Crab-Paste-Grilled Rib Eye

The summertime ceremony of cooking over fire will never lose its charm for me. Plus, there’s just no better way to cook a thick steak—it’s the only way to get the high heat you need without setting off the fire alarm. A perfectly marbled rib eye doesn’t need much to shine, but basting it with jarred crab paste adds a whole new level of flavor with almost no effort. Crab paste tastes like a cross between my two favorite Filipino condiments—bagoong, a fermented fish paste, and crab “fat,” a mixture of the crustacean’s guts and roe—and lends a pleasant intensity to an already-gorgeous cut. —Silver Cousler, Neng’s Jr., Asheville, NC

This recipe is part of Short Is Sweet, our collection of summer dishes that deliver a whole lot of deliciousness in 30 minutes or less.