How To Elevate Your Steak Tartare With Major Flavor (The Lebanese Way)

Ah, steak tartare — a staple for many when it comes to chic dining. When you think of steak tartare, French cooking may come to mind as France helped to transform the dish, but this is certainly not the only style. Food Republic spoke to Ed Cotton, chef and partner at both Leonetta and Jack & Charlie's in New York City, to find out more, and he ranks Levantine beef tartare within his top two favorite styles.

Cotton appreciates the Middle Eastern way for its "unique flavor profile, from using chilies, basil, mint, allspice, and bulgur wheat." He lauds that "it really is such a great combination of flavors." The use of bulgur wheat is a hallmark of the Middle Eastern iteration. For those unfamiliar with bulgur, it's a type of cracked wheat that's been parboiled, dried, and ground. The end product looks similar to quinoa or couscous. The cooked version of tartare is called Lebanese kibbeh, and it's popular with lemon, yogurt, or tahini for dipping. When served raw, it's known as kibbeh nayeh. Cotton described kibbeh as diverse: "The presentations are endless — some are shaped into an oval like a small football, and some are formed into pucklike shapes by placing the chopped meat in ring molds."

At his restaurant, Leonetta, Cotton plays on two Middle Eastern iterations of tartare — using lamb rather than beef and blending in harissa, mint, and sumac — a tart, earthy spice. This blend, he noted, is from another part of the globe: "Armenians have something similar, but they tend to use paprika, sumac, and tomatoes in their variation," he explained.

On Ed Cotton's Jack & Charlie's menu, he highlights French steak tartare, his favorite, topping the dish with a quail egg: "Chefs always like to include a raw egg yolk sitting atop of the chopped meat for guests to mix in themselves," said Cotton. Interestingly enough, the inclusion of the raw yolk was first referred to as the American way, following the many evolutions of this dish. When making your own Lebanese-inspired tartare, make sure not to go too heavy on the added ingredients. "Don't overdress the beef tartare — you need the beef to speak for itself. It can be very easy to overdress your tartare, but minimal amounts of the ingredients will do wonders for it. All the ingredients should only help elevate the natural flavor of the beef," Cotton explained. 

He offered a few other helpful tips for creating tartare at home, like to avoid adding pure acid as it denatures the meat — a process that breaks down the protein strands. Instead, Cotton recommended classic additions: "Capers, red onion, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup [to] bring those salty, umami flavors to the beef tartare. I always finish it with a shot of Tabasco and Dijon as well. Those tend to round out the dish."

Whether you're using beef, a popular Middle Eastern protein like lamb, or a blend of both, you can follow the late Anthony Bourdain's tips for chopping your tartare. To keep the theme, instead of wine, pair your Lebanese-inspired tartare with arak, a trendy Middle Eastern liquor, for a fabulous dinner full of great flavors that take your taste buds on a trip through the Middle East.