I’ll be honest. I am not a fan of cauliflower. To me, it’s the bottom rung on the ladder of cruciferous vegetables. I despise cauliflower rice, and raw cauliflower gags me. But one evening, a chef friend of mine made me a cauliflower steak for dinner. Ever gracious, I took a deep breath and a steak knife and took my first bite. Well, I guess the rest is history, as they say since I’m writing a recipe for cauliflower steaks!
I chose to pan-sear the steaks to get that nice brown crust, and then I finished them off in the oven to speed up the cooking process. I also used safflower oil to cook with since it has a high smoke point of 501°, to be exact. Olive oil has a medium smoke point cannot be heated past 405°. Fat begins to break when heated past its smoking point, releasing free radicals and a substance called acrolein, the chemical that gives burnt foods their acrid flavor and aroma. Think watering eyes, a stinky kitchen, and bitter, scorched food.
The critical thing to note in this recipe is how to stem and cut the cauliflower. I found that removing the outer green leaves and most but not all of the stem is crucial. Trim off the bottom of the cauliflower stem but make sure to keep the core intact. I find that one large head of cauliflower makes about three 1 1/2 ” steaks. To ensure flat sides, I trim the outer edges of the cauliflower on each side-taking off about an inch and a half. Slice carefully.
If you make the steaks be sure to tag me and let me know how you like them! Enjoy!
Pan-Seared Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 Steaks 1x
Description
This cauliflower steak is so flavorful and quite filling! Be sure to buy a large head to ensure decent size steaks. And using Montreal steak seasoning is a perfect way to spice them up! You can top with a variety of roasted vegetables and creamy mild tasting white beans for protein!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2″ steaks (see note)
- Montreal steak seasoning
- *Safflower oil, or other high-heat oil, such as sunflower or peanut oil.
- Chimichurri Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or other oven-safe, heavy bottom frying pan over medium-high heat. When warm add, two tablespoons of safflower oil.
- Brush each side of the cauliflower steaks with oil and sprinkle with Montreal seasoning.
- Carefully add steaks to a frying pan and sear each side until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes per side.
- When steaks are golden brown, remove the pan from the heat put directly in the oven for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Carefully remove pan from oven. Plate cauliflower steaks and drizzle with chimichurri sauce.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
*This oil is high in vitamin E; one tablespoon contains 28% of a person’s daily recommended intake of the nutrient. It has a high smoke point and doesn’t have a strong flavor, which means it won’t overwhelm a dish.