Steaks are usually associated with rich, meaty flavors, but few things upgrade a slice of beef like the bright flavors of a Greek marinade. Greece and steak don’t immediately pair in a lot of cooks’ minds, usually lamb or chicken, but if you’ve ever tasted any beef dish vaguely labeled “Mediterranean,” you were probably tasting Greece. It’s such a wide-ranging term, and you could be talking about places as far apart as Israel and Spain, but the simple, rustic flavors of great Greek cooking have become the shorthand for the brightness we associate with Mediterranean cooking, and those flavors are perfect for balancing a savory steak. And you don’t even need to get complex with a steak marinade either; all you need is some lemon and thyme.
They might be flavors more associated with chicken, but lemon and thyme provide a one-two punch of acid and herbal earthiness that is both fresh and complex, which any meat can benefit from. Even more so than lean chicken, steak often has a richness that benefits from complementary flavors like citrus, and a lemon and thyme marinade will add some nice piquant and peppery notes that will make for a truly special meal. Better yet, the fresh flavors of Greece are perfect for another thing that pairs well with steak: A grill. If you’ve had some beef shish kabobs fresh from a live-fire grill at a Greek restaurant, you’ve likely tasted the magic of lemon and herbs with beef.
Lemon and thyme brings freshness and complexity to meaty steak
It’s not just flavor either, as marinades are also for tenderizing meat, and lemon juice can be a big help in that area. Acids, like lemon juice or vinegar, change the structure of meat proteins as they marinate. This prevents them from contracting more when they cook, which normally squeezes out water, leading to a more juicy steak. Lemon juice also acts as a catalyst to bring out other flavors in your meal. Your steak won’t just taste more lemony; you’ll also taste more of everything involved in the recipes. Thyme, on the other hand, is there for the complexity it brings. It can be herbal, minty, spicy, and even have citrus notes, all of which steak lacks. Together with lemon, it’s a total flavor package that can stand alone as a marinade with a little olive oil and salt, or enhance existing recipes.
And you don’t need to look much farther than Greece to see how to use steak marinated with lemon and thyme. Kabobs are obvious, but how about slicing up some of this steak over a Greek salad? A grilled steak with this marinade is also wonderful with a side of tzatziki, especially when it’s folded up inside some fresh pita bread. Or just keep it simple and eat it with your favorite steak sides. A great grilled steak, really, is its own reward.
