Sesame-Crusted Steak Is The Perfect Addition To Your Next Stir-Fry

Pork belly, beef, canned tuna, walnuts, and prime rib are among the plethora of protein options you can toss in your wok when making a stir-fry. While this is often an anything-goes kind of dish, some meat and fish options just make more sense than others. If you've never tried sesame-crusted steak on top of your stir-fry, you'll absolutely want to give it a shot.

We're not talking about sesame beef here, where the meat is marinated with the oil and seeds. In this case, we're referring to whole thick, juicy steaks, coated completely in sesame seeds and cooked exactly to your desired level of doneness. The arguably more popular sesame-crusted tuna steak follows the same concept. You'll get added texture as the crunch from the seeds contrasts the buttery goodness of the meat, and the condensed coating will give your beef all that nutty, slightly sweet taste. Even though this protein is rich and savory all on its own, the sesame component perfectly complements the other ingredients in a stir-fry — which is why you'll often see the oil used in recipes like a spicy beef stir fry.

Although flank steak is typically ideal in a stir-fry due to its ability to cook quickly at high heat, making your protein separately leaves you with a lot more options. Choose from steaks like sirloin, beef tenderloin, and scotch fillet, then go about preparing it more like an entree than a stir-fry ingredient. But first, you may want to roast your sesame seeds in a pan to give them a deeper smell and flavor. You can also marinate your meat ahead of time, if you prefer, which will give the crust an extra opportunity to adhere. Ingredients like soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, garlic, and ginger work beautifully here, although you can also throw in some miso mix for another flavor boost.

Whether or not you use a marinade, the key here is to press all sides of your steak into the sesame seeds before you cook. Feel free to choose either white seeds, which have that classic lightly nutty flavor, or black ones, which are crunchier and more bitter. Then, place your steaks in an oil-coated pan, using a meat thermometer to achieve your desired doneness. Once your stir-fry has been cooked separately, layer your sliced beef on top and dig in.