In this recipe from Cooking the Borderlands: Spice and Smoke Between Mexico and the States, two culinary traditions are brought together: the high-heat grilling of northern Mexico and the bold savoriness of Chinese fermented black bean sauce. The result is a platter of wonderfully charred skirt steak draped with asparagus slicked in a glossy black bean–garlic sauce punctuated by chiles de árbol.
Salted fermented black beans, available at Asian markets and online, bring an ultra-concentrated savory quality. Here, they’re mashed with garlic, ginger, and scallions, then cooked gently with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and piloncillo until thick and lacquered. A spoonful transforms the asparagus stir-fry into something complex and multidimensional. The recipe makes more sauce than you need for this dish — an intentional gift to future meals. (Although we intentionally used more than the recipe called for.)
With simply marinated skirt steak grilled over high heat, the dish balances smoke, sweetness, heat, and salinity. A squeeze of lime and a scatter of herbs brighten each bite, making this a meal that feels both celebratory and deeply personal. If you, like us, find yourself firmly parked in the camp of craving intensely bold flavors, then you’ll want to take a spin with this recipe!
What takes time here is the meat marinating, which is anywhere from a minimum of 3 hours up to overnight — we chose the latter. By doing so, you can just jump right into dinner prep on the eve of your meal.
Black Bean-Garlic Skirt Steak with Asparagus
Ingredients
Black Bean-Garlic Sauce
- 4 scallions
- 1/2 cup salted fermented black beans, rinsed
- 8 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 3 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
- 3 Tbsp. water
- 3 Tbsp. grapeseed oil or other neutral cooking oil
- 3 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed
- 1/3 cup ground or grated piloncillo or dark brown sugar (about 1 oz.)
- 3 Tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
Skirt Steak
- 1 2-lb. outside skirt steak (1/2 inch thick)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Asparagus Stir-Fry
- 2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil or other neutral cooking oil
- 1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut crosswise into thirds (3 cups)
- 2/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 5 Tbsp. Black Bean–Garlic Sauce
- 3 Tbsp. water
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Lime wedges and steamed rice, for serving
Directions
- Make the black bean–garlic sauce: Separate white parts from green parts of scallions; refrigerate scallion greens until ready to use. Coarsely chop white parts of scallions, and place in a mini food processor; add fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, and 3 tablespoons water. Pulse until you have a rough, minced paste (not a smooth puree), 8 to 10 pulses, stopping to scrape down sides of container as needed.
- Heat grapeseed oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high until oil is shimmering. Add chiles; fry, stirring often, until chiles turn a dark burgundy color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer chiles to a small bowl using a slotted spoon; reserve for garnish.
- Add black bean mixture to oil in skillet; fry over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is fragrant and just begins to stick to bottom of skillet, about 2 minutes. Whisk in wine, soy sauce, and piloncillo, combining thoroughly. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, is dark and glossy, and can almost be mistaken for a chocolate sauce, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Scrape sauce into a small heatproof bowl. Reserve 5 tablespoons for this recipe; store remaining sauce (about 1/2 cup).
- Make the skirt steak: Place steak in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. (Halve steak crosswise, if needed, to fit in dish.) Rub steak with olive oil, garlic, ginger, and salt, massaging thoroughly. Cover baking dish using plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
- Preheat grill to high (450°F to 500°F). Place steak on oiled grates; grill, uncovered and undisturbed, until a hard sear is achieved, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip steak; sear until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of steak registers 120°F to 125°F for medium-rare, about 3 minutes, or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from grill, and let steak rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
- Make the asparagus stir-fry: Heat grapeseed oil in a large wok or heavy skillet over high until oil starts lightly smoking. Quickly add asparagus and onion; cook, stirring constantly, until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add black bean–garlic sauce and 3 tablespoons water to wok; cook, stirring often, until asparagus is just done and coated in sauce, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Slice reserved green parts of scallions; finely chop fried chiles de árbol. Slice steak against the grain into thin strips; arrange on a large platter. Spoon asparagus mixture over steak. Garnish with cilantro leaves, scallion greens, and chile de árbol. Serve with lime wedges and rice.
Adapted from a recipe by Claudette Zepeda for Food and Wine
