Beef tartare is one of my favorite recipes. The combination of flavors and textures is super complex. As a chef, I take that as a challenge to try to do something new. A pesto based on pistachio gives you all the creaminess that you get from egg in the classic recipe, but the flavor is so much more interesting. Likewise, old-school tartare relies on croutons for crunch, but I opt for fresh watermelon and sliced fennel. All in all, very unusual but very harmonious. Sure it has beef, but in the right amounts, beef is delicious, nourishing, and the saturated fat is negligible and well balanced by the pistachios and olive oil.
Freshness is very important in this recipe. Don’t be put off by the list of ingredients. If you lay them out in little dishes, it all comes together quickly. The end result always impresses.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 4 dashes tabasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound freshly ground or diced filet mignon
- 1 tablespoon capers in brine, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cornichons
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño chile pepper (wear plastic gloves when handling)
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup diced watermelon
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fennel
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
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To make the beef tartare
- Set a medium bowl in a large bowl filled with ice. In the medium bowl, whisk the anchovy paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and olive oil into a paste. Stir in the meat, capers, cornichons, shallot, chives, parsley, jalapeño pepper, and salt and black pepper. Chill in the refrigerator. To make the pesto
- In a food processor, combine the pistachios, parsley, basil, cheese, olive oil, and garlic. Pulse until smooth. To make the salad
- In a small bowl, combine the watermelon, tomatoes, fennel, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, and sea salt and black pepper. Toss to combine thoroughly.
- Serve the steak tartare in the center of each plate, drizzle the pesto around it, and spoon some watermelon-tomato salad on the side.