Grilled Steak With Tomato Tartare

Grilled Steak With Tomato Tartare

This warm-weather dinner channels steak tartare's signature combination of rare meat and sharp accoutrements: The steak is charred on the outside and medium-rare within, then topped with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, shallots, capers and chives. But unlike classic tartare, the embellishments are left in larger pieces for bigger, bolder punches. The steak and tomato juices combine to form a bright and briny sauce that you can sop with grilled bread or drizzle over a tuft of arugula, watercress or Little Gem lettuces.

Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1½ pounds skirt, flank, flatiron or bavette steak, patted dry

Salt and black pepper

1 pound tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces

1 large shallot, thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water

2 tablespoons capers, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon brine

Heat the grill to high. In a container that fits the steak, stir together 2 tablespoons Worcestershire and 2 tablespoons oil. Season the steak lightly with salt and generously with pepper, then toss to coat in the marinade. Let sit while you make the tomatoes (or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator).

In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, shallot, capers, brine, remaining ½ teaspoon Worcestershire and the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside (up to 1 hour ahead).

Shake the marinade off the steak. Grill the steak, flipping every 3 minutes, until well-browned and 130 degrees in the thickest part for medium-rare, 6 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak. (If using a gas grill, cover grill between flips.) Transfer to a cutting board to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Slice the steak and top with the tomatoes and all the juices in the bowl, followed by the chives.

TIP: Raise your hands -- how many of you have started to prep a recipe written like this and added all 5 T of oil to the 2 T plus 1/2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce before you realized you needed 2 different containers, and to split the oil and Worcestershire? My best friend laughed at me for writing out all my recipes by hand before cooking, but if I don't rewrite the ingredient list and instructions to break up steak marinade from tomato marinade, etc., there's a very good chance I'll mess it up!

All the time. For those who have the attention span of a gnat, it would be very helpful if the recipe said "2 1/2T oil, reserving 1/2T for the sauce" or whatever. Some do it, but many don't.