Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Flank Steak

Exquisite flank steak flavour pairings and recipes, revealed through data science.

Flank steak is marked by the flavour of glutamate and iron, but beneath its umami surface lies a nuanced symphony of subtle flavour notes: protease, char, and even hints of beef that give it remarkable depth. The magic of the kitchen unfolds when we pair flank steak with ingredients that let these nuances sing.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our analysis reveals, for example, how oregano's thymic tones awaken flank steak, and how bay leaf's laurelled notes create a surprising synergy with its savoury richness.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. maillard, carnal, and acidic) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

Flavour Pairing Method

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Glutamic Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of glutamate is strongly associated with the flavour of bay leaf. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a bay leaf flavour when pairing with the glutamic aroma accents of flank steak.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing flank steak with bay leaf.

Harmonious Flavours Of Flank Steak

Just as our analysis found that glutamate and bay leaf flavour accents are often used together, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the notes present in flank steak. For instance, the ironny notes of flank steak are strongly associated with violic and tomatoey flavours.

The aroma notes complementary to the various accents of flank steak can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of oregano offers many of the aromas complementary to flank steak, including thyme and rosemary accents. Because the flavour profile of oregano has many of the of the features that are complementary to flank steak, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of oregano across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with flank steak.

Recipes That Pair Flank Steak With Oregano

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of flank steak, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of flank steak, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aroma notes complementary to flank steak.

What To Drink With Flank Steak

The violet notes in côtes du rhône make it a perfect pairing with flank steak. Likewise, the bay leaf flavours in languedoc-roussillon create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of flank steak below.

Which Vegetables Go With Flank Steak?

Choose vegetables that lift its metallicity or anchor its fermented aroma. Bell pepper and sweet pepper offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Red pepper add a gentle, oniony brightness, while tomato introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace vegetables that harmonise with flank steak's savoriness. The addition of grape leaf, with its subtle thymic notes, can complement the glutamate beautifully, while broccoli lends a fresh leafiness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Flank steak), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.