Traditionally, beef tenderloin or another lean cut is used for steak tartare because of its tenderness. But if you want to add more depth of flavor, try rump cap (also known as picanha). It’s richer and slightly fattier than tenderloin, giving your tartare a flavorful, more luxurious dimension. In this recipe, I [Siebe Grijpma / @bbqmoods] give steak tartare an Asian/Japanese twist with ingredients like red chili, scallion, coriander, and soy sauce.

Preparing steak tartare takes about 15 minutes and is mostly knife work. For the best result, let the tartare rest in the fridge for about an hour after mixing so the flavors can fully develop. For serving, use cooking rings to shape the tartare into neat rounds—it gives a beautiful, traditional presentation.

Preparing steak tartare

• Take the meat out of its packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Trim away any silver skin, fat, or sinew. At The Butchery, the meat is triple-trimmed, so I could use it right away.
• Slice the picanha (across the grain, with a sharp knife) into slices about half a centimeter thick. Then cut those slices into strips, and finally into small cubes. Place the diced meat in a large bowl.
• Add the remaining tartare ingredients (scallion, jalapeño, red chili, chili flakes, black pepper, soy sauce, coriander, sesame oil, sesame seeds). Gently fold everything together with a spoon until evenly mixed. Taste a little to check if you’d like to add extra salt or pepper. At first, the coriander will stand out, but after resting in the fridge for an hour it will blend beautifully into the flavor profile.

Serving steak tartare

Take the steak tartare out of the fridge about half an hour before serving and stir once more. Serve this Japanese steak tartare on a small plate: place a cooking ring where you want it on the plate and fill with a quarter of the tartare mixture (this recipe makes 4 servings). No cooking ring? Shape it by hand, just leave space for the egg yolk.

Remove the ring, leaving a neat round disc of tartare on the plate. Use the back of a spoon to make a shallow indentation in the top—no need to go deep. Place an egg yolk in the well you just created.

Garnish with some scallion rings and drizzle crispy chili oil over the tartare and the plate. I used the well-known Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, which you can find at good supermarkets and Asian stores.

ENJOY!
Order Picanha