I have become very fond of raw meat. I only recently tried steak tartare, the classic dish of diced raw beef, for the first time and instantly fell in love with it. It is traditionally served with finely chopped shallots, parsley, capers and gherkins, and I have learned that there is some debate about how many extra ingredients to add to the meat. Some like to include condiments such as Worcester sauce, tomato ketchup, mustard, lemon juice and even brandy. One thing is pretty indisputable though, which is that the meat – being the central aspect of the dish – should be of the highest possible quality.

I have had discussions about steak tartare with Alan, fellow Wedgwood chef, who believes that this dish is a pure and simple celebration of meat and should be accompanied by little more than some herbs and seasoning. I appreciate his sentiment and agree that the dish should simple, but I do like to include a couple of extra ingredients…


Steak Tartare Recipe

Ingredients

  • 30 g shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon capers, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon gherkins, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
  • 100 g beef sirloin
  • sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method

  1. With a sharp knife, carefully cut the beef into small dice. Mix in the shallots, capers, parsley and gherkin and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Arrange on the plate, then place the egg yolk in the centre.