Venison steak tartare recipe: a healthy dish full of flavour

What could be simpler than a venison steak tartare recipe? You certainly shouldn’t feel guilty for swapping your beef for venison, after all, it’s low in fat and as natural as the woodlands the deer came from. (Read which deer species makes the most delicious venison?)

Venison steak tartare recipe

Ingredients

• 4–6 slices rye sourdough bread (soft type, not seeded)
• 100g melted butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 head of radicchio, quartered — there are various types on sale at this time of year. Choose from treviso, treviso tardivo (curly leaves) and rosso, the typical round type
• 12 walnuts or hazelnuts, lightly toasted and chopped
• 500g lean fillet or loin of venison
• 3 small shallots, peeled, halved
• 50g small capers, drained then soaked for 15 minutes in cold water
• 50g cornichons
• 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 2 egg yolks
• For the salad dressing: Mix together 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp poppy seeds, pinch each of salt and pepper, 1 tsp honey or maple syrup, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, 3 tbsp light olive oil, 2 tsp water and 1 tsp crème fraiche (optional).

Chop the meat at the last minute

Method

1. The meat should be chopped at the last minute, or it will lose its fresh pinkness when added to the other ingredients, so begin by making the salad and toasts. It is easy to make a tartare, but ensure you have all the ingredients ready and measured, so you can put it together swiftly.
2. Very lightly toast the slices of rye bread, then cut them horizontally to make two very thin toasts. Brush these each side with melted butter, then place them under the grill or in a preheated oven until they are crisp. Set aside in a warm place.
3. Next, make the radicchio salad. Heat a frying pan and add the oil. When it begins to sizzle, fry the radicchio on each side until it darkens and softens — this sweetens it a little. Transfer to a serving dish, scatter over the nuts and add the dressing.
4. Using a very sharp knife, cut the venison into very thin slices across the grain then chop it. You want it to be a semi-rough texture; not so fine that it is like mince but small enough to eat without difficulty.
5. Chop the shallots finely, then the capers and cornichons — the latter can be cut into very thin rounds. Place this mixture in a bowl and mix with the Worcestershire sauce plus some sea salt and black pepper — not too much salt. Do not add the meat until you are absolutely ready to serve.
6. Once the warm rye crisps and radicchio salad are on the table, add the chopped venison to the bowl, briefly mix it in then divide it among two plates, making a flat burger shape (you can use a ring mould for this). Make a little indentation in each and slip an egg yolk into the dip. Sprinkle on the parsley, add another twist of black pepper and serve.

The game for this recipe was sourced from online game suppliers Wild And Game

More on venison steak tartare

One of the most elegant ‘brasserie’ favourites, a tartare is an ideal dish to turn to in that early part of the year when trying to eat healthily. The quality of the meat is everything. If using beef, seek out lean sirloin, fillet or rump from an animal that has been properly aged and sold as ‘grass-fed’. Ideally it should be fresh, but if frozen use as soon as possible once defrosted.

Venison, being naturally fed and always well hung, is guaranteed to be perfect tartare meat with a full taste. Again, if you can’t obtain it fresh, use good-quality frozen. The piquant ingredients reduce the richness of the meat — I have added them in modest amounts to this recipe but you can add more if you prefer. I know my father would have upped the Worcestershire sauce quantity for starters. Over time, you will have mastered your own signature venison steak tartare.