Bistec Encebollado Salvadoreño -- savory steak and onions bursting with deep, bold flavor. Easy to prepare with just a few basic ingredients, it's always a hit!
I met the lovely Alicia Maher, author of Delicious El Salvador and Sabores Deliciosos, at a cookbook signing at Melissa's Produce.
Alicia demonstrated how to make one of her favorite recipes in Delicious El Salvador, Bistec Encebollado (p. 112), an amazing Salvadoran meat recipe that she cooks regularly. During the demo, I decided that’s what I’d be making for dinner that night -- and I've been making it ever since.
It was the onions that really lured me in. My mom would have loved this dish, and wouldn’t have even had to say “double the onions, please.” 🙂
Big flavor with minimal work -- that's what this steak and onions recipe is, which makes it great for busier nights, and impressive for a weekend dinner party.
About the Ingredients
Part of the simplicity of the recipe is that it only has essentially four ingredients.
- mustard - I use Dijon, though Alicia's recipe calls for 'yellow.' Both work well!
- onions - I like a thick slice for this recipe!
- Worcestershire sauce - Worcestershire is available in almost any market. Substitution: Worcestershire can be substituted with soy sauce or tamari.
- top sirloin steak - The less fat, the less you'll have to trim. You can use any very tender cut on meat, if not sirloin.
How to Make Bistec Encebollado Salvadoreño
- Trim any excess fat from the steaks and pound it until it’s very thin. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, rub with the mustard, place in a shallow dish, and add the sliced onions on top. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over a high flame, and when it’s very hot, add the steaks to the skillet. Cook on each side for about 1 minute, turning once, until golden brown. Remove the meat from the skillet and set aside in a serving dish.
- Reduce the flame to medium, and in the same skillet, cook the onions until golden. Reducing the flame to low, add Worcestershire sauce and cook the onions for about another 20 seconds. Spoon this directly over the steaks.
(More detailed instructions are below.)
More About Alicia Maher
Alicia was born and raised in El Salvador. It's her mission to “preserve, rescue and document authentic Salvadoran recipes for her children, future generations, and food lovers everywhere.”
Alicia was also a contributor to The Immigrant Cookbook, representing the millions of Salvadoran immigrants living in the US.
I’ve always loved Salvadoran food, so I was super excited about this event. I asked Alicia if she has Salvadoran restaurants she would recommend. Without skipping a beat, she said, “in my kitchen, at home.” And fittingly, Delicious El Salvador is a guide to authentic Salvadoran home cooking.
There are 75 recipes in Delicious El Salvador and there are gorgeous photographs of each one, most of which were taken on location, in San Salvador.
More Must-Try Steak Recipes
I hope you try this Bistec Encebollado recipe, and love it as much and my family and I did!
Bistec Encebollado Salvadoreño (Steak and Onions Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds top sirloin steak (or any other tender cut you prefer), sliced into 6 equal portions
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 cup onion, thickly sliced rings, about ½-inch-thick
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Optional Accompaniments
- 2 to 3 large tomatoes, cut into about 12 slices, about ¼-inch-thick
- 2 handfuls butter lettuce or sprigs of watercress (or greens of your choice)
Instructions
- Prep steak and marinate. Trim any excess fat from the edges and pound the steaks with a meat mallet, to about ¼ inch thick. Season with the salt and pepper, rub with the mustard, place in a shallow dish, and add the sliced onions on top. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
- Sauté steak. In a large skillet, heat the oil over a high flame until it's almost smoking. Add the steaks to the skillet. Cook on each side for about 1 minute, turning once, until golden brown. Remove the meat from the skillet and set aside in a serving dish.
- Sauteé onions. Reduce the flame to medium high, and in the same skillet with the oil remaining from cooking the steaks, fry the onions until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Reducing the flame to low, add the Worcestershire sauce and cook the onions for about another 20 seconds. Remove skillet from the stove.
- Assemble and serve. Top the steaks immediately with the onions and pan juices, then garnish before serving with the sliced tomatoes and greens of your choice.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Chris Collins
Steak and onions is my fav combo! The is fabulous, and I might have to get myself a copy of the book:)
valentina
Thanks, Chris! It's truly a great book. For both inspiration and for following. 🙂
Cathy
I just made this for my mom and she loved it. Such a wonderful combination of flavors.
valentina
Totally agree! Weren't the onions amazing!?
David
I love simple and authentic meals like this, Valentina! Your presentation is gorgeous, and it’s great to know about Alicia and her book. El Salvadoran cuisine is new to me!
valentina
Thank you! Authentic and simple really is the best. It's a really lovely book. 🙂
David
As usual, I never reported back that we made this and loved it! I used my homemade Worcestershire sauce and it was just fantastic. Thanks for reminding me about it, as I think we need to make it again!
valentina
That's awesome, David! So happy you like this one. I've made it many times, and was so happy that Alicia taught us about this dish. 🙂 ~Valentina
Ron
A delicious dish. Alicia's cookbook looks fantastic and it's now on my official US Christmas list. Thanks for introducing me to Alicia's Delicious El Salvador cookbook.
valentina
Thank you, Ron! Hope Santa brings you the book. 😉
John / Kitchen Riffs
Steak and onions? Yes, please -- love that combo. Your version looks great! Sounds like a fun cookbook, too. Thanks!
valentina
Thank you, John! Yes, I'm loving the book.
Chef Mimi
This looks fabulous! Thanks for telling us about this author. I can imagine I would love El Salvadoran food. And my husband would love those meaty onion slices.
valentina
Thanks, Mimi. The onions are the best part!! The "icing on the cake," if you will. 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha
I know nought about El Salvadorean cooking but the recipe is full of flavour and the book actually available at my favourite Australian on line store - shall certainly take a look ! Now what a small world we live in - you know I was born in Estonia in the Baltics - almost verbatum this is one of the favourite meals made exactly the same and served about weekly in most homes - called 'sibulaklops' or beef collops ! So I know it is good 🙂 !!!
valentina
Hi Eha. That's so interesting that this is a common dish in Estonia! I wouldn't have guessed that. Love it. Thank you for sharing. 🙂 ~Valentina
Marissa
This is a cookbook I need to add to my shelf! We love pupusas and curtido, but that's about the extent of my knowledge of Salvadoran recipes. This steak is indeed absolutely bursting with flavor, and makes me realize that I need to try more!
valentina
Hi Marissa, It's a great book and the recipes are fun. We have a favorite local (ish) Salvadoran restaurant and the pupusas are soooo good! Enjoy and thanks. 🙂 ~Valentina
Evening With A Sandwich-Velva
Valentina, this beautiful steak and onions brings back fond food memories growing up in South Florida. I would be all over this bistec dish. This was a dish I enjoyed often. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
Velva
Valentina
Thank you so much. I always love food memories, and this must be a tasty one. 🙂 ~Valentihna
CC
Holy cow (pun intended) this is SOOOO good! The onions are a fabulous addition, thanks for sharing this great recipe, Valentina!
Valentina
Thank you! And yes, the onions are the best! 🙂 ~Valentina