Venison Steak, Avocado, & Radish Salad

A recipe featured in the Outdoor News Taste of the Wild

Photos and recipe By Jeff Benda

This steak, avocado, and radish salad makes a healthy, balanced and delicious lunch or dinner. It’s ideal for home cooks who like fast and easy weekday meals. The ingredients in this salad work amazing together to create a refreshing burst of flavor in every bite! 

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces venison steak
• Flaky sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 ripe Hass avocado – peeled, pitted and cubed or sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions:

1. Pat venison steak dry with paper towels. Line a plate with paper towels, place steak on top and set aside to dry further and come to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Turn once after 10 minutes and replace paper towels as needed.
2. Place a heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, on the stove and sprinkle lightly but evenly with about 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt. Turn heat to medium-high. When pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Pat steak dry again and place in the pan.
3. Let steak sizzle for 1 minute, then use tongs to flip it over. Keep cooking over medium-high heat, flipping steak every 30 seconds until it develops a dark-brown crust, about 3 minutes total. Using an instant-read thermometer, insert into side of steak. Remove from heat once it reaches 120 to 125 degrees. Steak will continue cooking after being removed from heat.
4. Let steak rest on a cutting board and tent lightly with foil and let rest while you assemble the salad.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the radishes with the red onion, jalapeno, lime juice and the other 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt.
6. Arrange the radish mixture on the plate, then top with the avocado and cilantro. 
7. Thinly slice the venison steak, making sure to slice across the grain of the meat.
8. Top the salad mixture with the sliced steak and drizzle the entire dish with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.

About the contributor:
Jeff Benda is based in North Dakota, where he is an avid outdoorsman and family man. He spent 25 years in the restaurant industry and ran a successful catering business. He now focuses his time home cooking as a creative outlet to transform wild game and bring it into traditional recipes from around the world to help expand people’s perceptions. His goal is to celebrate local fish and wild game and provide achievable, bright recipes designed to build confidence for new cooks, and inspire everyone to elevate their cooking. Jeff is a field staff writer for Harvesting Nature. Follow him on Instagram: @wildgameandfish and online at www.wildgameandfish.com