Easy Steak Tartare

This raw Beef dish is a famous, classic French dish that is a favorite appetizer in fancy restaurants all over the world. The dish consists of evenly diced pieces of Beef Tenderloin that is mixed into a sauce made of Onions, Worcestershire Sauce, Mustard, Tabasco, and Parsley. It is served raw with a single Egg Yolk placed on top. It’s a show topping dish that is always the center of attention at restaurants when it comes to your table. In this recipe we’ll show you how to make an Easy Steak Tartare at home using everyday ingredients. The dish is rich, indulgent, and most importantly of all – tastes amazing!

Steak Tartare is a great dish to utilize offcuts from a full cut of Beef Tenderloin

The most efficient way to buy the expensive cut of Beef Tenderloin is by buying the whole side. It’ll cost more in total, but the cost per kg / lb. is significantly less than what you’d need to pay for individual portions of Steak. Even half a side of Beef Filet will give you 2 significantly large steaks with more than enough Beef leftover to make our Easy Steak Tartare dish

All you’ll need to do is trim the steak of any silver skin and fat (even though there won’t be a lot of fat given the cut of Beef we’re using) and you’ll have more than enough leftover Steak for an ample serving of Beef Tartare that’ll easily feed 2 – 4 people. 2 people for a significant meal, and 4 people for a decent appetizer-size portion

Cut the Beef Tenderloin while frozen, it’s a lot easier!

This little trick makes cutting the Beef so much easier and allows you to achieve much more uniform sized pieces. All you need to do is cut it while it’s frozen. The Beef will maintain its shape when being cut. With no cooking involved in this dish, the preparation really takes center stage. So, getting even cuts of Beef is key to success

The frozen Beef will maintain its shape when cutting. I recommend allowing it to thaw for about 30 minutes – 1 hour (depending on how cold your freezer gets) before cutting. It’ll be like cutting straight into an ice block if you try cutting it immediately from frozen!

You don’t have to freeze the Beef, and you can still achieve a perfectly fine Steak Tartare. It will just be a little bit more difficult to cut the Steak. Beef Tenderloin / Beef Filet is very delicate when at room temperature, and it’ll get squashed when you try to cut it, even when using the sharpest knife!

Once cut, you can just leave the Beef at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes. It’ll thaw completely but still be a little bit cold, which is the perfect temperature for serving our Easy Steak Tartare dish. Once you’ve got the Beef you can begin to work on the dressing

How to make an Easy Steak Tartare dressing

Other than the beautiful pieces of raw Beef, the star of the show is the amazing dressing. It’s a rich and spicy dressing consisting of some very strong ingredients including Tabasco Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, and Wholegrain Mustard. Combined with a finely diced Shallot, some Olive Oil, Parsley, and Lemon Juice the flavors are immense

This is not a dish for the feint hearted, and once the Beef gets mixed thoroughly through the dressing it’s going to pack a big punch of flavor. This is why it’s very rare to see Steak Tartare served as a main course / entrée. While the quantity of food may not be a whole lot, the richness of the dish is so that an appetizer quantity will be more than enough to fill you up

The traditional dish calls for Vinegar, but I much prefer using Lemon Juice

This does come down to personal taste, but I find you just get a much smoother, balanced flavor if you replace Vinegar with Lemon Juice. Vinegar is such a classic ingredient used in French food that is somewhat ubiquitous as an ingredient. Replacing it with Lemon Juice is entirely optional and does come down to personal preference. Either way, you will need some form of acidity to break through the sheer richness of the dish. So, either Vinegar or Lemon Juice is fine to use

The final touches to your Easy Steak Tartare dish

It just wouldn’t be a classic Steak Tartare without the final touch of adding a raw Egg Yolk to the plated Beef. The Egg Yolk adds another level of luxury to the dish. It is broken up with a fork and mixed through when eaten, coating the Beef in that gooey Yolk. It’s a hallmark characteristic of Steak Tartare, but if you prefer not to include it that’s totally fine, and totally up to you

To separate the Egg Yolk from the Egg White, crack it open and pool the Yolk into one half of the broken shell in your hand. Carefully pour the Yolk into the other half of the broken shell, trying to only capture the Yolk, discarding the Egg White in the process

You can do this a few times, each transition will remove more and more of the Egg White. Just take your time and be careful to not break the Yolk. Once done, simply place the Yolk carefully on top of the plated Steak Tartare and it’s ready to enjoy

Easy Steak Tartare Recipe

Ingredients

• ¾ lb. Beef Tenderloin, frozen
• 1 Shallot or ½ a medium Onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• ¾ tbsp. Tabasco Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Wholegrain Mustard
• 1 tsp. Olive Oil
• ½ cup Parsley, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 2 Egg Yolks
• Salt
• Potato Chips (for serving)
  
  

Instructions

1. Ensure your Beef has been frozen before preparing, as it will make cutting it into uniform pieces a lot easier. Remove Beef from Freezer and allow it to slightly thaw for 15 minutes
2. Slice the Beef into even cubes about ¼ inch thick. Set aside and allow them to thaw out while you prepare the dressing
3. In a small bowl combine Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco, Mustard, and Olive Oil. Mix well then add the Parsley and Lemon Juice, along with a pinch of Salt. Taste for seasoning
4. Add the diced Beef once thawed and mix well to combine
5. Place a portion of Tartare on a plate and top with the Egg Yolk. Serve with Potato Chips
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can serve smaller portions for up to 4 people. If so, you will need 2 more Egg Yolks (totaling 4) for each plate of Steak Tartare
• You can scale back the quantity of Tabasco Sauce if you prefer a milder flavor
  
  

This delicious, Easy Steak Tartare dish is a great way to showcase some skills in the kitchen without having to put in much effort at all. The flavors are rich and sophisticated and are a great way to enjoy some good quality Beef Tenderloin without all the hassle of having to cook it! It’s a classic French dish that is easy to make at home, so why not give it a try!

For more classic French-inspired dishes, check out some of these favorites of ours:

• Crispy Skin Snapper with Fish Beurre Blanc
• Baked Chicken with French Lentil Salad
• Mustard Velouté Sauce
• Duck a L’Orange
  
  

Happy Cooking!