Tataki is anything that is flash seared and thinly sliced. You can do it with fish but here it’s beef. It’s great any way you do it though. Traditionally I think it’s supposed to be served with ginger. So this isn’t super authentic. I went for maximum flavour here instead. Ponzu sauce is this magic citrus soy sauce stuff. Super simple to make and super delicious. Japanese food is like that. Understated but so nuanced.
Choice of beef matters
There’s nowhere to hide in this recipe. Beef tataki is beef cooked perfectly rare with a simple sauce. So the beef you pick is going to drive your results. You have a choices. Tenderloin has the texture. Soft and almost buttery. But I like top sirloin here. Still tender when thinly sliced. And a more beefy flavour. When your dish is beef and sauce I go for beefy flavour. And quality matters hear too. This is not a recipe for ho-hum supermarket beef. This is a trip to the butcher to get the best beef you can recipe. More work but worth it.
Beef tataki sous vide style
If you want to make consistently perfect beef tataki – the way restaurants do – then sous vide is something you need to learn. Unless you are the absolute steak cooking ninja there is no better way. Sous vide isn’t trendy. Not hipster. It isn’t molecular gastronomy. It is how how the pros do it. How it’s been done in fine restaurants forever. It’s repeatable. Consistent. It just works. The only thing that has changed is now you can get set up for a couple hundred bucks. Sound expensive? 10 years ago it was a few grand. And you can do tons of stuff with it. It’s not just for steak. Eggs. Duck confit. Fish. Carnitas. Lots. Beef tataki is best when you get a sear on the outside and evenly done rare beef on the inside. That’s why it works so well using sous vide. And you can serve it last minute. Sous vide the beef. Let it sit until it’s time to eat. Toss it back in the sous vide to warm through. Heat a pan. Sear. Slice. Drizzle with ponzu sauce. Serve. The technique is universal. Grilled. Pan-fried. Any way you can imagine. If it’s steak this is a great way to get that perfectly done from edge to edge result. Like the pros.
A dish for friends
I love this dish as a shared appetizer. Put a plate down. Pass around the chopsticks. Eat family style. Like you would in a restaurant. Beef tataki with simple ponzu sauce. A perfect start to your next Asian themed dinner party
