Grilled steak with onion sauce + onion relish

I slightly modified this Food & Wine recipe a few weekends ago to bring over to grill for dinner at our friends' home. Final consensus: You have to love onions (I do!), and the secret ingredient is the Asian fish sauce (don't worry, it's not distinctly identifiable, but it lends a nice depth of flavor to the steak marinade which you wouldn't get otherwise with just salt). It's delicious and ultimately worth the prep work, but not sure if I would have the patience to do it again for just The Fella and me...

Ingredients
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
2 dry bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Four 8-ounce rib eye steaks, about 3/4 inch thick
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound red onions, thinly sliced
2 pickled jalapeños, seeded
1 tablespoon dry red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup drained cocktail onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup oil-cured Moroccan olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup torn mint leaves

:: In a large, shallow dish, combine the cracked pepper with the bay leaves, fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the steaks to the dish and rub all over with the mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate for 4 hours.

:: Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook over moderate heat until the onions are just softened, 5 minutes. Add the wine and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar and season with salt and ground pepper. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the onions are very tender, 90 minutes.

:: Uncover the onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onions to a blender. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vinegar and puree until very smooth. Season with salt and ground pepper.

:: In a medium bowl, toss the cocktail onions, olives and mint leaves with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

:: Preheat a grill pan or light a grill. Grill the steaks over moderate heat, turning once or twice, until lightly charred, about 7 minutes for medium-rare meat. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the onion sauce and pickled onion relish.