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Beef Tartare is a classic French recipe served at bistros, upscale brasseries, high-end steakhouses, and fine-dining restaurants. It is one of those dishes that most people only get to enjoy at restaurants because they’re too nervous to make it at home. But you don’t need to be! This is such an easy appetizer to make, and as long as you know how to handle the beef safely, you can have this fancy appetizer at home (for much cheaper) whenever you want.
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What Is Beef Tartare?
Beef tartare is fresh minced beef mixed with a dressing and topped with an egg yolk. The dressing is usually made with capers, anchovies, Dijon mustard, citrus, herbs, and a little hot sauce. Serve it chilled with toasted baguette slices or chips on the side. Many people expect tartare to have an iron taste, but it doesn’t. The raw beef is very tender with a mild, clean taste. The dressing is what gives it this dish most of its flavor. It is savory, tangy and rich…exactly what you want covering your tender steak. An egg yolk on top just makes the dressing that much more creamy and buttery. I can’t tell you how many times people have said they wish they had tried this dish sooner, and it is their new favorite appetizer.
Is Beef Tartare Safe to Eat?
Beef tartare is pretty safe to eat, but never without some risks. Understanding how the bacteria can spread and following safety tips reduces your risks by quite a bit. That being said, people that are immunocompromised, children, pregnant or nursing women, and older adults should not eat raw or undercooked meats.
Understanding Beef and Bacteria: Beef is not the same as chicken when it comes to bacteria. It is dense and not porous, so the bacteria is almost always found on the surface, and doesn’t make its way inside. Knowing this will help you understand the safety tips and why they matter.
Steak Tartare Safety Tips
Following a few safety tips goes a really long way in making sure that your beef tartare is safe to eat. Here is everything you need to know.
Buy Fresh Whole Cuts
Talk to the Butcher: It all starts with at the butchers. Make sure they know you are planning to eat the beef raw. That way they can help make sure you’re buying a cut of beef that is as fresh as possible and has been properly handled.
Do Not Use Ground Beef: Since the bacteria is only found on the outside, you need to make sure you are only using a solid cut of beef. Ground beef, even if you are grinding the right cut of meat, takes any contamination that might be on the outside and mixes it all up, where it then has more room to grow. The grinder itself may have bacteria from other cuts. That is why it is very important that you slice it with a clean knife and clean hands right before serving.
Keep it Cold: E. coli grows much better when warm. So keeping it cold prevents that harmful bacteria from growing much. Make sure the steak the last thing you pick up at the grocery store so it doesn’t get warm while you shop. When you get home, put it straight home into the fridge. A quick freeze before you slice it not only helps you to get a clean cut, it also gets it extra cold so it doesn’t get warm while you’re handling it. Don’t prepare this dish and leave sitting out.
Keep it Clean
Make sure your knife, cutting board, ring mold, anything you are using is sanitized. Wash your hands well or use sterilized gloves.
If It Still Makes You Nervous
If you are still uncomfortable with the idea of raw meat, but really want to try beef tartare, there is another option. You can do a very quick sear on the whole beef tenderloin, killing the outside bacteria. If you choose to do this, keep the center as raw as possible. Then you can chop it up and serve it with a little sear. Or you can cut off the outside and use the raw inside, but this option is pretty wasteful.
The Top Beef Cuts for Tartare
When you are searing a steak, cuts with a lot of marbled fat is what makes the steak taste amazing. Since you are not searing the fat, that is the opposite of what you want for your beef tartare. Whichever beef cut you go with, make sure you are looking for fresh, lean, and tender. Here are the top cuts for beef tartare:
Beef Tenderloin: My favorite cut to use is beef tenderloin (filet mignon). It is lean and tender, exactly what you want for this recipe.
Teres Major (the chef’s secret cut): This is a lesser-known shoulder cut, and it’s a fraction of the cost of beef tenderloin. It’s second-most tender muscle on a cow after the tenderloin. It does come with silver skin that you will need to remove. The cut has a richer, more robust beef flavor. It’s a great choice if you’re on a budget.
Top Sirloin: A leaner, firmer cut with a much stronger, richer beef flavor than tenderloin.
Tri-Tip: This cut is from the bottom sirloin. It is a very balanced option with a rich flavor. You do need to trim the hard fat with this cut.
Similar Recipes
Gochujang Steak Tartare on Crispy Rice: This isn’t your classic beef tartare, it has the same tender bite, but the flavors go in more of a Korean direction, with gochujang and sesame, spooned onto hot, crunchy fried rice.
Scallop Tartare: This recipe keeps the dressing super simple so you can really taste the buttery scallops. The dressing is just crème fraîche, lemon, and chives. The scallop tartare is served right in the shells for a delicate and adorable appetizer.
Salmon Tartare: This is a classic, diced sushi-grade salmon with a crème fraîche, lemon, and chives dressing. Topped with caviar and served on a fried baguette.
Spicy Salmon Tartare: Sushi-grade salmon mixed with a bright, briny, savory dressing. There’s a little kick to this one with chopped Serranos mixed in. Served topped with a soy-cured egg yolk on top and homemade potato chips on the side.
How to Serve
Beef tartare should be served cold, straight from the fridge. If you want it perfectly shaped, use a ring mold. If you don’t have one you can just shape it. Serve it with chips, toasted baguette slices, fries, or crackers.
If you are looking for a full menu, I recommend a Milky Dirty Martini. Switch up your protein with French Onion Chicken Skillet for your main. French Pomme Purée and an Arugula Salad is great on the side. An Easy Pistachio Crème Brûlée for dessert.
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Key Takeaways
- At the Store: Talk to a trusted butcher and tell them you are preparing the beef raw and would like the freshest cut possible. You want a full cut of meat that is lean and tender. Never buy ground. Beef tenderloin is the best cut for eating raw.
- Keep it Cold: Last thing in the cart, straight into the fridge. Keep it cold right up until serving.
- Clean Tools: Always make sure your tools and hands are clean.
- If this is your first time making this, I highly recommend taking a minute to read the Steak Tartare Safety Tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is always some risk with raw beef, but following a few safety tips lowers that chance by a lot. Start with a fresh whole cut from a butcher you trust, and tell them you are serving it raw. Keep everything cold, and eat it right away. Anyone who is pregnant, nursing, very young, older, or immunocompromised should skip raw meat. Check out my Safety Section for more details.
Beef tenderloin is the classic (and my favorite) pick. It’s lean and tender, with a mild flavor. For information on other cuts that you can use, check out The Top Cuts for Beef Tartare Section.
Something crispy to scoop it up. I like potato chips, but toasted baguette, crackers, or French fries all work. Cornichons and a simple green salad are great on the side.
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Small skillet
- slotted spoon
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
The Cured Yolks
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
The Tartare
- 8-10 oz beef tenderloin, very fresh
- 3 tbsp capers, divided
- 1 shallot
- olive oil, for frying
- 1½ anchovy fillets
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped, plus more for topping
- 1 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- 1 tsp caper brine
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small squirt Tabasco, or Frank’s RedHot
- 1 lemon, zest
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- chips or toasted baguette slices, for serving
Instructions
- Cure the Egg Yolks: Place the egg yolks in a small container and coat them completely with tamari. Add the rice vinegar, cover, and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.4 egg yolks, 4 tbsp tamari, 1 tsp rice vinegar
- Freeze: Place the beef tenderloin and your knife in the freezer for 15–20 minutes.8-10 oz beef tenderloin
- Fry the Toppings: Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Pat dry 2 tbsp of capers very well and fry them until dark and crisp, about 2–3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Cut the center core from the shallot and thinly slice, saving the rest for the next step. Fry until golden, remove with the slotted spoon and place on the paper towel with the capers. Save for topping.2 tbsp capers, olive oil, ½ shallot
- Make the Sauce: Brunoise the remaining part of the shallot and 1 tbsp capers. Finely chop the anchovies and then, using the back of a knife, press and drag over it until you make a paste. Add all of this to a mixing bowl, along with Dijon mustard, parsley, chives, Parmigiano Reggiano, caper brine, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, black pepper, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix until fully combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.1 tbsp capers, ½ shallot, 1½ anchovy fillets, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1½ tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp chives, 1 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano, 1 tsp caper brine, ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 small squirt Tabasco, 1 lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil., salt, black pepper, 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- Prepare the Beef: Make sure your hands and cutting board are clean. Take the beef from out of the freeze and trim off excess fat or silverskin. Chop the beef finely. Mix in 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Add the sauce and mix again until evenly coated.1 tbsp olive oil., salt, black pepper
- Assemble: Place the ring mold on your serving plate. Pack it with the tartare and clean around the bottom if any of the sauce spilt out. Carefully remove the mold. Top with fried capers, fried shallots, more chives, and a cured egg yolk on top. Serve immediately with chips or toasted baguette slices.chips or toasted baguette slices
Kitchen Cam
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was an excellent tartare recipe! I had read through many and tried a good few. The search has ended. Curing the egg yolks and frying the shallots and capers were just a few little extra steps that were worthwhile and made for an outstanding tartare! We didn’t need any more salt after the addition of all these umami ingredients. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for this review Lucy! I love this recipe and I’m so glad you loved it that much too! 🥰
Hi Nadia! I’m about to try this recipe now and I’m so excited!😍
I just have two questions
1. when it comes to the egg yolks, did you add any in the mix? Or was it just for the top of the tartar?
2. can I skip the capers all together? I love capers but my husband is not a big fan of them, so I would like to know if i can substitute it with something else!
Thank you in advance❤️
Hey Christine,
I updated the recipe so it was more descriptive with the egg yolk. The egg yolk is cured and then placed on top, not in the dressing. The cappers you can totally skip. I wouldn’t even substitute it with anything else because you have the fried shallots on top already for the crunch. If you want, you fry extra shallots for topping. Let me know how you like it!
It was amazing! I totally recommend this fish to anyone who loves tartar. It’s perfectly balanced with all flavors!
My husband loved it so much! And I added capers without telling him🤭 I’m making it again for valentine’s day! Along with a lot more of your recipes🥰
Thank you!❤️
It was amazing! I totally recommend this fish to anyone who loves tartar. It’s perfectly balanced with all flavours!
My husband loved it so much! And I added capers without telling him🤭 I’m making it again for valentine’s day! Along with a lot more of your recipes🥰
Thank you!❤️