Steaks with Sweet and Sour Peppers
Juicy seared steaks, topped with an Asian-inspired, sweet and tangy blend of bell peppers, soy sauce, apricot preserves, ginger, and garlic. The flavors are so incredible, you’ll want these syrupy peppers over everything.
These peppers are so incredible! They’re so delicious, you’ll want to spoon them over everything, including grilled chicken, pork, seafood, potatoes, pasta, rice, and all your favorite grains. And they couldn’t be easier to make (plus, you need a handful of ingredients to make them).
Since the peppers dish up all the flavor, the steaks are simply seasoned with salt and black pepper. That’s all you need for the steaks – honestly. As long as you cook the steaks to your liking (I recommend medium-rare to medium for the most tender bite), the dish will exceed your expectations on every level.
What makes these peppers so special is the contrasting flavors. The sauce is made with a quick-and-easy blend of apricot preserves (orange marmalade works too if you have that), soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and Shaoxing or mirin (Chinese or Japanese cooking wine). That means, you have a balance of salty, sweet, tangy, and pungent. It’s 100% awesome.
You don’t need any thickeners for the sauce, so that makes this dish keto and paleo friendly. The sauce for the peppers thickens on its own (as it simmers), so you don’t need anything else to create a thick, syrupy, bell pepper topping for your steaks.
Here’s the simple process for making this dish:
- Season steaks with salt and black pepper and let them come to room temperature (this ensures perfectly cooked steaks every time). In the meantime, cook sliced bell peppers or sliced sweet mini peppers in olive oil until soft.
- Add garlic, ginger, apricot preserves, and Asian cooking wine and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Sear the steaks to your liking and top with the bell peppers.
Steaks with Sweet and Sour Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 steaks of choice, about 5 ounces each, I used top sirloin
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 bell peppers, any color, seeded and sliced, or 2 cups sliced sweet mini peppers
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/3 cup apricot preserves, or orange marmalade
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin or Shaoxing, Japanese or Chinese cooking wine
Equipment
Instructions
- Season both sides of the steaks with salt and black pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the peppers, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the apricot preserves, soy sauce, and cooking wine and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- To cook the steaks, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to a large skillet, or brush the oil on the surface of a stovetop grill pan or griddle. Set the pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the steaks and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare to medium, or longer for more fully cooked steak.
- Remove the steaks from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Top the steaks with the sweet and sour bell peppers. Top with green onions, if using, and serve.