Peruvian Lomo Saltado
If you haven't had Lomo Saltado before, you're in for a real treat. As strange as it sounds, it's a Peruvian steak and French fry stir fry and it's absolutely delicious. It's a simple to make and healthy dinner recipe that can easily be adapted to make it gluten-free + paleo + Whole30 compliant.
The first time I heard of lomo saltado was from Jorge. He described it as a steak and French fry stir fry that is served with rice – which is exactly what it is. I know that fries and stir fry sound like the weirdest combo ever. He had to make it for me before I believed him that it's actually brilliant.
Can you trust me on this one? You definitely want to make it. Here's what's going on:
1. We've got steak that has been thinly sliced, well seasoned with salt and pepper, then seared over high heat until browned.
2. Next, we quickly stir fry some onions and tomatoes until both begin to soften.
3. Then we pour a soy and vinegar-based sauce into the pan and let it thicken slightly.
4. Mix in some crispy fries and spoon that goodness over rice.
5. Drizzle (or drown) that in a slightly spicy and creamy green sauce and dig in!
I've made a couple of minor adjustments that I know Jorge would deem totally not Peruvian. But hey, that's what I do. I switch things up! But honestly, the changes are really minor and I still feel totally ok calling this lomo saltado. I mean really, there're steak and fries that are stir-fried together. Totally lomo saltado.
Are you ready to hear what the changes are? Here we go:
1. I added lime juice to the stir fry sauce AND served it with limes on top. Whoa, craziness!
2. I added a little corn starch to the sauce. I found it's a little watery without and the corn starch helps thicken it just enough so that it sticks to the steak and veggies. This isn't an Asian-style thick cornstarch-y sauce. Like I said, it's just a little. Or just right in my books.
Typically, I'm told you would serve this with aji amarillo, but those peppers aren't available anywhere in Vancouver. So I did another sacrilegious thing and made up my own. I'm talking about a creamy, slightly tangy, a little spicy, cilantro-based green sauce that is. just. so. freaking. good.
How to get your lomo saltado on paleo + Whole30 style:
You have to know, if you ask a Peruvian, they'll almost die if you suggest eating this with anything other than white rice. To quote a text message from Jorge, “We would never EVER eat it with brown rice.” I can't even imagine if I had suggested cauliflower rice. Ha!
But … if white rice isn't your jam, use what is. I eat cauliflower rice as a replacement all the time. If you like it with other recipes, you'll like it with this one, too.
Other than the big rice replacement, there are a few other minor ones that you may or may not want to switch up. Mainly, the soy sauce can be replaced with coco aminos. So easy!
If you're comfortable with eating potatoes and yogurt (some paleo peeps are and some are not) then you are good to go. If you're not, simply use a different root vegetable to make your fries. Again, so easy!
If you're on the Whole30, make sure to use an approved mayo and leave the yogurt out of the sauce. You may want to add a splash of vinegar to give it that little tang.
See how easy that was to make lomo saltado both paleo and Whole30 compliant?
Peruvian Lomo Saltado
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Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- 4 tablespoons oil, divided
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice, cauliflower rice for paleo + Whole30
- 1 lb steak, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon each: salt and pepper
- 2 red onions, thickly sliced
- 8 Roma tomatoes, quartered
- Cilantro and limes, to garnish
The Stir Fry Sauce
- ½ cup beef stock, or bouillon
- 3 tablespoons each: red wine vinegar and soy sauce, use coco aminos for paleo + Whole30
- 1 ½ teaspoons corn starch, or tapioca starch for paleo + Whole30
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Juice from 1 lime
The Green Sauce
- 1 cup cilantro
- ¼ cup thick plain yogurt, either omit or use coconut milk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Set your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice the potatoes into fries then divide them between the baking sheets, making sure that they are in a single layer and none are touching. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil over the fries and put them in your oven. After 25 minutes, turn the oven up to 425 degrees. Leave the fries in the oven for another 20 minutes, turning once, or until they are golden and crispy.3 medium russet potatoes
- While the fries are cooking make the rest of the meal. Begin by cooking the rice according to package directions (See notes). To make the stir fry sauce, stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl. To make the green sauce, place the ingredients into your blender and blend on high until smooth. Season the steak with salt and pepper.1 ½ cups basmati rice, ½ cup beef stock, 3 tablespoons each: red wine vinegar and soy sauce, 1 ½ teaspoons corn starch, 2 cloves garlic, Juice from 1 lime, 1 cup cilantro, ¼ cup thick plain yogurt, ¼ cup mayonnaise, Juice from 1 lime, 1 clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon each: salt and pepper
- When the rice is cooked and the fries have only 10 minutes left to cook, heat your largest element on high. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and enough steak to cover the bottom of the pan. Work in batches if needed. Turn the steak after 2 minutes, or when it is brown. Add more oil to the pan as needed for the remaining batches.1 lb steak
- Remove the steak from the pan and put in the onions. Cook for 1 minute then add the tomatoes and the seared steak. Stir fry for 2 minutes, or until the onions and tomatoes just begin to soften. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan, bring it to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat once the sauce begins to thicken.2 red onions, 8 Roma tomatoes
- Serve the lomo saltado on a bed of rice with the stir fried steak and fries on the top. Drizzle with the green sauce and garnish with chopped cilantro and extra limes.Cilantro and limes
What type of beef do you use for this recipe?
I’ve made this recipe with many different cuts. As long as you use a grilling cut then the recipe works well. Hanger steak is one of my favorites. 🙂
Not Lomo Saltado. It should be called something else,.
It’s actually pretty similar to many of lomo saltados I tried while in Peru. 🙂
I had never heard of this dish before but I’m always game for more fries. It was so good! Will be making it again.
More fries is always better!!