w/o Cuban-Inspired Butter Steak Marinade
Despite the name, there’s no dairy in this recipe.
Also known as a flat iron steak, butter steak is a cut of beef I’d never even heard of until visiting my local butcher over a decade ago — and it almost melts like butter in your mouth.
Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s literally the most tender cut of beef I’ve ever had. I used to love this butter steak back before I knew beef was an issue for me — so I can personally attest to its deliciousness.
These days, since I need to avoid beef — I simply marinate a chicken breast for myself alongside the beef — which is an excellent substitute I’m not the least bit salty about.
If you can’t find butter steak near you, skirt steak is a perfect substitute. If you don’t eat beef, try it with chicken. And if you’re plant-based, swap portobello mushroom caps for the meat. It’s all good, I promise.
w/o Cuban-Inspired Butter Steak Marinade
My son loves this recipe served with rice and steamed broccoli (or grilled corn and cold cucumbers in the summer). But when the weather gets cooler (and the oven is in rotation again) I love to serve this with sautéed spinach and roasted sweet potatoes. And if you’re plant based, beluga lentils are an excellent addition to the marinated mushroom caps.
Ingredients
2-3 pounds butter steak, skirt steak, boneless chicken breast, or portobello mushroom caps
1 C olive oil
1 C cilantro
½ C parsley
½ C basil
¼ C fresh lime juice
2-3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp kosher salt
Place the steak, chicken, and/or mushroom caps in a large ziplock bag or covered dish large enough to accommodate both the protein and marinade. Set aside.
Make the marinade by adding the remaining ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until well combined.
Add the marinade to the ziplock (or covered dish) and be sure to coat every surface of the meat or mushrooms.
Refrigerate for up to 24 hours (the longer you can give it, the better, but still tastes good after just an hour).
Grill butter steak or skirt steak over direct medium-high grill for 3-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness and desired internal temperature); grill marinated chicken breasts over direct medium heat for 4-6 minutes per side (until internal temperature of 165℉); and grill mushroom caps over direct medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side (depending on how thick the caps are and how soft you’d like the mushrooms to be).
Let the cooked meat rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!
You can also tweak this marinade and use lemon balm instead of cilantro, which offers a refreshing and unique flavor that’s entirely different. But truth be told: I’ve never seen lemon balm for sale with other herbs at the grocery store (but sometimes at the farmer’s market). However — it’s easy enough to grow at home in the ground or a container, so try to get your hands on a seedling if you can. Or you can ask a friend who grows lemon balm — there’s always plenty to share!
1 C olive oil
1 C lemon balm
½ C parsley
½ C basil
¼ C fresh citrus juice (1 lime & 1 lemon)
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp kosher salt
This recipe can easily be made without gluten and the top nine food allergens.
Only nine foods are responsible for about 90% of food allergies in the United States: wheat, milk, soy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame. It’s your personal responsibility to source safe ingredients, and check the safety of products I recommend (as manufacturers can change their formulas at any time without warning). Check out my Food Label Guide for more information.
Always use safe handling practices when preparing gluten and allergen-free recipes:
Wash hands with soap and water (hand sanitizer does not remove allergens).
Wipe down all surfaces and use clean equipment.
Avoid cross contact of ingredients that aren’t safe and be mindful that allergens can become airborne in flour or powdered form.
Don’t share equipment among recipes. For example: use a dedicated spoon for regular pasta and another for gluten-free pasta — don’t use one spoon to stir both pots.
Clean your grill, use a clean grill pan, or tin foil barrier when preparing a Without Options recipe.
Save the packaging (or snap a photo of the ingredient list) of any processed items you use in a Without Options recipe. You can then share that information with your food sensitive guests if necessary.
Spirits and liquor are exempt from labeling laws and may contain allergens. For this reason, always consult guests before serving them alcohol (whether in a recipe or on its own).
Regarding processed ingredients: Always inspect the label of each product, every time, as the manufacturer’s recipes and formulas can change (often without warning) and can vary between product size.
