Chef's Recipes

Flat-iron steak with watermelon and red cabbage

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for flat-iron steak with watermelon and red cabbage,

By David Chang
  • 20 mins preparation
  • 1 hr 30 mins cooking plus cooling
  • Serves 6
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Flat-iron steak with watermelon and red cabbage
“This dish shows off the beef of Australia. The burnt watermelon’s charred flavour pairs well with the meat.” You’ll need a Cryovac with bags for this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 500 gm seedless watermelon, rind on
  • 200 ml grapeseed oil
  • 400 gm wagyu flat-iron steak (see note)
  • 150 ml olive oil
  • 30 ml sherry vinegar
  • 2 watermelon radishes (see note)
  • 1 punnet red cabbage cress (see note)

Method

Main
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 250C. Remove rind from watermelon and remove peel (discard). Cut rind into strips roughly 2cm x 12cm and bake on an oven tray until starting to brown (30 minutes). Reduce oven to 180C and bake until completely black (1 hour). Cool rind, then transfer to a blender with grapeseed oil and blend until the mixture is completely black and puréed. Set aside. Makes 250ml.
  • 2
    Place steak in a Cryovac bag with 120ml olive oil and season to taste with salt, then vacuum seal. Cook in a water bath at 58C until meat reaches the same temperature (35-45 minutes).
  • 3
    Meanwhile, cut watermelon flesh into 2cm dice, place in a bowl with sherry vinegar and remaining olive oil and set aside to infuse (20 minutes).
  • 4
    Thinly slice radish on a mandolin, set aside.
  • 5
    Remove steak from bag and cut into slightly larger dice than watermelon. Arrange watermelon and steak on a serving platter. Season each cube with sea salt flakes, top with radish and red cabbage cress followed by a few drops of black watermelon oil and serve. Remaining black watermelon oil will keep refrigerated for 3 weeks.

Notes

Wagyu flat-iron steak, otherwise known as blade steak, is available from select butchers. If it’s unavailable, substitute wagyu rump steak. Red cabbage cress and watermelon radishes are available from select greengrocers.
This recipe is from the November 2011 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: Spicy cool-climate shiraz. Drink suggestion by Max Allen

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