Lime-Cured Beef Salad with Pickled Carrot and Fried Shallots

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Paper-thin slices of eye of round, firmed in the freezer so your knife does the hard work, then tossed with sharp lime juice and fish sauce just minutes before serving. The acid firms and pinks the beef the way ceviche does, so it lands somewhere between rare and cooked. Quick-pickled red onion and carrot bring crunch and sweetness, herbs bring perfume, and a shower of crisp fried shallots ties it all together. No stove time for the beef at all — the only heat is a small pan of oil for the shallots.

Ingredients

• 1 lb beef eye of round, trimmed of all silverskin and fat
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes), divided
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 small red onion, halved and sliced paper-thin
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks or shredded
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp warm water

• 4 medium shallots, sliced into thin rings
• 1/2 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 Thai chile or red jalapeño, thinly sliced

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
• 1 cup Vietnamese coriander or cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely crushed
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• shrimp chips or sesame rice crackers, for serving

Instructions

1. Pat the eye of round completely dry, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and set it in the freezer for 45 to 60 minutes. You want it firm and icy on the outside but still yielding at the center — not frozen solid. This is the single step that makes paper-thin slicing possible at home.
2. While the beef firms up, make the pickles. Whisk the rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons warm water in a bowl until dissolved. Add the sliced red onion and carrot, press them under the liquid, and let sit at room temperature at least 25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Drain well just before assembling.
3. Fry the shallots: combine the sliced shallots and 1/2 cup oil in a small skillet or saucepan and set over medium heat. Once bubbling begins, cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the shallots turn an even light golden. Pull them out with a slotted spoon the moment they're pale gold — they darken off the heat. Spread on a paper towel, salt lightly, and cool. Save the shallot oil.
4. Whisk the dressing: 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, the grated garlic and the sliced chile. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then whisk in 1 tablespoon of the reserved shallot oil. Taste — it should be aggressively salty-sour-sweet, since it will season a full pound of beef and a pile of herbs.
5. Unwrap the chilled beef. Using your sharpest knife, slice against the grain as thinly as you possibly can — aim for 1/16 inch, thin enough to see the board through. Lay the slices flat on a plate as you go. If the beef softens too much to slice cleanly, return it to the freezer for 10 minutes.
6. No more than 5 minutes before serving, put the beef in a wide non-reactive bowl. Add 1/2 cup lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss gently with your hands until every slice is coated. Let it sit exactly 3 to 4 minutes — the surfaces will turn from red to a rosy pink-gray. Any longer and the beef goes chalky and tough.
7. Drain the beef in a colander, pressing lightly, and discard the curing lime juice. Return the beef to the dry bowl, pour over the dressing, and toss.
8. Add the drained pickled onion and carrot, the mint, coriander and Thai basil. Toss once more with your hands, gently, just to combine.
9. Pile onto a shallow platter, mounding it high. Shower with the crushed peanuts and all the fried shallots. Tuck lime wedges around the edge and serve immediately with shrimp chips or rice crackers for scooping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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