Pan-Seared Steak Pizzaiola

Pan-seared steak pizzaiola is the Neapolitan trick for turning a good rib-eye into a bistro plate with almost no effort. The sauce comes together in a small saucepan while the steak sears, so by the time the rib-eye hits medium-rare, a garlicky, herb-heavy tomato sauce is already simmering alongside it.

What makes this one worth bookmarking is the aromatic stack. Dried oregano in the sauce AND crushed between your fingers onto the steaks before searing gives double oregano lift. Crushed fennel seed and a pinch of red pepper flakes round out the sauce so it tastes layered instead of flat, and finishing by deglazing the steak pan with the sauce pulls all the browned fond right into the spoon-over.

Pro Tips

• Pat the rib-eyes bone-dry before seasoning. Surface moisture steams the meat and you will not get the dark crust the sauce clings to.
• Use a heavy skillet, cast iron or carbon steel, preheated until shimmering. Thin pans cannot hold the heat when cold steak hits them.
• Rest the steaks for a few minutes off-heat before slicing against the grain. Slicing too early dumps the juices onto the cutting board.
• Let the sauce hit the hot empty skillet and scrape up every browned bit. That fond is free flavor that sets this apart from plain marinara-on-meat.

Variations

• Use skirt or flank steak instead of rib-eye for a leaner, more rustic Italian-American take.
• Stir in sliced bell peppers and onions with the tomatoes for a classic steak-and-peppers pizzaiola.
• Finish with torn fresh basil and a shower of parmesan for extra richness.