Argentine Skirt Steak with Roasted Peppers, Oyster and Maitake Mushrooms, and Herb Chimichurri
Grass-fed skirt steak seared hot and fast, sliced against the grain, and piled over blistered peppers and crispy roasted mushrooms, with plenty of bright herb chimichurri.
Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 25 min · Total: 1 hour (including marinating and roasting) · Year-round, with peppers at their sweetest from July through September · Cuisine: Argentine · Best eaten: midday or early evening
This is the parrilla plate, Argentina’s beloved grill tradition, made at home. Skirt steak is one of the most flavorful cuts of beef: long and thin, from the hard-working diaphragm muscle, with a deep, beefy flavor. It needs just a few minutes over very high heat, a short rest, and slicing against the grain. Here, it’s served over roasted bell peppers and crispy oyster and maitake mushrooms, so the vegetables are just as much the star as the steak, then finished with a generous spoonful of fresh herb chimichurri.
Good grass-fed skirt steak tastes noticeably different from supermarket skirt steak, and it’s worth seeking out.
Ingredients
Skirt steak
1½ lbs grass-fed skirt steak
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
Roasted peppers
4 mixed bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange), cut into thick strips
2 Cubanelle or Italian frying peppers, halved
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
Roasted mushrooms
8 oz oyster mushrooms, torn into clusters
8 oz maitake (hen-of-the-woods) mushrooms, torn into clusters
3 tbsp grass-fed butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
Herb chimichurri
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh oregano, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional; not traditional, but delicious)
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and black pepper
Swaps:
Steak: flank steak or hanger steak (sear flank 4–5 minutes per side)
Mushrooms: shiitake or cremini
Nightshade-free: Skip the red pepper flakes, and roast zucchini or fennel instead of peppers.
Method
Make the chimichurri (ideally 1 hour ahead). Stir together all the chimichurri ingredients, and let it sit at room temperature so the flavors meld.
Marinate the steak. Rub the steak with the olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper, and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Prep the peppers. Toss them with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread them on a sheet pan.
Prep the mushrooms. Toss them with the melted butter, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper, and spread them on a second sheet pan.
Roast both pans 20–25 minutes, until the peppers are blistered and the mushrooms are golden. The mushrooms may need 5 minutes more; pull them when they’re crisp at the edges.
Sear the steak. Heat a cast iron skillet or grill until very hot. Sear the steak 2–3 minutes per side, for medium-rare (130–135°F). Skirt steak is thin and cooks fast, so watch it closely.
Rest 5 minutes.
Slice. Skirt steak’s grain runs across its width, so cut it into 4–5-inch sections first, then slice each section thinly against the grain.
Plate. Arrange the peppers and mushrooms on a platter, and top with the sliced steak. Spoon chimichurri generously over everything, and serve more on the side.
Serve It With
Roasted potatoes, a simple green salad, or my Roasted Potatoes Four Ways. If you drink, a robust Argentine Malbec is the classic match.
More herb sauces: see the green herb sauce in my Ten Sauces That Carry a Week of Meals, and the Rack of Lamb with Asian Herb Chimichurri.
Storage
Cooked steak: refrigerated, up to 2 days. Enjoy it cold, sliced over greens, or warm it gently in a skillet.
Roasted peppers and mushrooms: refrigerated, up to 4 days.
Chimichurri: refrigerated, up to 5 days. It’s delicious on grilled chicken, fish, eggs, and roasted vegetables.
For a crowd: The recipe doubles easily. Sear the steak in batches, so the pan stays hot.
Nourishment Notes
Grass-fed skirt steak — heme iron, zinc, B12, B6, and creatine, plus CLA and omega-3s, found at higher levels in grass-fed beef.
Chimichurri — the classic sauce of Argentina and Uruguay. Parsley, oregano, and cilantro bring vitamins K and C, apigenin, and carvacrol (oregano’s aromatic compound, studied for its antimicrobial effects). Raw garlic brings allicin, and the vinegar’s acidity helps brighten the rich beef.
Oyster mushrooms — beta-glucans and a natural compound called lovastatin, studied for supporting healthy cholesterol.
Maitake mushrooms — one of the most studied medicinal mushrooms, with beta-glucans (including the “D-fraction”) studied for supporting the immune system.
Bell peppers — vitamin C and carotenoids. Red peppers are one of the richest sources of vitamin C, and roasting them in oil brings out their sweetness and makes their carotenoids easier to absorb.
Extra virgin olive oil and grass-fed butter — healthy fats that help you absorb the vegetables’ fat-soluble nutrients.
As a circadian food, this is a satisfying midday meal or early dinner. In Argentina, the asado is a shared, social meal, and this plate is made for passing around the table.
For your cycle: The heme iron, zinc, and B12 make this especially restorative during and just after your period, and the protein supports steady energy in the luteal phase.
Sourcing
Skirt steak — 100% grass-fed and finished, from a local farm, US Wellness Meats, or White Oak Pastures
Mushrooms — organic oyster and maitake, from a farmers’ market or a local mushroom grower
Peppers, herbs, and garlic — organic, from a farmers’ market (peppers are among the most heavily sprayed crops, so organic matters here)
Grass-fed butter — organic, from 100% grass-fed cows
Red wine vinegar — organic and naturally fermented
Red pepper flakes — organic and non-irradiated
Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall