I think we can all agree that tacos RULE. And you don’t need to be watching your weight to make these lettuce wraps. I call them wraps but they are tacos, let’s be real. The addition of the lettuce is the perfect crunch and pairs well with the crisp vegetables.
Let’s talk meat. The flank steak is perfect for grilling or searing in a cast iron, but since it is so lean, it can be super tough if you don’t marinate it. I love this marinade because it has all those Korean beef flavors, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic. There is such an umami bomb with this marinade – which is why I also make it to use as a sauce to top the tacos. When searing the meat (this recipe or any other recipe for that. matter), you want to make sure you take the meat out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you’re going cook it. If you put cold meat into a hot pan, it starts to release all of its juices…and that’s not what we want! We want the juices to stay in the steak, keeping it tender. This is also why you should wait about 10 minutes to cut into it (soooo hard, I know!) but it’ll be worth it when you get a juicy, tender steak.
What I love about this meal, is it’s different than your normal Taco Tuesday. Different flavors, different ingredients. It just feels like a very fresh meal – with the romaine leaves, carrots, basil, chives, scallions, and a fresh squeeze of lime. I like to add the sauteed mushrooms, but not necessary. You can add anything really you have in your fridge that you think fits, radishes would be great here or crunchy bell peppers.
I’ve used this recipe to make pork lettuce wraps – essentially the same method except using ground pork and adding the “marinade” as it browns.
I love this recipe – if you wanted to use ground beef, that would work too! Similar to the ground pork, just add the marinade as the beef browns. I promise, this recipe will be included in your rotation favorites!
Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1 ½ lbs Flank Steak
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 ” ginger peeled
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Lettuce Wraps:
- 1 head of romaine
- 1 carrot
- Chives
- Scallion
- ½ lime
- ½ cup of basil leaves
- ½ white onion
- 1 cup of diced portobello mushrooms
Sauce:
- ¼ cup of low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Mirin rice vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic
- ½ ” ginger peeled
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 scallions finely chopped
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Preparation:
- Marinate the flank steak. In a small bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients – grating the ginger in, and making sure the brown sugar dissolves. In a ziplock bag, place the meat in, pour the marinade over top and close the bag tightly. Squish around making sure the meat is fully in the marinade, and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Flank steak is super lean, so it can be very tough – you want to make sure you marinate it long enough to break it down so it’s tender. You'll want to take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you're ready to cook, so the meat comes to room temperature.
- Start prepping your other ingredients. Finely cut the 1/2 of onion. In a small pan on medium heat, add the onion along with the mushrooms, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and sauté for about 15-20 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have browned and shriveled up. Set aside once it’s all cooked.
- Cut the stem off of the romaine head, separate the leaves, and wash them thoroughly. Peel the carrot, and using the peeler, thinly shred about a cup of carrot. Wash the chives, basil, and scallion. Dice the scallion into little pieces, and slice your lime into wedges. Arrange all of your toppings and lettuce leaves on a platter.
- Make the sauce: combine all of your ingredients into a glass measuring cup or bowl, grating the garlic and ginger in.
- I use a cast iron skillet to sear the steak – it will only take a few minutes per side for medium rare. Using a thermometer is the best way to get the desired temperature. For medium rare, you want 130-135 degrees (medium 135-145), but there is something called carry over cooking. When you take the meat out of the skillet, you want to let it rest for at least 10 minutes. It will continue to cook, and also will help keep all the juices inside when you slice it (which should be super thin, and against the grain).
- Make your lettuce wraps! Take a piece of lettuce, add your slices steak, and top with toppings and sauce! ENJOY!
