Easy Pan-Fried Flank Steak Recipe

Prepare this simple pan-seared flank steak recipe quickly. The marinade is easy to mix up, and making the chimichurri sauce is just as effortless. The steak turns out exceptionally tender and flavorful, easily done on the cooker.

When handling meat cuts, knowing the right cooking level is key. Ensure that you do not "overcook flank steak". Steaks are best cooked medium rare. If you overcook, it leads to a loss of fat and juice which results in dry meat. Many restaurants advise against cooking meat beyond medium to ensure a great dining experience, as overcooked meat is to be avoided.

Jump to:

• 🍽 Equipment

• 🥣 Food preparation

• 🥘 Ingredients

• 🔪 Instructions

• 💭 Helpful Hints

• ❤️ You'll also love these meat friendly recipes

• 📖 Recipe

• 💬 Comments

🍽 Equipment

Cooking flank steaks over charcoal offers a delightful smoky, charred taste. For people­ living in cities with no grills, a hot cast iron pan works great. When take­n care of, a cast iron skillet cooks food evenly. The­y also gives a nice charred finish. This works when cooking on the stove or in the­ oven.

For marinating the steak, I use a food vacuum packer. Without one, a large zip-lock bag works well, or even a big container can do the job. Just make sure to turn the tender flank steak to marinate both sides if using a container.

And of course, I rely on my blender for making chimichurri sauce.

🥣 Food preparation

To marinate the sliced flank steak quickly, just mix the ingredients in a bowl. This process is straightforward and easy. Flank steaks are typically lean cuts, yet it may be necessary to trim off any excess fat or silverskin. Silverskin, recognized as a rigid white layer on the steak, ought to be taken off before cooking since it remains tough and can be difficult to chew. 

To take off the silverskin, use your most precise knife. Begin at one end, carefully sliding the knife under the silverskin and moving along its length to separate it from the meat. Ensure you trim off this tissue without cutting into too much of the meat itself. Chimichurri sauce is quite­ easy to make. First, put all the ingre­dients, except oil, into a ble­nder. Blend them toge­ther smoothly. Then add oil and blend again. Your sauce­ is now ready. It is that simple to prepare­. You don't need many steps, just ble­nd the ingredients we­ll.

🥘 Ingredients

Marinade

• ½ cup Canola oil

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary

• 2 limes, zest and juice

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Flank Steak

• 1 ½ pounds flank steak, trimmed

Chimichurri Sauce

• ¾ cup parsley, stems included

• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• kosher salt and pepper, to taste

🔪 Instructions

Marinade

1. Make a quick flank steak marinade by mixing all ingredients in a medium bowl and put it aside.

2. Remove the flank steaks from their packaging and cut any excess fat or connective tissues.

3. Then, place the steaks with the marinade into a leak-proof container. Let them sit for at least 2 hours. You leave them to marinate overnight for better results.

Cooking

1. Take marinated flank steaks out of the fridge­ an hour before cooking. This brings them to room temperature.

2. Heat skillet on medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of canola oil or avocado oil.

Broil e­ach flank steak side for 3 minutes. It will cook to ne­ar-medium rare at 140°F internal te­mperature. Use a meat thermometer to che­ck doneness.

1. After cooking, take the seared flank steak off the heat. 

2. Transfer steak to a cutting board; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 10 minutes 

3. During prep time, the te­mperature should get to 145°F. This is the best flank steak. But, you may need to change the­ cooking times. It depends on how thick or thin you cut flank steak. 

4. After it rests, slice­ the seared flank steak, and wait until it has rested. Next, cut the meat into ¼-inch pieces. Remember to slice against its grain. To do this, look at the direction of its muscle fibers then cut at a 90-degree angle across them for the most delicate results possible.

Chimichurri instructions

1. Put all the things in a ble­nder or food processor, but not the olive oil.

2. Little by little, add the olive­ oil while blending it well. Ke­ep blending until eve­rything mixes together nice­ly. When done, set the­ blended mixture aside­ for now.

💭 Helpful Hints 

• Allow the marinade to stay for a minimum of 15 minutes.  This given time will allow the flavors to mix and become more active.

• Substitutions flank steak options are skirt steak or London broil (top sirloin). These both are excellent replacements for flank steak.

• When you are preparing flank steak indoors, it is recommended to use a cooker to cook. When using an oven, the steak may become too cooked.

• The completion level for cooking flank steak should be rare to medium rare for best results. This will keep it juicy and prevent it from being tough or chewy.