Description
Traditional Japanese Beef Tataki!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 3/4 lb skirt steak (you can sub ribeye or sirloin)
- 10 oz baby spinach
- 2 Tablespoons neutral oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For marinade:
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons oil
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
For Sauce:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 4 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (half a lemon)
Garnishes
- 1 2-inch piece of daikon radish
- 1 tablespoon chile paste
- 3 medium cloves garlic minced
- 2 scallions
Instructions
Marinate Beef:
- Prepare the beef: Trim excess fat off of the skirt steak and then cut the meat into 3 inch pieces. Now slice the skirt steak into thin 1-1 ½ inch pieces against the grain of the meat. Place the meat into a bowl.
- Mix the marinade ingredients: Combine the soy sauce, sugar, water, baking soda, and oil in a small container and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the marinade over the sliced beef. Mix the beef thoroughly so each piece is coated. Set aside while preparing the other ingredients or cover and refrigerate if using later. The beef can be prepped a day or two ahead of time.
Prepare Garnishes:
- Peel the daikon radish and then grate it finely. Mix the radish with the chili paste and set aside.
- Rinse the scallions and then trim the top and bottom. Cut the scallions into 2 inch pieces and then thinly slice so you have matchstick-like pieces. Put the scallions in a bowl of ice water for 10 mins and then drain and set aside.
Sear Beef:
- Heat a large skillet over high heat for 2 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon of oil and the spinach. (It will make a loud sizzling noise when the spinach hits the pan). Quickly stir the spinach until it just starts to wilt, about 10 seconds, season lightly with salt and pepper to taste, and place on a deep platter.
- Wipe out the same skillet with a paper towel and lower the heat to med-high. Add ½ tablespoon of oil and half the skirt steak to the skillet and cook undisturbed for 1-2 mins. to let the meat brown. Flip the meat and cook to desired doneness, another 1-2 mins for medium.
- Place the meat on top of the spinach and then repeat with remaining oil and beef. Drain off any oil from the skillet and return the pan to the stove.
Prepare Sauce:
- Add the soy sauce, mirin, and water to the same pan where you just cooked the beef.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and simmer the sauce over the heat for about 1 minute, scraping any brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the rice vinegar and lemon juice and take the sauce off of the heat. Pour the sauce on top of the meat. Garnish the dish with grated radish, scallions, and the minced garlic. Serve immediately.