Looking for a
vegetarian centerpiece for your summer grill-out? Make these teriyaki cauliflower steaks. Slathered in a brown sugar and soy glaze and showered with scallions and toasted sesame seeds, these saucy cauliflower steaks might just upstage the ribs. Here are some tips on how to make them:
The “steaks”:
Cauliflower steaks can be tricky to fabricate, since only the cross-sections connected to the center cauliflower stem will hold together as cohesive “steaks” once sliced. For best results, use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the cauliflower, and slice the steaks as evenly as possible; this will help them to cook through evenly on the grill. The outer pieces of cauliflower (those not connected through the center stem) will fall apart as you slice, but don’t throw them away. Grill them separately on a wire rack (so the smaller pieces don’t fall through the grill grates) and toss them in the leftover teriyaki glaze or—better yet—save them to make stir-fried cauliflower rice.
The marinade:
In a typical teriyaki, the meat is marinated in the sauce to tenderize and flavor it, then basted with more sauce while grilling. Here, the process is slightly different. Briefly “marinating” the cauliflower in soy, rice vinegar, and aromatics lightly seasons the exterior of the steaks (particularly the florets) as well as giving the steaks a gorgeous bronzed color as they grill. And while the marinade here is also cooked down until it thickens into a glaze, I don’t recommend basting the steaks with the glaze while they’re on the grill. The sugars in the glaze quickly burn, charring your cauliflower (and not in a good way!) and wreaking havoc on your grill. Instead, wait until the steaks are cooked through and beautifully marked, then slather them with the sauce once they’re off the heat.
Storage:
These cauliflower steaks are best fresh, but any leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Any raw leftover cauliflower scraps can also be stored in a dry airtight container for up to 5 days before roasting. If you have leftover sauce? Toss it with the leftover cauliflower scraps, once you’ve cooked them, or toss it over roasted Brussels sprouts or cabbage wedges. No sauce this good should ever see the trash.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!