Best Steak Topping Ideas

A Great Way to Top off a Tasty Steak

Beef fillet with mixed pepper salsa

Philippe Desnerck / Photolibrary / Getty Images

A great way to add flavor to any steak is with a steak topper. This can be as simple as adding sauteed mushrooms, or as complex as you want to make it. While you might think that any steak can stand on its own, a good topping really makes a steak stand out. It is an easy way to add flavor or a method of fixing a steak that didn't turn out quite right.

Butter Toppings

Traditionally, steaks are served with toppings to add flavor and a fancier element to the meal. Mushrooms and onions sauteed in butter and garlic are a great topping, but there are so many options out there it's impossible to name them all. One of the basic ingredients that work surprisingly well on a steak is butter. Butter adds a moist, creamy glaze to steaks without overpowering the flavor of the meat. Adding seasonings to the butter enhances its contribution to the steak and the key is to use this topping sparingly.

A basic steak topper could be made out of softened butter, mixed with green onions and crushed garlic. Use softened butter rather than melted since the topper must have a form so it can be easily spooned onto the surface of the cooked steak. Once applied, the butter will melt and sink into the meat, creating another layer of flavor. For a flavorful surf and turf option, this crab Oscar steak topping mixes butter, crab meat, sour cream and mayonnaise for a delectable option for special occasions.

Fruit and Salsa Toppings

You don't have to rely on butter for your topper. Salsas work great. Don't use a typical store-bought tomato salsa. A good salsa for steak should be chunky, fresh, and relatively dry. It should not be pourable but should be scoopable with a spoon. With any steak topper, you want to spoon it over the steak, not pour it on. It isn't a sauce. To put together a salsa for your steak, start by picking a base. You can always go with tomatoes, or simply pick any variety of fruit from apples to mango. Fruit adds a sweet flavor that really stands out on a steak. To your base add an herb like ​some cilantro, ​Italian parsley, basil or something else. This gives a nice green color and loads of flavor. To this combination, add garlic, onion, herbs, and spices. If you want to throw in some ​lime juice or similar liquid, do so sparingly.

Cheese Toppings

A great topper is a cheese. The perfect cheese for steak is blue cheese, but you might prefer something else. Cheese for a steak topping should crumble, so stick with something like gorgonzola, blue cheese, feta, or something along these lines. Mix in some garlic, onion, and something soft, like cream cheese or goat cheese to hold it all together. You could also follow this recipe for an easy blue cheese steak sauce.

Steak toppers add an extra layer of delectability to a delicious cut of beef. Give it a try and remember, there are so many options and opportunities for creativity that you can make a combination uniquely your own.