About 5 years ago I took a fusion cooking class at the Académie Culinaire in Montreal. We had a daylong class of all sorts of recipes that were mainly inspired by the California sun and had influences from all over the world. During that day, we cooked a watermelon gazpacho that was so refreshing you could drink it like juice! We also made a beef tataki with an Argentinean inspired chimichurri sauce that was so delicious it has stuck in my head ever since! I don't remember the exact recipe by heart and I certainly haven't kept a paper version of it (I'm trying to go lean with the paper piles in my house!) but I remember the essential: fresh, green, and tasty.
This weekend I got this terrible urge for a tataki. I had to make an appetizer for a very special celebration and wanted to make something that was both out of the ordinary, and fresh for a hot summer night. That's why I came up with a combination of a beef tataki and a cold Jewish salad. The mix of both veggies and meat would be a perfect introduction to the fish that my sister was preparing as a main course.
Chimichurri is a South American condiment that originates from Argentina. It’s usually prepared with parsley, garlic, vegetable oil, and vinegar to which you can add certain aromas such as oregano, coriander, lemon, etc. Once you’ve prepared your sauce you just put it on top of whichever meat you’ve cooked Asado (grilled meat!). Tataki is a Japanese term used for fish or meat that has been quickly seared over high heat fire, that’s shortly marinated in vinegar, and that’s thinly sliced before it’s seasoned with grinded ginger. The combination of both techniques from opposite places on the planet is simply delicious.
You can most certainly make this recipe as a stand-alone. Any meat lover wouldn’t mind a full plate of this most amazing recipe. Still, if you’re going to buy beef filet, you’re going to have to dish out the big bucks. My butchers sells his at 60$ a kilo which can make the price climb up fast. But if you’re only serving 2 people then maybe you can splurge and fill up your plate with this meat delicacy!
Beef Tataki with Coriander Chimichurri Sauce Serves 6 people as an appetizer – Preparation time: 20 minutes - Level
INGREDIENTS
For the chimichurri
1 cup of flat parsley, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 French shallot, minced
½ jalapeno, chopped
Juice of 1lime
¼ cup grapeseed oil
Salt
For the beef
About 1 pounds of beef filet
1 tsp ground carvi
1 tbsp coriander seeds
½ tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp coarse salt
PREPARATION
Chimichurri: in a mortar (or a food processor) combine all ingredients until you have a paste texture. Season to taste. Set aside.
Tataki: Mix all dry ingredient together and rub all over the beef filet. Sear the meat over high heat (your best bet is a BBQ) only so that the outside to get colored. You want to keep the inside as raw as possible. Once it’s cooked, wrap in saran wrap and put in the freezer for about 1 hour so that the meat gets cold and firm. Very thinly slice the filet and lay out on a plate. Spread some chimichurri sauce on top for serving.
