The Art of the Reverse Marinade

Atlanta chef Philippa Kingsley's recipe for Thai Beef Salad in the AJC caught my eye last week. I'm always looking for filling and flavorful salad recipes, but this recipe intrigued me mostly because of the marinade. You cook the meat first, marinate second. I just had to try it!

Before you begin, take note of Philippa's keys to success: #1 the long marinade time and #2 the cut of your meat. Philippa suggests 24 hours in the marinade, and since I had the awesome idea to prep this Sunday and eat it Monday, this is what I did, and I'm totally with her. As for the cut, she suggests top-notch beef tenderloin (filet mignon), but that was too rich for my wallet, so I used London Broil. I wish I'd spent a few extra dollars and gotten a bit of a nicer cut, as I think the marinade would've made filet absolutely melt in your mouth. The London Broil was still good - but let's face it. It's just no filet mignon.

Serves: 4

1 pound beef tenderloin
Salt
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (I used bottled, no way was I juicing all those lemons)
1 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (found in the ethnic isle of my Publix)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped or torn by hand
1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped or torn by hand (I omitted b/c Publix was out)
2 small to medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
½ European cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 head red leaf or green leaf lettuce, washed, separated into individual leaves and dried
Additional mint and cilantro for garnish (optional)


Set broiler on high. Rub beef tenderloin with salt and place in a shallow roasting pan or broiler pan. Cook each side for 10-15 minutes — until medium (just pink at the interior). A meat thermometer inserted at thickest portion of the tenderloin should read 135-140 degrees; the meat will rise another 5-10 degrees when removed from oven. (Chef's Note: you may also grill the meat.) Set aside to rest for 15-20 minutes, and slice. (Betty's Note: using a digital thermometer in the meat while broiling will result in complete and utter destruction of your thermometer probe, just so you know).

In a large mixing bowl, add lemon juice, sweet Thai chili sauce, granulated sugar and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add the sliced beef, red onion, green onion, cilantro and mint. Cover and chill for at least four hours, or overnight. Or, 24 hours if you want to be like me.

One hour before serving, add cucumber and tomato to the beef mixture. Stir, cover and return to refrigerator. (I think skipping this step is no biggie).

In a large bowl or serving dish, make a circle of lettuce leaves. Spoon the beef mixture onto the lettuce and pour in the marinade. If desired, garnish with optional cilantro or mint sprigs.

The result: The flavor is really delicious, and this is healthy, too (nutritional info below). I consider the reverse-marinade a success, and think I might try the leftovers in noodle bowls tomorrow night for dinner. Yum!

Per serving: 310 calories (percent of calories from fat, 27), 32 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 117 milligrams sodium.