Beef Tataki with Sweet Onion

 

The one thing I miss about my old apartment in Midtown Manhattan is the grocery store across the street that had a never-ending sale on some type of steak. They rotated between sirloin, rib eye, t-bone, NY strip and I always bought some on Fridays because I wanted to end the week with this dish (maybe that's why they went shut down??). It was the perfect treat after a long work week, especially because it was ready in 10 minutes.

Get your hands on the thickest steak you can get. But don't break the bank, it'll be delicious no matter what. Dry all sides and season with salt and pepper. Typically I would cover the steak in salt (only if using Diamond Kosher Salt) but you can go a little lighter for this dish because it gets seasoned on top later and you don't need the heavy crust like a regular steak.

Either using a sharp knife or a mandoline and slice the sweet onion paper thin. You should be able to see your hands through the onion slices. I like vidalia the best but as long as it's a sweet onion it should work. If you only have red or regular onion, you could slice them up and the soak it in cold water for an hour (change the water half way through), then squeeze all the water out (I use a towel for this and wring it dry). But that's not ideal because the texture changes and it's a real pain, so save yourself some trouble and get a sweet onion. They're sweetest in the spring time.

Mix the soy sauce and red wine at this point so that you don't have to worry about it once the steak his the pan.

Heat up a heavy skillet really well (patience! I had to learn it in culinary school) and coat with a high heat oil (i.e. canola, vegetable, grapeseed). Place the steak carefully in the skillet and sear one side for 30 seconds, flip and repeat. Pour the soy sauce and wine mixture into the pan and baste both sides. Close the lid and cook the steak for another minute. Remove the steak with tongs and rest on a cutting board. Boil the soy/wine mixture a couple minutes more and turn the heat off. Strain the sauce (optional step) and reserve.

Using a very sharp knife, slice the steak as thinly as possible against the grain (see thekitchn post on why it's so important here). Serve with onions and tataki sauce and enjoy!

Beef Tataki with Sweet Onion

 

Cuisine: Japanese

Author: Yukari

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb steak (any cut will work but the thicker the better)
• 1 sweet onion
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine (or sake)

Instructions

1. Dry steak and season with salt and pepper
2. Slice the sweet onion paper thin on a mandoline
3. Mix the soy sauce and red wine
4. Heat up a heavy skillet well over medium high heat and coat with oil
5. Sear steak for 30 seconds on each side and pour the soy sauce and wine mixture
6. Baste the steak a few times and cover the lid for 1 minute
7. Reserve the steak and continue to boil the sauce for another minute or two and strain
8. Thinly slice the steak and serve with sliced onions and tataki sauce