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Beef tataki
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5 from 5 votes

Beef Tataki

Recipe video above. Here's a Beef Tataki recipe, a fusion Japanese restaurant favorite with thinly sliced beef in a citrusy dressing. Making it at home costs a fraction of eating out!
I make the deluxe restaurant version with beef tenderloin, crispy potato straws, and garlic oil for entertaining. Whereas the steak version with Asian Sesame Dressing and a sprinkle of crispy fried shallots with a side of Smashed Cucumbers and Garlic Pot-Steamed Rice is my sort of Monday night meal!
Serves 2 as a main with sides or 4 as a starter as part of a larger banquet (see my new fusion Japanese menu here).
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Chilling / resting3 hours
Course: Main, Starter
Cuisine: fusion japanese, Modern Asian
Keyword: beef tataki, tataki
Servings: 2 - 4 people
Author: Nagi

Ingredients

Beef - choose ONE:

  • 250g / 8 oz beef tenderloin/fillet (PREMIUM option) - thin piece 13-15cm long (5-6"), cut to even thickness (Note 1)
  • 300g /10 oz sirloin steak (aka Porterhouse in Australia, US: New York strip) (Note 2) - EASIER

Cooking:

  • 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other neutral flavoured oil)
  • 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Yuzu Dressing (Note 3 other options):

  • 1 tbsp cooking sake (Note 4)
  • 2 tsp mirin (Note 4)
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar (substitute apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce , regular (Note 5)
  • 1 tbsp yuzu , or 1/2 tbsp each lime and lemon juice (Note 6)

Garlic oil (optional, Note 7)

  • 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (rapeseed oil or light olive oil)
  • 3 garlic cloves , sliced 2 mm thick

Crispy topping options - CHOOSE ONE

  • Crispy potato straws (Pommes Paille, pictured, "fancier" option!)
  • Crispy fried shallots (store bought, easy option)

Garnish:

  • 1 green onion , finely sliced (optional curling, Note 8)

Instructions

Beef tenderloin:

  • Prep - Preheat the oven to 130°C / 275°F (all oven types). Rub the beef with the oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on a rack set on a tray.
  • Roast for 18 - 20 minutes or until the internal temperature in the middle is 41°C / 105°F (check first at 15 minutes, Note 9).
  • Sear - Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat until it is smoking. Sear each side of the beef for just 10 seconds, no longer (I do 4 sides).
  • Cool - Transfer the beef onto a rack on a tray. Cool for 30 minutes on the counter then refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours.
  • Thinly slice - When ready to serve, slice it as thinly as you can without tearing the beef, aiming for 3mm / 1/16" but up to 5mm / 1/8" thick is fine. (Note 10 for tips)

Yuzu dressing:

  • Place the sake and mini in a tiny saucepan on low heat. Bring to a simmer, then simmer for 1 minute. Pour into a bowl, let it cool. Then stir in remaining dressing ingredients.

Garlic infused oil:

  • Put the garlic and oil in a tiny saucepan on low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a few times, until the garlic is light golden. Cool for 15 minutes then strain (reserve crispy garlic for another use)

Assemble:

  • Plate up - Lay the beef slices on a plate, overlapping slightly. Drizzle with 3-4 tbsp of the Dressing, then 1 1/2 tbsp of the garlic oil. Pile the crispy potato in a heap in the middle, sprinkle with green onion. (Or use the easy steak garnish options above instead).
  • To eat - Serve straight away. Make sure you get some crispy potato in every bite, and squidge the beef around in the tasty sauce.

Easy steak option:

  • Cook - Rub the steak with the oil then sprinkle with the salt. Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat until it is smoking. Cook the steak to rare (1 1/2 - 2 minutes on each side, but it will depend on thickness of steak), or to your taste (Note 11 for doneness). Cool & thinly slice steak per beef tenderloin steps above.
  • Assemble - Place the slices in a line, slightly overlapping. Drizzle over Dressing and oil (or alternative Sauce of choice). Sprinkle crispy fried shallots down the centre then green onion. Serve!

Notes

Note on rare beef: See FAQ for commentary on eating rare beef. As a precaution, I recommend pregnant and women, babies, young children, the elderly, or anyone whose health is compromised use the steak version and cook to at least medium rare.
1. Beef tenderloin shape - Thinner easier to slice thinly, aim for ~13 - 15cm/5-6" long, 250g/8oz. If  yours is quite thick, cut in half lengthwise to form 2 thinner pieces, trust me, thick = super hard to slice thinly! Also, cut your piece to even thickness so it cooks evenly.
2. Steak option - Easier to get, easier to slice! Thicker cut is better, for more rare beef.
3. Other Asian sauces that will work well here (skip the garlic oil, these already have oil in them):
4. Cooking sake and mirin - essential cooking wines in Japanese cooking! Find them in the Asian aisle of large grocery stores, as well as Asian stores. If you can't consume alcohol or find them, use a sauces in Note 3.
5. Soy sauce - sub any all-purpose or light soy sauce, NOT dark soy (too strong, will ruin!)
6. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus that is sold in Japanese stores and some Asian grocery stores. Substitute with equal parts lemon and lime, fairly similar.
7. Garlic oil - Infused with lovely hint of garlic flavour. But optional! Substitute with 2 tsp sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil (totally works here).
8. Curled green onion - finely slice on the diagonal then place in cold water and put in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes until it curls (fresher = curls faster, floppy and old = takes longer!). Then drain, dry and use.
9. Cook times - exact cook times will vary due to many factors so check early. For rare beef, aim for 41°C / 105°F which will rise to 49-51°C/120-124°F (rare). 
I use a safe slow-roasting method here for the tenderloin (read in post for why) but you can also sous-vide. Set it to 51°C/124°F (1 1/2 hours), sear briefly straight away, then chill per recipe.
10. Slicing beef - Use a sharp knife and hold the sides firmly as you slice (stops edges crumbling). Slice as thinly as you can without tearing the beef. Don't fret if you do, once the plate is all dressed up, you can't see tears! If your slices are on the thicker side, don't worry, it is still really tasty, you just end up with less slices.
11. Steak doneness:
Internal temperature cooked steak medium rare
Make ahead - The Dressing can be made 12 hours ahead (yuzu loses freshness with time), Crispy Potato Straws stays crisp 3 - 4 days, garlic oil keeps 3 days. Beef can be made the morning of to serve that night (if left overnight, meat does lose some juiciness).