Beef Tataki

The beef tataki is made using premium cut of beef, which the tenderloin for us. Lightly seasoned and seared over very high heat briefly. Then the beef is wrapped, chilled and thinly sliced with a gorgeous rare interior. 

You won’t see blood as you would cook any rare beef, since the process of chilling removes that. You’ll just soak up the melt in your mouth tenderloin slices drenched in a ponzu sauce. 

Why You’ll LOVE Beef Tataki Recipe

• It’s a 5 star restaurant appetizer or main, made affordable at home!
• All you need is 10 minutes of cooking and prepping time.
• You can easily arrange to make this in advance, as there’s a chilling time for the beef.
• The flavors are impeccably delicious from the Ponzu sauce.
• A world of textures in this dish! Melt in your mouth tender beef, crunchy fried onions, luscious smooth ponzu sauce and buttery avocados on the side. 
• This recipe is easy to make for a potluck or party, it’s great for sharing.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Beef. We use beef tenderloin, aka filet mignon as it’s super tender, lean, melt in your mouth texture and smooth beef flavor. You can substitute it with Ribeye Steak.
• Seasoning. A simple salt and pepper is all you need to season the beef.
• Ponzu Sauce. A combo of fresh ginger, lime juice (or yuzu), orange juice, sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, scallions.
• Garnish. More scallions, fried onions (store bought or homemade), coarse black pepper and sliced avocados. 

How to Make Beef Tataki

Beef

1. Start by seasoning the tenderloin steak with salt and pepper generously on both sides.
   
2. Sear the steak over high heat with butter. 
   
3. Make sure there’s a crisp golden crust before flipping and continuing to sear on the other side.
   
4. My best tip here is to also sear the sides of the filet mignon as well for maximum flavor! You’ll need to sear each side for about 2 minutes and the sides for about 2 minute each.
   
5. At that point the steak is ready to wrap really well. Use a regular plastic wrap and tightly wrap the steak, place it in the fridge to chill for about 2 hours. 
   
6. Once chilled, you’ll remive the plastic wrap, use a super sharp knife and slice the meat. Now you’re not going as paper thin as the Beef Carpaccio or Tuna Carpaccio here. You want about an eighth of an inch thick slices as shown above.

Ponzu Sauce

1. To make this delicious bright, zesty and flavor packed sauce, add all the ingredients listed in a large bowl. 
2. Simply use a whisk to blend them all together. 
3. Pour the sauce at the bottom of your serving plate. 

Assemble the Tataki

1. Now that the beef is ready, the ponzu sauce is spread at the base of the serving plate, you’ll start assembling the beef tataki.
2. Carefully layer the sliced beef over the ponzu sauce in a single layer, and layer some sliced avocados next to the meat slices.
3. Sprinkle some fried onions– we used store bought for convenience and we we actually LOVE how crisp and flavorful they are! And also sprinkle some thinly sliced scallions or chives on top. You’re all set to devour!!! 

Tips For the BEST Tataki Recipe

1. Use premium and quality beef, as this will be consumed rare.
2. Make sure you sear the meat really well, on ALL sides! Both sides at fist for 2 minutes each and then the sides as well for 1 minute each side.
3. Wrap the meat really well to seal in the juices when you’re chilling it.
4. A sharp knife is KEY to even slicing. Chilling the meat does help with neat slices, but a good knife is essential nonetheless.
5. The Ponzu sauce is classically made using Yuzu, a Japanese citrus that tastes like a blend of lemon and grapefruit. I’ve tried it, along with Yuzu Salt and Sugar from The Spice House–and they’re SO GOOD! It’s hard to find however, so we use a combo of lime and orange.
6. For convenience, we used store bought fried onions, as they’re so tasty and crispy. You can make them at home if that’s your preference and you can likewise try fried garlic chips.
7. We LOVE serving Beef Tataki with some slices of avocados on a plate drenched in Ponzu sauce, however you can just serve it as is.

Can You Make Beef Tataki Ahead of Time?

Easy Beef Recipes

Beef Tips And Rice
Steak Tartare
Steak Bites with Parmesan Cheese
Beef Carpaccio
Best NY Strip Steak
Ribeye Steak
Grilled Sirloin Steak
Grilled Tenderloin with Rosemary Lemon Butter

5 from 4 votes

Print

Beef Tataki

This Beef Tataki with Ponzu Sauce is a crowd pleaser! Crisp steak slices over ponzu sauce, avocado & topped with crunchy fried onions. SO GOOD

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Japanese

Keyword beef, beef recipes, beef tataki, Beef tenderloin, filet mignon, Tataki, Tataki recipes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Chilling time 2 hours

Servings 4 people

Calories 343 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

Beef

• 1 filet mignon fresh, quality steak
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 2 Tabelspoons Butter unsalted

Ponzu Sauce

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons Lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons Orange juice
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 Tabelspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablspoons scallions minced

Assemble

• 2 avocados thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fried onions store bought or homemade
• 2 tabelspoons scallions minced
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Instructions

1. Start by seasoning the tenderloin steak with salt and pepper generously on both sides.
   
2. Sear the steak over high heat with butter.
   
3. Make sure there's a crisp golden crust before flipping and continuing to sear on the other side.
   
4. My best tip here is to also sear the sides of the filet mignon as well for maximum flavor! You'll need to sear each side for about 2 minutes and the sides for about 2 minute each.
   
5. At that point the steak is ready to wrap really well. Use a regular plastic wrap and tightly wrap the steak, place it in the fridge to chill for about 2 hours.
   

6. Once chilled, you'll remive the plastic wrap, use a super sharp knife and slice the meat. Now you're not going as paper thin as the Beef Carpaccio or Tuna Carpaccio here. You want about an eighth of an inch thick slices.

   

7. To make this delicious bright, zesty and flavor packed ponzu sauce, add all the ingredients listed in a large bowl.

   
8. Simply use a whisk to blend them all together.
9. Pour the sauce at the bottom of your serving plate.
   
10. Assemble the Tataki
11. Carefully layer the sliced beef over the ponzu sauce in a single layer, and layer some sliced avocados next to the meat slices.
    
12. Sprinkle some fried onions-- we used store bought for convenience and we we actually LOVE how crisp and flavorful they are! And also sprinkle some thinly sliced scallions or chives on top. You're all set to devour!!!
    

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Tips For the BEST Tataki Recipe

1. Use premium and quality beef, as this will be consumed rare.
2. Make sure you sear the meat really well, on ALL sides! Both sides at fist for 2 minutes each and then the sides as well for 1 minute each side.
3. Wrap the meat really well to seal in the juices when you're chilling it.
4. A sharp knife is KEY to even slicing. Chilling the meat does help with neat slices, but a good knife is essential nonetheless.
5. The Ponzu sauce is classically made using Yuzu, a Japanese citrus that tastes like a blend of lemon and grapefruit. I've tried it, along with Yuzu Salt and Sugar from The Spice House--and they're SO GOOD! It's hard to find however, so we use a combo of lime and orange.
6. For convenience, we used store bought fried onions, as they're so tasty and crispy. You can make them at home if that's your preference and you can likewise try fried garlic chips.
7. We LOVE serving Beef Tataki with some slices of avocados on a plate drenched in Ponzu sauce, however you can just serve it as is.

Can You Make Beef Tataki Ahead of Time?

Ideally, I would almost always make this recipe ahead of time as it allows for extra chilling time for the steak. So one day ahead, you can prepare the steak and the sauce. Keep them separately in the fridge, assemble and serve the next day. 

How to Store and Enjoy Leftover Tataki?

Store any leftover in an airtight container and enjoy the next day for lunch or dinner. We love serving it over salad like our Ahi Tuna Salad. Keep in mind that the beef will not be pink on the inside anymore, but it still tastes delicious! 

What types of Beef cuts can be used for Tataki?

While we LOVE a tenderloin or filet mignon, you can like wise use Ribeye Steak or even a sirloin.

Is it Safe to eat Beef Rare?

We always let our butcher know we’re serving the beef raw or rare so we can secure the freshest and highest quality meat. Similar to our Steak Tartare and Beef Carpaccio, we don’t recommend raw beef to someone who’s pregnant, or has certain health conditions for risk of food illness. 

How to Serve Beef Tataki

It’s ideal to serve the dish with the ponzu sauce, the crunchy fried onions toppings and buttery avocado slices on the side. Nothing can beat it! You can however serve it with noodles, bread, over a salad like Ahi Tuna Salad, over greens like our Tuna Carpaccio. 

Nutrition Facts

Beef Tataki

Amount Per Serving

Calories 343 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Fat 28g43%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Trans Fat 0.02g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 15g

Cholesterol 31mg10%

Sodium 399mg17%

Potassium 677mg19%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 10g20%

Vitamin A 195IU4%

Vitamin C 17mg21%

Calcium 25mg3%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.