Steak Tartare with Rhubarb Recipe
20 minutes plus 2 hours pickling time and 30 minutes freezing time
Ingredients
- 1 stick of rhubarb, half finely diced and the other peeled into ribbons
- 250ml of water
- 100ml of apple cider vinegar
- 25g of caster sugar
- 1/2 tbsp of sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp of pink peppercorns
- 350g of fillet steak, trimmed of any fat
- 2 tbsp of cornichons, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of finely chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp of capers, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tsp finely chopped chives, plus extra to garnish
- 30g of mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 dash of white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 egg yolks
- vegetable oil, to deep-fry
- 2 potatoes, peeled and finely sliced on a mandoline
- 1 pinch of MSG (monosodium glutamate) powder
Method · 20 min
- Put the diced rhubarb in one bowl and the ribbons in another. Whisk together the remaining ingredients for the rhubarb then divide between both bowls. Cover and leave to pickle in the fridge for at least 2 hours (ideally overnight)
- To make the crisps, bring a pan of vegetable oil to 170°C. Pat the sliced potatoes dry then, working in batches, add the potatoes and fry until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, then transfer to a bowl and toss with the MSG and a pinch of salt
- Once the rhubarb is pickled, prepare the tartare. Put the steak in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up – this makes it easier to chop
- Slice the beef against the grain into 0.5cm slices. Dice these slices into 0.5cm cubes, then add them to a bowl with the cornichons, parsley, capers, shallot, chives and 1 tbsp of the drained diced rhubarb. Stir to combine
- Stir in the mayo, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 2 of the egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper to taste
- To serve, put a ring cutter on a plate and spoon in half the tartare. Repeat with the other plate. Top with some pickled rhubarb ribbons and chives, then nestle in another egg yolk on top of each tartare. Serve with the crisps on the side
Steak tartare is a glorious dish which, frankly, doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Make it a seasonal superstar by folding in little cubes of pickled rhubarb alongside the usual suspects of capers, mustard and cornichons, before finishing it off with rhubarb ribbons and the all-important egg yolk. The homemade crisps on the side provide the perfect vehicle for scooping the tartare up, complete with MSG seasoning to amp up the umami.
