Tartare de Boeuf
Overview
Beef tartare is the dish that scares people who have never had it and converts everyone who tries it cooked properly. The technique looks like nothing, raw beef, chopped, mixed with seasonings, served. The reality is that every detail decides whether it tastes like luxury or like someone forgot to cook the steak. The beef must be hand-cut, never machine-ground. The seasonings must be balanced to the bite, not piled on. The yolk must be intact and visible, not stirred through. This is the version served at La Maison du Steak Tartare in Paris, where it has been on the menu since 1924.
The Ingredients
- • 400g beef fillet, prime grade, halal
- • 2 egg yolks, very fresh
- • 1 small Red Onion (Crysp), minced
- • 4 cornichons, finely diced
- • 2 tbsp capers, drained, chopped
- • 4 anchovy fillets, minced
- • 15g Parsley (Crysp), finely chopped
- • 10g Chives (Crysp), finely sliced
- • 1 tbsp Peashoots (Crysp), to garnish
- • 4 Edible Violas (Crysp)
- • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- • 1 tsp soy sauce (or Worcestershire)
- • 1 tsp tamarind paste
- • 3 dashes Tabasco
- • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- • Sea salt & cracked black pepper
- • Toasted sourdough or frites, to serve
Instructions
Buy the Right Beef
This recipe stands or falls on the meat. Use prime grade halal beef fillet, freshly cut, from a butcher you trust. Tell them you are eating it raw, they will choose the right piece. The beef should be deep red, smell clean and slightly sweet, never sour. Buy it the day you are cooking, never the day before. Place in the freezer 30 minutes before cutting, partial firmness makes it easier to slice cleanly.
Hand-Cut the Beef
Use a very sharp chef's knife. Slice the partly-frozen beef into 3mm slices, then into 3mm strips, then into 3mm dice. Work quickly so it does not warm up. The cubes should be uniform, neat, with no fat or sinew, the texture is half the experience. Never use a food processor, it shreds the protein and makes the texture mushy. Once diced, transfer to a chilled bowl set over ice.
Prep the Seasonings
In a small bowl, combine the minced red onion, diced cornichons, chopped capers, minced anchovies, parsley and chives. In another small bowl, whisk together the Dijon, soy sauce, tamarind paste, Tabasco and olive oil. Keep both bowls separate from the meat until the moment of mixing.
Mix Briefly, At the Last Moment
Add the chopped seasonings to the beef. Pour over the mustard dressing. Season with a generous pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Use a fork to fold gently, lifting and turning, do not mash or stir aggressively. The beef should remain in distinct cubes coated in seasonings, not crushed into a paste. Taste, adjust salt, the seasoning should hit you immediately, this is a dish that needs to be properly seasoned, not subtly seasoned.
Mould the Plate
Place a 9cm round mould or biscuit cutter in the centre of each chilled plate. Fill with half the tartare per plate, packing gently with the back of a spoon, do not compress. Smooth the top. Lift the mould off carefully, leaving a perfect cylinder of tartare. Make a small dimple in the top centre of each cylinder using the back of a spoon.
Crown with the Yolk
Separate each egg, sliding the yolk gently into the dimple on top of the tartare. The yolk must remain whole and intact, do not break it. Scatter peashoots around the base of the cylinder, place 2 edible violas on each plate beside the tartare. Crack fresh black pepper across. Serve immediately with toasted sourdough or hot frites and a green salad on the side. The diner breaks the yolk with their fork at the table, mixing it through the tartare just before eating.
The Tradition
Beef tartare entered French cuisine in the 1920s under the name steak à l'américaine, served at brasseries from Paris to Lyon as a luxurious lunch alongside frites and a chilled glass of pressed apple juice or sparkling water. The seasoning formula, capers, cornichons, mustard, anchovy, raw yolk, was codified by Auguste Escoffier and has barely changed since. In modern fine dining, every chef stages it slightly differently, mounded with a spoon, formed in a ring mould, sometimes plated with smoked accompaniments, but the seasoning stays remarkably constant. The dish demands trust, in the butcher, in the chef, and in the diner who knows raw beef done properly is one of the great pleasures in eating.
💡 Pro Tip: Always make tartare for immediate eating, never make it ahead. After 20 minutes the salt begins to cure the surface of the beef, turning the cubes grey and the texture tacky. Mix at the very last moment, plate, and serve. If guests are running late, prep all components separately and combine the second they sit down.