Chili Lime Cube Steak

Photo from Cupcakes and
Kale Chips

My least favorite thing in the recipe world is when a recipe sounds absolutely amazing and then completely fails to live up to its own hype. You know the feeling—you read the ingredients, see the photo, and immediately start planning how delicious dinner is going to be. That was me with this recipe.

Beef, lime, and chili sauce? Come on. How could that possibly go wrong? Apparently, quite easily. Because in the end, it was just…meh.

I did run into a couple of issues along the way.

First, recipes that say something vague like “juice of 2 limes” drive me a little crazy. Limes are not standardized little citrus robots. Some barely have enough juice to fill a teaspoon, while others apparently spent the night hydrating for a marathon. The two I had were the latter. They were ridiculously juicy, and all that extra lime juice made the sauce MUCH more lime-forward than I think it was supposed to be. And I like lime. A lot. But apparently there is, in fact, a point where even I say, “Okay, we get it, lime.”

Then there was the chili paste. TWO tablespoons? That seemed…ambitious. I like spicy food, but I knew two tablespoons was going to be a little beyond my personal comfort zone. I cut it down to one tablespoon, and even that packed a decent punch.

So here's what I learned from this adventure: maybe recipes should give us a ballpark measurement for lime juice instead of leaving us at the mercy of whatever citrus lottery we happened to win at the grocery store. And when it comes to spice, start conservatively. You can always add more. You cannot un-add two tablespoons of chili paste once they're in the bowl.

The recipe had a lot of potential. It just didn't quite get there for me this time.

Chili Lime Cube Steak

Recipe from Cupcakesandkalechips.com

Serves 4

• 2 limes , zested and juiced
• 2 Tablespoons chili paste such as sambal oelek
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1-1 1/4 lbs. cube steaks (4 steaks about 4-5 oz. each)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• lime slices, cilantro, and sliced scallions for garnish, if desired

Zest and juice 2 limes, and in a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and zest, 2 Tablespoons chili paste, and 1 Tablespoon honey. Set aside.

Season both sides of 1-1 1/4 lbs. cube steaks (about 4 steaks) with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.

Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.

Carefully place steaks in the pan. Depending on the size of your pan and steak, you may need to do this in two batches. Sear for about 3-4 minutes, or until browned, then flip over and sear the other side for another 3-4 minutes.

If you seared the steaks in batches, return all steaks to the pan and pour the chili-lime sauce over the steaks. Let reduce and thicken for a minute or two, turning the steaks to coat them completely in the sauce.

Remove from the pan and serve immediately. Garnish with additional lime slices, cilantro, and sliced scallions, if desired.