Sabah's Sirloin Steak Salad with Blue Cheese & Crispy Onions
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Sirloin Steak Salad
with Blue Cheese & Crispy Onions
Halal grass-fed top sirloin seared to a bold crust and sliced thin over peppery arugula with crumbled blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, and shatteringly crispy fried onions. A salad that eats like a meal.
Top sirloin is the working person's steakhouse cut — excellent beefy flavor, a firm but not tough texture, and a price point that makes a weeknight steak dinner completely reasonable. It sears beautifully to a deep mahogany crust with a pink center, and when sliced thin against the grain it becomes the ideal protein for a serious salad. The combination of peppery arugula, sharp blue cheese, sweet roasted cherry tomatoes, and crispy fried onions hits every flavor register — bitter, salty, sweet, and crunchy — in a single bowl.
We use Thomas Farms halal grass-fed top sirloin steak — 8oz, lean and flavorful, with the grass-fed character that makes even a simple preparation taste distinctly premium. One steak feeds two people generously as a main-course salad.
The crispy onions are not optional: They are what separates this from an ordinary steak salad. Thinly sliced onion dredged in seasoned flour and fried until shatteringly crisp adds the textural contrast that makes every forkful interesting. They take 8 minutes and can be made while the steak rests.
Ingredients
For the steak
- 1 × 8ozThomas Farms halal grass-fed top sirloin
- 1 tspKosher salt
- ½ tspCoarsely cracked black pepper
- 1 tbspNeutral oil
Crispy fried onions
- 1 largeOnion, very thinly sliced
- ¼ cupAll-purpose flour
- ½ tspSalt
- ¼ tspGarlic powder
- ¼ cupNeutral oil for frying
Slice the onion paper-thin: Use a mandoline or your sharpest knife. Thick onion rings won't crisp — they steam inside their flour coating and stay chewy. The thinner the slice, the more shatteringly crisp the result.
For the salad
- 4 cupsBaby arugula
- 1 cupCherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cupBlue cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cupRed onion, very thinly sliced
- OptionalCandied walnuts or pecans
Lemon-Dijon dressing
- 3 tbspGood olive oil
- 1½ tbspFresh lemon juice
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1 tspHoney
- 1 small cloveGarlic, finely grated
- Salt & pepperTo taste
Dress at the last moment: Arugula wilts fast once dressed. Toss with dressing right before plating — not before. Keep the dressing on the side if you're not serving immediately.
Instructions
Phase 1 — Dressing & prep
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1
Make the dressing and prep the salad
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, honey, and grated garlic until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Halve the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the red onion, and crumble the blue cheese. Keep everything separate until plating time.
Phase 2 — Sear the sirloin
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2
Sear the sirloin to medium-rare
Pat the steak completely dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over high until smoking. Sear 3–4 minutes per side without moving until a deep mahogany crust forms. Top sirloin is lean — pull at 130°F to keep it from going tough. Rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes, then slice thin against the grain.
Phase 3 — Crispy onions
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3
Fry the onions until shatteringly crisp
While the steak rests, toss sliced onions with flour, salt, and garlic powder until evenly coated, shaking off any excess. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Fry onions in a single layer for 3–4 minutes until deeply golden and crisp — they will crisp further as they cool. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with a pinch of flaky salt.
Phase 4 — Assemble
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4
Toss, plate, and serve immediately
Toss arugula, cherry tomatoes, and red onion with just enough dressing to lightly coat — start with half and add more to taste. Divide between two plates. Lay the sliced sirloin over the top. Scatter blue cheese crumbles generously, then pile the crispy fried onions on last. Serve immediately before the arugula wilts or the onions lose their crunch.
Top sirloin needs to be sliced thin: Unlike ribeye or NY strip, sirloin has less marbling and can feel chewy if cut thick. Slice at a slight angle against the grain into strips no more than ¼ inch thick. Thin slices against the grain = tender result every time.
Serving suggestions
Variations
🧀 Feta instead of blue cheese
Crumbled feta is a milder, brighter alternative. Works particularly well with a lemon-herb dressing and sliced cucumber added to the salad.
🥗 Caesar-style
Replace the lemon-Dijon dressing with a halal Caesar (no anchovies needed — use Dijon, lemon, garlic, and olive oil). Add shaved parmesan and croutons.
🌶️ Spiced sirloin
Rub the steak with cumin, smoked paprika, and garlic powder before searing. The spiced crust adds a Middle Eastern dimension that pairs well with the blue cheese.
🍓 Summer version
Add sliced strawberries or mandarin orange segments to the salad. The fruit sweetness against salty blue cheese and peppery arugula is a classic combination.
🥣 Grain bowl
Serve over warm farro or quinoa instead of arugula for a heartier meal. Add roasted beets and a balsamic drizzle for a complete grain bowl.
🌿 Herb-forward
Add a handful of fresh mint, basil, and flat-leaf parsley to the arugula. The extra herbs elevate the salad and complement the steak beautifully.
Storage
Cooked steak
Keeps 3 days refrigerated. Store separately from the salad. Excellent cold — slice thin and add directly to fresh greens.
Crispy onions
Keep 1 day at room temperature in an open container — never sealed or they steam and go soft. Best eaten same day.
Dressing
Keeps 1 week refrigerated in a jar. Shake well before using — the emulsion breaks in the fridge but reforms easily.
Nutrition (per serving, approx.)
* Estimates per serving based on 2 servings including dressing and blue cheese. Crispy onions add approximately 80 calories per serving.
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