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst and have softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Taste chutney and season with more salt if needed; set aside.
Step 2
Pat 1½ lb. skirt steak, cut into 4"–5" pieces, dry with paper towels. Season very generously on both sides with salt and rub with a little vegetable oil to coat lightly. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Arrange half of steak in a single layer in skillet, and cook, turning pieces every 1–2 minutes, until deeply charred and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest parts registers 125° (juices beading on the surface is a good indicator meat has reached medium-rare), 7–9 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Repeat with remaining steak. Let sit 10 minutes, then slice against the grain.
Step 3
Transfer steak to a platter; spoon reserved chutney over. Top with cilantro leaves with tender stems and drizzle with olive oil.