Christmas Steak (Restaurant-Style Porterhouse with Salsa Roja & Chimichurri)
Level: Easy
Total Time: 1 hr 5 min (includes resting)
Active Time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
This dish features a beautifully cooked porterhouse steak served with two vibrant sauces—salsa roja and chimichurri—similar to the iconic two-tone fish from Contramar in Mexico City. Generous salting helps create a deep, steakhouse-style crust.
Christmas Steak (Restaurant-Style Porterhouse with Salsa Roja & Chimichurri)
4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalChristmas steak isn’t a traditional or universally defined dish — it’s simply a festive-style steak recipe often served around the holidays.
Ingredients
Salsa Roja
2 small plum tomatoes, cored
2 cloves garlic
1 small jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, halved
1/2 small white onion, halved
1/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chimichurri
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
1/4 cup ice cubes
2 tablespoons packed fresh oregano
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, roughly chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Steak
One 2-pound bone-in porterhouse, about 2 inches thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions
- Salsa Roja
- Add tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, and onion to a saucepan. Cover with 6 cups water and bring to a boil.
- Simmer 15–20 minutes until softened.
- Drain, transfer to a blender, and purée until smooth.
- Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
- Cool, cover, and refrigerate until serving.
- Chimichurri
- Blend vinegar, garlic, and a pinch of salt on low until smooth.
- Add parsley, cilantro, ice, oregano, and jalapeño. Blend on medium.
- With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
- Steak
- Let the steak sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler with the oven rack 5–6 inches from the heat.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high.
- Pat the steak dry. Generously season with salt and pepper (it should appear almost white from the salt).
- Add oil to the hot skillet. Once smoking, sear the steak 4 minutes per side until browned and crusty.
- Transfer to a board. Remove the strip steak and tenderloin from the bone and slice each across the grain.
- Place the bone in the skillet and reassemble the slices around it.
- Add butter, garlic, and thyme on top.
- Broil 3–4 minutes, until the butter melts and the internal temperature reaches 120°F for medium-rare.
- Tilt the skillet to pool the butter and spoon it repeatedly over the meat.
- Transfer to a platter, pour melted butter over it, and spread chimichurri over one half and salsa roja over the other.
- Serve with extra sauces on the side.
Notes
- The tenderloin side cooks faster than the strip side.
- Remove the filet early if needed to achieve even medium-rare doneness.
