Stovetop Salt And Pepper Rib-Eye
Recipe & Styling Mari Loewen, Food Styling Marisa Curatolo, Photography Cory Aronec
Oh the rib-eye... the bad boy of steaks with a whole lot of substance... effortless to cook, with lavish marbling throughout, the end result, whether well done or rare, is tender and juicy like no other.
Now, we’ve all heard many ways of cooking a steak. Spicing, rubbing, marinating. But I’m here to tell you the only thing a rib eye needs is salt and pepper. These are the exact but simple steps.
It’s important to visit your butcher for best quality grass fed beef. A good rib eye will have a generous amount of marbling throughout (that fat will give you flavour). Sprinkling the steak generously with sea salt and pepper and then searing it over high heat is all that’s needed to bring out its natural essence. Equally important is giving the steak time to rest, which distributes its juices evenly, making it even more tender and succulent.
Ingredients
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 (6-ounce) rib-eye steaks, 1 ½-inches thick (at room temperature)
4 pats salted butter
Maldon sea salt flakes for serving
Preparation
Make sure your steak is at room temperature. Remove from fridge 2 hours prior to cooking. This allows your steak to cook evenly.
Preheat a cast iron skillet to medium to high heat. Rub steaks with olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear steaks 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Do not flip back and forth. Remove skillet from heat, top each steak with pat of butter and rest steaks for 30 minutes or more. Then transfer steaks to large wooden serving board, slice against the grain with good Chef's knife, pour skillet juices over top and sprinkle with Maldon finishing salt. Serves 4.