START TO FINISH: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
A warm salad of roughly crushed chickpeas and scallions provides the perfect foil for our cumin- and fennel-crusted flat iron steak. We were inspired by a similar dish from Moro, the London restaurant of chefs Sam and Sam Clark. They serve their steak over hummus, but our simpler approach keeps the dish weeknight ready. When grinding the cumin and fennel seeds, be sure to keep them coarse—don’t pulverize them to a powder. We liked the flavor and texture of flat iron steak, but if you can’t find this cut, hanger steak or sirloin tips (also called flap meat) are good substitutions. Add a dollop of plain yogurt and warmed pita bread to round out the meal.
Don’t skip the soy sauce marinade for the steak; it gives the meat a deep, savory flavor. But don’t marinate for longer than 20 minutes or it will be too salty.
1½ pounds flat iron steak, cut into 3 or 4 pieces
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, coarsely ground
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Two 15½-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra to serve
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus ¼ cup lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve
1 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a shallow baking dish, combine the steak and soy sauce, turning to coat. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the cumin, fennel and 2 teaspoons each salt and pepper.
Remove the steak from the baking dish and pat dry with paper towels. Use all but 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mixture to coat the steak all over. Set aside. In a large bowl, use a potato masher to roughly mash about ¾ of the chickpeas; stir in the remaining whole chickpeas.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until barely smoking. Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in half of the scallions, another 2 tablespoons of the oil and the lemon juice. Off heat, stir in the lemon zest and parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a platter, mounding it to one side.
Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high until barely smoking. Add the steak and cook until well browned on both sides and 120°F at the center for rare, 125°F for medium rare, 6 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let rest for 10 minutes.
Thinly slice the steak against the grain, then arrange the slices on the platter next to the mashed chickpeas. Pour over any accumulated juices and sprinkle with the remaining scallions and reserved spice mixture. Drizzle with oil and serve with lemon wedges.