Ditch Butter: Add This Vibrant Topping To Your Next Steak Instead

Are you preparing to cook a steak for your household and wondering what to use as a garnish? Compound butter or a rich, flavor-packed sauce, like one made with red wine or blue cheese, might come to mind first. However, we have a fresher, brighter suggestion for you: spicy fruit salsa. If you're raising an eyebrow, fruit salsa is actually one of the more unusual steak toppings that actually work, as fruit and meat have been together on the plate more often than you think. Consider American-style pork chops with apples, European-centric roast chicken with dates, and even Southeast Asian sweet and sour fried fish loaded with chunky pineapple sauce.

If we've convinced you to give it a try on your next steak dinner, an easy way to start experimenting with this flavor combination is by swapping the tomatoes in pico de gallo for other ingredients, like peach or watermelon. Fresh mango salsa is another delicious and easily accessible option, both in terms of trying to make at home, or for trying to get a picky eater to attempt new flavor combinations.

Worried about making salsa at home? Take it from cookbook author and internet food personality Rick Martinez, who said in an interview with KCRW that "There are no rules in salsa making." Martinez literally authored a book on the subject called "Salsa Daddy," where he encourages home cooks to try various combinations of fruits and vegetables, chilies, alliums, herbs, and cooking methods to create punchy salsas. If you want to take this experiment a little further, try a different cut besides filet and ribeye, as ones like hangar and flank generally pack much more beefy flavor. These cuts would then contrast dramatically and deliciously with any of these amazing salsa recipes, especially those made with sweet-tart berries or rhubarb.

If you don't have extra prep time to whip up your own from scratch, store-bought salsas can also be easily upgraded. Whether you choose to pump up the heat with more chilies or spices, or brightening it up with fresh herbs, fruit is always a delicious option. You can even char large pieces of fruit (like cut pineapple) on the grill alongside your steak before chopping and mixing them into the salsa for a deeper, sweeter taste.