If you like your steak a little more cooked, simply leave it in the skillet a few minutes longer on each side. For the marinade, I like to "crack" my spices so the flavor permeates the meat more quickly. My favorite way to do this? Put the spices on a flat surface (cutting board) and use a small saute pan to crush the spices so they "crack" in half. Run over the spices a few times to make sure they are broken.