Gordon Ramsay’s spicy beef salad is seared medium-rare sirloin with carrot ribbons, radishes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and baby gem in a Thai dressing of garlic, chilli, palm sugar, fish sauce and lime, ready in 15 minutes for around £3.50 per serving.
In Ultimate Cookery Course, Ramsay says he “fell in love with this simple dressing of garlic, chilli, fish sauce, sugar and lime in Vietnam and Cambodia.” He pounds it by hand in a mortar rather than blending it, which keeps the texture rough and the chilli heat uneven so every bite lands differently.
Where Ramsay differs from traditional Thai nam tok is the balance. Authentic nam tok is 90% meat with toasted rice powder. Ramsay fills the bowl with carrot ribbons, radishes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and baby gem, then tops with peanuts instead. A Western take that works as a complete meal.
Gordon Ramsay Spicy Beef Salad
Course: Salads, Mains4
servings10
minutes5
minutes15
minutesFrom Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course: seared sirloin with carrot ribbons, radishes, cherry tomatoes and baby gem in a Thai dressing of garlic, chilli, palm sugar, fish sauce and lime. Topped with toasted peanuts.
Ingredients
2 beef sirloin steaks, 200 to 250g each
Olive oil, for frying
2 carrots, trimmed and peeled into ribbons
6 radishes, trimmed and finely sliced
200g (7 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
Bunch of mint, leaves only, shredded
1 small banana shallot, peeled and finely sliced
3 spring onions, trimmed and shredded
Half a large cucumber, peeled, deseeded and sliced
2 baby gem lettuces, shredded
4 tbsp skinned peanuts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Thai dressing:
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 tsp grated palm sugar (or golden caster sugar)
2 to 3 tbsp fish sauce, to taste
Juice of 1 to 2 limes
Directions
- Sear the steaks: Season the steaks generously on both sides, pushing the seasoning into the meat. Add a dash of oil to a very hot pan and fry for 2 to 3 minutes each side for medium rare. Hold the fat side against the pan to render the fat. Remove and leave to rest, pouring any juices over the top.
- Make the dressing: Put the garlic and chilli in a mortar with a pinch of salt and grind to a paste. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice and stir with a spoon. Taste and add more lime if needed.
- Build the salad: Using a vegetable peeler, cut the carrots into ribbons. Place in a bowl with the radishes, tomatoes, mint, shallot, spring onions, cucumber and lettuce. Add 4 to 6 tablespoons of the dressing and mix well.
- Serve: Thickly slice the rested steak at an angle. Toast the peanuts with a pinch of salt in a dry pan and roughly chop. Place the steak on top of the salad, scatter over the peanuts and drizzle with remaining dressing.
FAQs
What cut of steak works best for this?
Ramsay uses sirloin for its balance of flavour and tenderness. Rump is cheaper and works if you slice it thinner. Fillet is more tender but has less beefy flavour, which gets lost against the strong dressing. Whatever you use, cook it no more than medium rare: the lime juice in the dressing continues to “cook” the meat on the plate, so anything past medium goes tough quickly.
How is this different from authentic Thai nam tok?
Traditional nam tok from Isaan in northeast Thailand uses toasted rice powder for nuttiness and serves the beef with minimal vegetables and sticky rice. Ramsay swaps the rice powder for peanuts, fills the bowl with salad vegetables and serves it as a standalone Western meal. Both are good, but they solve different problems. Ramsay’s is a complete dinner plate. Nam tok is part of a shared spread.
Can you use the dressing on other proteins?
Ramsay says the dressing “works with most seafood and meat” and he is not exaggerating. It is particularly good with grilled prawns, seared tuna, roast duck or even crispy pork belly. The sweet, sour, salty and bitter balance cuts through anything rich or fatty. Make double and keep it in a jar in the fridge for up to three days.
Where do you buy palm sugar in the UK?
Most Asian supermarkets sell palm sugar in blocks or paste. Tesco and Sainsbury’s sometimes stock it in the world foods aisle. If you cannot find it, Ramsay says golden caster sugar works as a substitute. The difference is subtle: palm sugar has a deeper, more caramel flavour, but caster sugar dissolves faster and still balances the lime and fish sauce.
What should you serve spicy beef salad with?
It is a complete meal on its own, but jasmine rice on the side turns it into a bigger dinner. For a Thai-inspired spread, pair it with his sweet potato salad as a starter and finish with fresh mango. Avoid serving it with other strongly dressed salads because the fish sauce and lime will clash.
Does spicy beef salad keep well?
The dressed salad and sliced steak should be eaten within an hour. After that the lime juice turns the beef grey and the lettuce wilts. If you need to prep ahead, make the dressing, prepare all the vegetables and cook the steak, but keep everything separate. Assembly takes two minutes and the salad is best when the steak is still slightly warm against the cold vegetables. See his salads ranked by difficulty if you want something that stores better.
