I don’t know about you guys, but after our longer-than-expected winter I’ve been in on a month-long grilling bender. And though I love to come up with tasty marinades for my grilling adventures (Exhibit A: Izgara Bonfile), sometimes I just want a tasty creation that’s also quick to make. The solution is pretty easy, really: you just throw a salsa on top of an otherwise basic grilled steak!

This salsa is inspired by Insalata Caprese, a fresh salad originating from the island of Capri in the early 20th century. It’s traditionally made with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, oregano, and arugula, but over time most people have substituted the oregano and arugula with fresh basil. We Americans are even weirder in that we also like to add balsamic vinegar as well. For my salsa I decided to keep a little balsamic vinegar and also add a bit of lemon juice to provide some acidity and sourness without an overpowering vinegar taste.

Serves two

2 ribeye steaks
4 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt and ground pepper to taste (I used 1/2 tsp each)

1/2 lb tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 20 grape tomatoes)
1/4c fresh basil leaves, chopped into strips (about 12 leaves)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Rub the steaks with garlic, then sprinkle a generous amount of kosher salt and black pepper on top. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To make the salsa, combine all of the remaining ingredients, cover and put in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

Grill your steaks using direct, high heat, until cooked to your liking. I cooked mine three minutes per side and it came out medium rare. Allow the steak to rest for five minutes somewhere that retains heat (I like to use an unused oven or microwave).

Lastly, drain your salsa of most of its liquid and spoon it over your steak. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the salsa liquid, mind you, but a wet steak is not very appealing.

* Note: you could also add 4oz of chopped fresh mozzarella to the salsa right before spooning it onto the steaks, if you’re dairly-inclined.

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