Learn How to Make Classic Steak Tartare (Beef Tartare) at home. Meaty, bold, and delicious, you’ll love this elegant dish for dinner parties or weeknight meals. Completely safe to eat and no cooking required!
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Easy homemade beef tartare
Head’s up carnivores: You can learn How to Make Classic Steak Tartare in just a few simple steps. It’s like fine dining, but at home!
This classic French recipe is easy to find in bistros, cafes, and restaurants around Europe. I played with the flavor profile in this steak tartare recipe to include traditional French ingredients while still putting my own playful spin on it. Every bite is bold, acidic, and still completely satisfying.
If you’ve never tried raw meat before, I urge you to start now! Spicy Salmon Sashimi (A.K.A. raw fish) is one of my favorite meals because you don’t miss out on any of the natural flavors in the meat. The same is true in beef tartare, where the lean and beefy flavors are the star of the show. A few extra ingredients, like capers, shallots, cornichons, and mustard only amplify these delicious flavors!
Important note: Raw eggs and beef are not recommended for infants, the elderly, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems.
What is beef tartare?
Beef or steak tartare is made from raw ground steak (and sometimes horse meat). For added flavor, the steak is mixed with capers, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, pickled vegetables, and more. To finish, the ground steak mixture is shaped into rounds using round cookie cutters and topped with a raw egg yolk.
Is steak tartare safe to eat?
Steak tartare is safe to eat as long as it’s prepared properly and handled safely. There is always a risk of foodborne illness when eating raw meat (or any food, really), but you can do your best to avoid them with these practices:
- Always choose high quality beef when making beef tartare.
- Let your butcher know the steak will be eaten raw. They’ll make sure to give you a really fresh, lean steak.
- Keep the meat refrigerated at all times (besides assembling and serving).
- Use gloves when handling the raw steak.
Beef tartare ingredients
- Lean steak – Start with a very good lean steak, like sirloin, beef tenderloin, or top round beef. Ask your butcher for a fresh steak and tell them you’ll be eating it raw.
- Capers – These add a nice acidity to help balance out the flavors.
- Cornichons – Or small dill pickles. Just don’t use sweet pickles.
- Shallots – To give each bite a subtle savory flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – A classic choice in most beef tartare recipes. Its bold umami flavors play well with the acidity in each bite.
- Parsley – Fresh is best!
- Egg yolks – To serve on top of the beef tartare or to mix in with the meat. Make sure you use fresh eggs and keep them refrigerated up until it’s time to serve.
How to prepare and cut beef tartare
- Trim the fat: There shouldn’t be much since the steak is lean, but try to remove any tendons or large pieces of fat.
- Freeze the steak: Allowing the steak to firm up in the freezer for at least 20 minutes will make cutting it so much easier.
- Cut and mince the steak: Use a sharp knife to cut the frozen steak into ¼-inch slices, then into ¼-inch strips. Mince the strips into very fine pieces. Add it to a plate and chill in the fridge until it’s time to prepare the extra flavors.
How to make classic steak tartare
- Prepare the extras: Dice the capers, cornichons, shallots, and parsley and place them in a bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard on top and stir everything together.
- Add the steak: Add the prepared steak to the bowl and gently fold it into the rest of the ingredients. Taste and add salt as needed. Leave it in the fridge to chill until it’s time to eat.
- Plate the tartare: Press half of the tartare mixture into a round mold or ramekin. Flip it over and onto a plate, then repeat with the second half. Create a small well on top of each tartare and top with an egg yolk.
- Serve: Add some extra cornichons, crostinis, and mustard to the plate and enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- You want the pieces of meat to be cut small enough that it’s easy to eat. You can do this with a sharp knife or a meat grinder.
- Feel free to soak the chopped shallots in a bowl of cold water to lessen their tart flavor.
- If you want to make beef tartare ahead of time, you can leave the assembled mixture in the fridge for up to 2 or 3 hours. Left any longer and the meat will start to turn grey.
- If you don’t want to use egg yolks as a topping, microgreens or fresh sprouts are a crisp and refreshing alternative.
- Unfortunately, there is no way to store leftover steak tartare. It must be eaten fresh.
What to serve with beef tartare
Traditionally, tartare is served as a main dish with toasted baguette, croutons, cornichons, pickled vegetables, lemon wedges, a drizzle of Worcestershire, or dijon mustard. To keep things low carb, swap the bread for endives or butter lettuce leaves.
More delicious dinner party recipes
Learning How to Make Classic Steak Tartare (Beef Tartare) is easy, fun, and delicious! Let me know what you think in the comments below, or share a picture on Instagram! I love to share all of your recreations on my page.
How to Make Classic Steak Tartare (Beef Tartare)
Ingredients
- 8 oz top round beef steak fresh, (or use sirloin steak)
- 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsp capers drained and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cornichons finely chopped, or small dill pickles (not sweet)
- 2 tbsp shallots finely chopped
- 5 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp kosher salt extra to taste if needed
- 2 egg yolks fresh
SERVE ALONGSIDE WITH
- baguette thinly sliced and toasted
- cornichons or pickled veggies
- mustard
Instructions
- Place beef on a small plate. Freeze until firmed up slightly, about 20 minutes. Cut chilled beef into 1/4-inch slices, then into ¼ inch strips and then finely chop it with a sharp knife. Place on a plate and refrigerate while you prep the rest.
- Chop the capers, cornichons, shallots, and parsley into a fine dice. Add to a mixing bowl and add Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Toss to combine.
- Add the steak, gently fold in all the ingredients, add salt, to taste, mix again. Keep the mixture chilled until you’re ready to assemple and eat.
- Press the tartare into a round mold or ramekin. Divide into two portions. Add onto two plates.
- Make a small well in the center. Gently add the egg yolk into each portion.
- Serve with cornichons or pickled veggies, thin slices of toasted baguette and spoonful of mustard. Enjoy right away.
Notes
- Start with a very good lean steak. Ask your butcher for a fresh steak and tell them you will be eating this meat raw.
- Trim off any large tendons or pieces of fat. If you start with a lean steak, you shouldn’t need to trim off much.
- Mince the steak into very fine pieces, a sharp knife will be very helpful with cutting the meat finely. Take your time here.
- Unfortunately, there is no way to store leftover steak tartare. It must be eaten fresh.
- *Raw egg and beef are not recommended for infants, the elderly, pregnant women, or people with weakened immune systems.
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