This recipe is exceptionally weeknight-friendly—it goes from start to finish in less than an hour—and fully adaptable depending on the tastes of your family. At its core, this is a pairing of a quick-cooking protein and a crunchy salad, with a dressing built on pantry items. You can use skirt steak, flank steak, thin-cut pork chops, skinless, boneless chicken thighs, or a fish fillet, such as skin-on salmon, red snapper, or striped bass. In place of iceberg, you can substitute savoy cabbage, romaine hearts, or sliced cucumbers—so just use what you happen to have or whatever is in season. One key: Don’t shake the can of coconut milk before opening it—you’ll use the layer of cream on top as the fat for the sweet-and-spicy dressing, which is mellowed by the cooling iceberg lettuce, rich avocado, and marbled cut of steak. Transfer the unused coconut milk to a clean jar and refrigerate it for making soup or a curry (it will hold for several days).
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