Ultimate Steak Tartare Recipe (Beef Tartare)
How to Make Steak Tartare – Classic European steak tartare is made with chopped raw steak, raw egg yolk, capers, and spicy mustard. This no-cook Beef Tartare recipe is easy to prepare, and delicious to enjoy as a summer appetizer or light dinner dish.
Disclaimer: Be sure to use fresh high-quality beef and serve this dish immediately. Do not make it ahead. It is advised that pregnant women should not eat raw meat. Learn more about food safety from foodsafety.gov.
What is Steak Tartare?
Steak Tartare, also known as Beef Tartare, is a lovely dish that’s made with chopped high-quality meat and served raw. The uncooked beef is mixed with eggs and seasonings and enjoyed either at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Most people think of tartare as a standard French recipe, yet it was actually brought to France by Russian and Eastern Europeans.
Another misconception is that Beef Tartare is something that people only eat at high-end bistros. They don’t realize it is easy to make at home and is no less safe to consume!
The Best Beef Tartare Recipe
Our classic European-style Steak Tartare recipe is made with good-quality beef filets, shallots, capers, and egg yolk to create a silky texture. The egg helps to hold the chopped beef and other ingredients altogether.
We also include a generous dollop of spicy whole-grain mustard for a bit of bold and tangy flavor.
This no-cook dish is ready in only 20 minutes. It is basically all simple prep work, and then everything is mixed together. That’s it!
Homemade authentic Beef Tartare is perfect for serving as an appetizer or enjoying a light summer dinner. Pair with your choice of healthy and/or hearty side dishes for a deeply flavorful and fun meal!
Ingredients You Need
As fancy and exciting as Steak Tartare may seem, it’s made with a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients. To prepare this French-inspired recipe you need:
- Beef filets – use high-quality meat, preferably from the butcher counter
- Shallots – minced (or sweet onion)
- Capers – minced (or minced cornichons)
- Egg yolk – save the white in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days to cook with
- Spicy whole grain mustard – or a 50/50 combo of whole grain mustard and Dijon mustard
- Fresh parsley – chopped
- Olive oil – or other preferred neutral-tasting oil
- Lemon – zested and juiced
- Seasonings – salt and pepper
How to Make the Best Steak Tartare
First, make sure that your steak is nice and cold. You can even put the meat (sealed properly) in the freezer for a few minutes to get chilled.
Then, trim the excess fat chunks off of the steaks and finely chop the filets with a sharp knife into ¼ inch pieces.
Pro Tip: To get just the right minced beef, start by cutting the steaks into fine strips. Cut the thin strips into halves or thirds. Then cut the steak ribbons crosswise.
Here’s a photo of how the steak should look:
Now mince the shallots and capers.
Zest and juice the lemon. In a measuring cup, add the egg yolk, lemon juice, and spicy mustard.
Stir to combine.
Next, set out a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped steak, minced shallots and capers, egg yolk/mustard/lemon mixture, parsley, olive oil, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper.
Taste, then add additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice if desired.
Mix well. BUT BE GENTLE. You just want to incorporate the ingredients, not mush them together.
Serve the Steak Tartare immediately. You can briefly refrigerate to get a slight chill, but only for about 15 minutes before you eat.
For traditional plating, press the Beef Tartare into a ramekin or a small bowl, and then carefully flip it out onto small serving plates in the shape of a disk.
Garnish the tartare with extra parsley and/or capers, if you like.
You can also rest an extra egg yolk on top, but be aware this will make the tartare texture extra dense and silky.
Get the Complete (Printable) Steak Tartare Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are several delicious variations of our authentic tartare recipe! You can add a generous dash of hot sauce, crushed red pepper, or horseradish for an extra kick of spice. Diced pickle relish is terrific to mix in to give the dish a bit of tangy-sweetness.
No, you should not make this recipe in advance. You can chop the steak beforehand, and keep tightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until ready to prepare and serve the tartare. Use the chopped beef within a day or so of prepping.
Classic Beef Tartare is often enjoyed with baguette slices, crunchy crostini, plantain chips, or even simple salty potato chips.
This light, refreshing, and savory tartare pairs well with any number of summer dishes. Serve with a green salad, French Red Potato Salad for a fun play of “meat and potatoes,” Bake Turnip Fries, French Fries, or fresh or grilled veggies. You can even use a little tabasco sauce on top to spice it up.
I used high-quality raw beef filets (AKA filet mignon), but you could also use top-round filets, sirloin, or whole beef tenderloin, or New York Strip. Still, slice the meat into very small chunks rather than grind it up with a meat grinder.
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Check the printable recipe card for the nutrition information including calories, protein, fat, cholesterol, and sodium percentages.
Ultimate Steak Tartare Recipe (Beef Tartare)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds beef filets
- ½ cup minced shallot
- ¼ cup minced capers
- 1 large egg yolk + extra egg yolks for serving, optional
- 3 tablespoons spicy whole grain mustard or 2 tb whole grain mustard + 1 tb Dijon
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Trim all excess fat chunks off the steaks. Then finely chop the filets into ¼ inch pieces. Do this by cutting the steaks into fine strips. Cut the strips in halves or thirds. Then cut the steak ribbons crosswise.
- Mince the shallots and capers. Zest and juice the lemon. In a measuring cup, add the egg yolk, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and spicy mustard. Stir to combine.
- Set out a mixing bowl. Add the chopped steak, minced shallots, capers, egg yolk mixture, parsley, olive oil, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper. Mix well.
- Taste, then add additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice if desired.
- Serve immediately. For traditional plating, press the steak tartare into ramekins, then flip it out onto small serving plates in the shape of a disk. Garnish with extra parsley and/or capers. You can also rest an extra egg yolk on top, but be aware this will make the tartare texture extra dense and silky.
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