There are many types of steaks and each of them requires choosing the right side dish. Whether it’s fish or meat, their taste must be correctly emphasized, not killed or drowned out altogether. Below you will find information on which side dish for the steak is best to choose depending on the type of meat.
What is a side dish for?
It is not for nothing that in the translation from French the word garnish is translated as “decoration”. A lone piece of meat or fish lying on a plate would not look as appetizing as it looks in the company of rosy potatoes or baked vegetables. But besides this, the garnish has other goals. Some of them are capable, as sorbents, to take on a certain amount of fat. These include brown rice, zucchini or cauliflower. And others can improve the digestibility of the whole dish as a whole. And first of all, these are vegetable side dishes. Do not forget that adding some piquancy to the dish is equally important. And the garnish also copes with this task.
Here is a huge number of functions, performs a modest addition to steaks. But, how to choose the right side dish for them? We will talk about this later.
Beef
Choosing a side dish for beef steak is a very responsible and difficult task. The meat itself is quite expensive, and its taste does not tolerate combinations with aggressive additives and even aromas. Everything should be very delicate. The simplest and most obvious is a side dish of potatoes. It can be mashed potatoes or fried potatoes, to which you can add a touch of mushroom.
But asparagus, spinach or Brussels sprouts are perfect for vegetables. They can be both boiled and stewed with cream in a pan. What categorically should not be served with beef steak is pineapples or spicy stewed cabbage. Such side dishes will reduce all the pleasure of eating meat to zero.
Pork
Like chicken, pork is a light meat with a fairly neutral taste. That is why it can be complemented by brighter and more unusual tastes. So, those pineapples that were banned for beef meat will be an excellent side dish for pork steak.
In the Czech Republic, where pork is very fond of, it is served with stewed sauerkraut. It is easy to imagine what a rich taste this side dish has. Almost universal potatoes also perfectly emphasize juicy pork steak. You can add sharp or salty spices to mashed potatoes without fear. It can be wasabi, pesto sauce, green onions or even noble blue cheese. As for other popular vegetable side dishes, you need to be more careful with it. Asparagus or spinach do not have a powerful flavor. Therefore, in one plate with pork, they will create a rather pale and slurred composition, which we would not like at all.
Mutton
Do not ignore meat such as lamb. Oddly enough, it’s quite dietary. Compared with pork, it has almost 3 times less fat. But the taste of lamb is much more intense.
As many people know, the big lovers of lamb are the inhabitants of the Caucasus. So it’s worth learning from them how to choose a side dish. Greens and vegetables will do just fine, but do not forget to add onions and garlic to them. The same goes for fried potatoes or even pilaf. If you decide to add lamb to pilaf, then you should definitely put barberry and sweet carrots there, which perfectly emphasize the taste of meat.
But to the lamb steak, you can serve sauté from various vegetables fried with garlic. But in no case do not use anything with a creamy taste as a side dish. After such an experiment, you will no longer want to try lamb.
Fish
Fish steaks are no less popular than their meat opponents. They can be prepared from various varieties, such as flounder, tuna and, of course, salmon. It is the perfect side dish for the salmon steak that we will try to find now.
Salmon is one of the few products that can be served with cold side dishes. And it can be both vegetables and fruits. For example, a few slices of a green apple or a couple of slices of tomato and bell pepper will look great. As for the warm side dishes, here first of all it is worth recalling the vegetables in a creamy sauce. Red fish goes very well with creamy notes. If you do not like such sauces, then you can stew vegetables with mushrooms or make stew out of them, adding any favorite spices.
Groats, perfectly suited to salmon, of course, first of all, - rice. But using pasta is strongly discouraged. Such a heavy side dish can completely block the taste of fish. And other cereals are a pretty controversial option as a side dish.
Fancy options
There are also side dishes that are quite rare, but they are deprived of attention completely undeservedly. Without going into details, we offer just a list of them:
- wheat germ with sesame oil;
- soybeans;
- quinoa with vegetables;
- bulgur with butter;
- stewed couscous;
- chickpeas with Adyghe cheese;
- cauliflower puree;
- glazed baby vegetables (carrots, corn).
Many of these recipes are truly restaurant, but there is no difficulty in their preparation. The thing is that finding the right, quality ingredients is not always easy. But if you still succeeded, then you should definitely try to cook something from the list we collected.
Seitan meat
And yet, do not forget about such a large population of our planet as vegetarians. There is a way to please them with steak, even if it will have certain taste differences from ordinary, meat. There is such a thing as seitan meat. It is it that can replace the usual dish of pork or beef for us. We are ready to share his recipe with you. It is necessary to mix 3 cups of flour with one cup of vegetable broth and thoroughly mix the resulting mass by hand or using a food processor. Ready lump put in a pan with water and mash a little. The water will become cloudy, it must be changed. Repeat these steps until it becomes transparent. The initial size of the test will be significantly reduced. Next, in boiling water, you need to add all your favorite spices. In the future, the taste of Seitan meat will depend on a set of spices. Cook the resulting mass for about 25-30 minutes.
From ready-made meat of seitan you can cook all the same dishes as from ordinary. For example, burgers, pilaf or even steaks. Mushrooms or fresh, crispy vegetables can become a side dish to such a steak.
Finally
Now you know all the best side dishes for steaks and you can create real culinary masterpieces at home, no matter what kind of meat your relatives or friends prefer. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment and cook only from fresh and high-quality products.