If you’re looking for some fun, last minute, recipes for the 4th of July, I’ve got a couple of great suggestions for you.

This dish is a great example of the Japanese ‘less-is-more’ approach to cooking. The ponzu is all the steak needs. The flavors are perfectly balanced and they get love-stoned when combined. I make this dish for parties and serve it sliced, family-style, with the ponzu cascading off the sliced steak. People turn into loiterers and sort of poach from the platter. It’s like watching a flock of seagulls hovering. Hilarious. You’ll see.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Seared Onion Ponzu

Steak Ingredients:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic Oil (see below)
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 (2 pound) skirt steak

Ponzu Sauce:
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick rings
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Oil (see below)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
3 tablespoons grated ginger
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced

To marinate the steak: In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, garlic oil, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and agave nectar. Add the steak, turning to coat well in the marinade. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To make the ponzu sauce: Drizze the onion rings with the oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper. Heat the medium skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the onion rings and sear, flipping once, until charred on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Let the onion cool in the pan. When cool enough to ladle, finely chop and transfer to a small bowl.

Add 1/3 cup cold water, the soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, pineapple juice, agave nectar, garlic oil, scallions, shallots, ginger, and chile. Set aside.

Preheat an outdoor grill or a stovetop girl pan to medium-high heat. Grill the steak for 4 minutes, rotate 45 degrees, and cook for another 4 minutes. Then flip the steak and grill it for another 4 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing against the grain into 1/4 inch-thick strips.

Transfer the sliced steak to a serving platter and serve topped with the ponzu sauce.

Roasted Garlic Oil

Ingredients:
2 cups grape seed oil
20 garlic cloves (about 2 heads), peeled

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer (be careful not to let it boil), add the garlic cloves. Cook the garlic uncovered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cloves are easily mashed with a fork. Store the cooled oil and garlic cloves in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Farmstands along the side of the road to Montauk sell pineapple chunks on a stick or by the plastic bagful. I may have hoped for a low blood sugar so that I could OD on the fresh piña!

Charred Pineapple with Honeycomb

Ingredients:
1 pineapple
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup hand-torn mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 teaspoon-sized scoops honeycomb

Use a sharp, large knife to cut off the pineapple rind. Cut cross-wise into 6 1/2 inch thick slices (Save the rest for another use). In a large skillet, heat the butter over high heat. When the butter begins to bubble, add the pineapple and cook without turning until the sugars start to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes.

Turn gently with tongs and cook until the pineapple has a nice golden color on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the pineapple to a platter and sprinkle with the mint and sea salt.

Top each round with a teaspoon of honeycomb.

I also wanted to recommend 10 apps to make your 4th of July pop! Read about them here here!

Wishing you a very happy and safe 4th of July!

-ST

Photos by Tara Donne