10 Sauces to Serve with Grilled Steak
© Con Poulos
Grilled steak has so much personality, it doesn't need much dressing up. But if you want to wow your guests (or just your own taste buds), try serving it with one of these flavorful sauces.
Chimichurri
© Hector Sanchez
This tangy herb sauce is what you find on the table all over Argentina. Made from just a few pantry ingredients plus two kinds of fresh herbs — parsley and oregano — this recipe comes together quickly in the food processor.
Gremolata
Victor Protasio
If you want the bright herbs without as much tang as salsa verde, make gremolata, which is more like a garnish than a sauce. At Tavernetta in Denver, chef Ian Wortham makes this rustic sauce of sweet toasted pistachios, garlic, and parsley to top a grilled lamb steak.
Shallot Dressing
© Matt Armendariz
Think of this warm shallot vinaigrette as a grown-up take on steak with onion rings. Grace Parisi blends the shallots with vinegar, mustard and parsley, then drizzles the warm dressing over steak.
Compound Butter
© Con Poulos
If you believe in piling decadence over decadence, top your steak with flavored butter, like one blended with Cognac and parsley, or something more pungent, like anchovies and garlic. The trick is basting it with garlicky anchovy butter while it roasts.
Aïoli
© John Kernick
Provençal-style garlicky mayonnaise is a great choice with steak. You can make a cheater version with store-bought mayo, lemon, and garlic or pound it out Luddite-style with a mortar and pestle and blend it with a whisk.
Poblano Sauce
© Con Poulos
When grilled or roasted, poblanos have a fruity, smoky flavor that's terrific with steak. To make an extra-rich sauce, blend poblanos into aïoli or puree the peppers with corn for a Southwestern-inspired accompaniment.
Mole Sauce
© John Kernick
With smoky dried red chiles, sweet spices, and chocolate, a riff on Mexican-style mole is a tasty choice to brush over grilled steak.
Onion Sauce
© David Malosh
Steak and caramelized onion is a classic combo; why not try an onion sauce? Here, red onions are cooked with jalapeño until they're meltingly tender, then pureed with red wine vinegar for a tangy steak topper.
Jeow Som
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer and John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
This sweet, sour, and pungent Laotian dipping sauce gets a kick of heat from Thai chiles, ginger, and garlic balanced by bright, fresh lime juice.
Fruit Salsa
© John Kernick
Serve grilled steak with a sweet-tangy-hot salsa using in-season fruit, like black plums and cherries or peaches and mangoes in the summer. Try pear, cranberries or figs in the fall.
