EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Other destinations / Europe / Montenegro
Keto Beef steak salad with nuts and tomatoes
This salad is a great option for anyone who is looking for a light meal but at the same time looking for a meal that would be rich in proteins and fats. That is also ideal for you if you are on a keto diet!
Although that is not a traditional Montenegrin dish, it is worth trying it. Of course, meat and meat products are dominating country’s cuisine, however neither beef steaks nor roast beef dishes are so popular. Especially not if they had to be served on vegetables or as a main course salad.
Meat in Montenegro
Meat is usually well fried, prepared in stews, minced, or processed and served as sausages. Steaks are rare. Surely, they are in menus, however they are on the list behind cutlets, skewers, minced meat (like this in Montenegrin Ćevapi or Hungarian andCroatian Ćevapčići) variations and offal. If they appear, they are expensive and served in a western style. Usually with fries, baked or roasted potatoes and with a small amount of salad.
Salads in Montenegro
Also, Montenegrin salads are different form what you might know from Italy, Spain, Greece, or other Mediterranean countries. Here, salads are more dense, very often served with cheese, potatoes or cream. Light versions are rare and mainly found in Italian restaurants.
The most popular western style salads are these that are the most basic and the most famous. Greek, Caesar or Caprese salads are dominating menus. That is why when we found this beef steak refreshing salad, we decided to have.
Roast beef salad in Kotor, Montenegro
It was prepared and served quickly, however all ingredients were fresh and freshly prepared. Definitively nothing was added that had already been waiting for a long time. Everything looked well, smelled greatly, and looked freshly. And so it was.
The meat was delicate, tender, and juicy. It was medium raw with a slightly reddish inner part and with a nicely grilled outer side. Fringes were crispy and had a delicate grilling flavor. Natural meat juices were distinguishable, and although the meat was medium raw, it was not too chewy. It was only slightly seasoned with some salt and pepper. This way of preparing allowed to admire all natural aromas of the meat without any additional herbal notes. Adding more spices would only kill the original flavor.
It was served in a nice oval bowl. The serving was neither too big nor too small. Although the salad had to come with cherry tomatoes and nuts, they were not visible from the first glance.
Green rocket and iceberg lettuce were dominating the dish. On top of it was laid a relatively small beef steak that was cut into narrow stripes. All in all, this dish had a nice aroma of grilled meat, Montenegrin organic olive oil and rocket.
After a couple of bites, appeared halved cherry tomatoes and walnuts. Unfortunately, they were at the far bottom, and it was needed to mix them well with the salad. Also at the bottom was the whole dressing that was adding an extra great flavor of vinegar, oil and some light herbs. From my point of view, it was crucial to mix it all, so that all these notes could combine well and so that they could be distinguishable with every bite.
I also believe that this salad could be served in a nicer, more tempting way. The more colorful it is and the more ingredients you see, the more you like to eat it. It might make you hungrier than you really are, and the visual aspect would increase your will to try it.
Apart from that serving way, the salad was very good. It almost did not need to be additionally seasoned. It was good in the form it was served. I only added a little bit of pepper, however, if I did not have such an option, I would enjoy the meal too.
This beef steak salad was definitively worth trying and was a nice alternative to all other dishes we had already had in Montenegro.
