I have always been a fan of steak tartare, before I even knew what it was. I was that little kid sneaking chunks of raw hamburger meat as my dad was making patties. You know, that thing kids do. Now the raw meat I eat is much more thoughtfully seasoned and served with a raw quail yolk on top.
I understand this may seem like a dish reserved for fancy restaurants and special occasions but I am here to tell you that there is no reason you can’t have steak tartare in your weekly meal rotation. In fact, you should have steak tartare on just any old Tuesday. It is easy to make, inexpensive, low cal, low carb, impressive, and delicious.
This is my favorite way to make steak tartare, a recipe I have perfected over the years, inspired by one of the best restaurants I have ever been to: Clown Bar in Paris. It is not the classic steak tartare, it is a little bit funky, but trust me, it will change your world.
First you’ve gotta have good meat. The best thing you can do is go to your local butcher and (for two people) ask them to hand chop 3/4ths pound of sirloin. Not every place will do it but some will. Hand chopped is the difference between a great tartare and a good one. You can of course hand chop your own meat as long as you have a sharp knife and a honing rod. I of course use ground meat all the time but hand is really better. If you’re in Brooklyn,The Meat Hook is always a great option.
If you are buying ground meat, never buy it from a package, ensure it was ground that day, and go for the 90% lean. Whole Foods grinds every morning and they usually have this available.
If possible, do not combine the beef with the dressing until you are ready to serve as the lemon and vinegar will slightly cure the meat and we don't want that.
Ingredients (for 2 servings)
3/4ths lb fresh hand chopped or ground lean beef
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp mustard
2 tsp lemon juice
1 squirt sriracha (depending on your spice tolerance)
2 tsp soy sauce
A 2 oz can of anchovies, packed in olive oil, including the oil
1 small shallot
½ cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted
½ cup of pomegranate seeds
2 egg yolk (quail is awesome but chicken is fine)
Method:
Chop shallot finely and place in a bowl of water to soak (this will remove some of the shallot’s harshness but keep its flavor)
Chop the anchovies finely, set aside
In a large bowl, combine the oil from the anchovies, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, mustard, lemon, sriracha, and soy sauce. Whisk together.
Add the beef and mix it all together until the beef is coated in the dressing
Mix in anchovies, shallots (after draining them and drying them), most of the pine nuts, most of the pomegranate
Place the two portions on individual plates
Using a spoon, make a small depression on the top of the mound, place the unbroken yolk in the depression
Add the remaining pine nuts and pomegranate seeds to the top and serve with toasted baguette slices and a simple arugula salad
