Steak tartare or beef tartare comes from French cuisine and is a dish made from finely chopped or minced raw beef, typically seasoned with ingredients like onions, capers, Worcestershire sauce, and raw egg yolk. This classic French dish is served with accompaniments like toasted bread or fries.

Don't let the fact that it's made with raw beef scare you. You'll need to select a high-quality meat and in this blog post I'll elaborate on how to do that. This is one of those dishes that is just magically delicious and light.

What are the Main Ingredients in Steak Tartare?

What Kind of Steak is Used for Steak Tartare?

The star of the show here is of course the raw meat. But a word of warning, you will need the freshest high-quality beef suitable to eat raw.

Personally, the best cut for steak tartare is beef tenderloin or filet mignon, it's lean meat is perfect for this recipe. I find that when the meat is too fatty, you get this sinewy and stringy texture which is not pleasant at all.

The exact cut I use is a Black Angus tenderloin, which I find the best steak cut to use for this recipe. that you can grind in an electric meat grinder or chop finely with a sharp knife.

I have seen top round and sirloin steak being used to make this dish, but I prefer the lean tenderloin, as this cut has minimal connective stringy tissue that gets stuck in your teeth.

TIP: Ask your butcher for the freshest meat for steak tartare

Can I use mince beef from the supermarket?

DO NOT USE minced or ground beef that you pick up from a grocery store. The quality and freshness of the meat cannot always be guaranteed, as it may have been sitting in the store for a while. Secondly, minced beef from the supermarket is typically ground from multiple cuts of meat, which may increase the risk of foodborne illness. You'll want to avoid any possibility of bacterial contamination

Can you store steak tartar in the fridge?

It's very important to consume this dish immediately or within an hour of making it. Whatever you do, DO NOT use a food processor, as it will destroy the texture that we are after!

I found out that in France they even used horse meat for this dish. I can imagine that horse meat is lean meat without much fat, hence it's an option for this tartare recipe.

What kind of eggs should you use?

Here in Indonesia we are blessed with Japanese eggs which you can eat raw. These eggs are cared for with the strictest standards to avoid any bacterial contamination. If you do not have access to Japanese eggs, then check the expiry date on the egg carton and choose the ones that still have a long expiry date. Ideally, you'll want to use eggs that is closest to the date of when the eggs were laid by the chicken. Use the freshest of eggs.

How to serve steak tartare?

There are generally two ways to serve steak tartare. One is with all the condiments and sauce already mixed in and the second way is with the beef separate from the condiments. You'll sometimes see this in restaurants where they allow guests to mix as much of the condiments as they want to suit their preferences. In this recipe, I will be serving it already mixed as I just find this more convenient for myself and my guests to enjoy this dish.

Equipment You'll Need:

- A big bowl to mix all the ingredients

- Meat grinder or sharp knife to cut the meat into small pieces

- A ring mold to help shape and present the steak tartare on a plate

French Steak Tartare Recipe

The Ingredients

250 grams of Black Angus Tenderloin
25g finely chopped shallots onions (1/2 tablespoon)
20g Chopped Cornichons (1/2 Tablespoon)
10g Tablespoon Chopped capers (1/2 tablespoon)
4 grams of chopped Parsley
3 drops of Sauce Tabasco
2 grams Worcestershire sauce (1/2 teaspoon)
40g tomato ketchup
10 grams of Dijon mustard (1 Teaspoon)
pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper about 1/2 teaspoon
10 grams High-quality extra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon)
1 Egg yolk

Add a twist:
10 grams deep-fried shallots for garnishing and to provide that additional crunchy texture (1 tablespoon)

Although using deep-fried shallots is not traditional, this is my own little twist to the dish which gives it a beautiful fried onion flavor and texture to the overall dish. This is one of those classic French recipes which you can make your own. I've seen some recipes that use tabasco sauce and fresh chives, which I do think will be great additions to this recipe. Experiment and make it your own too.

French Steak Tartare Cooking Instructions:

Step 1. Prepare and measure all the ingredients except the meat.

Step 2. You'll want to leave the meat grinding or chopping to the very last minute. Once all your other ingredients are prepared, it's time to make the chopped beef. I used a very sharp knife and did this by hand.

Step 3. Combine the meat with all the prepped ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly, making sure that everything is evenly mixed.

Step 4. Plate the dish: Using a ring mold on a serving plate, I carefully add the ground steak mixture in the mold.

Step 5. Sprinkle over the fried shallots

What to serve it with

- Toast points or crusty bread.

- But my absolute personal favorite are to serve with truffle french fries with freshly grated Parmeggianno Reggiano. Check out my Truffle Fries Recipe here

- Some recipes call for fresh chives in the recipe, which is of course very possible to add.

Enjoy this hunger hug!

How to Make a Classic French Steak Tartare Recipe

Yield 2-3

Author Hunger Hugs

Prep time

30 Min

Total time

30 Min