Italian Steak Tartare Recipe (Carne Cruda All'Albese)

Name: Italian-Style Steak Tartare
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 pound grass-fed, organic beef filet; 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 2 medium lemons; 2 cloves garlic, slightly crushed; 1/3 cup olive oil, or as needed; Fine sea salt, to taste; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 salted anchovy, rinsed, boned, minced, optional; Freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, optional; 1 white truffle, or fresh wild mushroom, optional

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Rest: 10 mins

Total: 30 mins

Servings: 3 to 4 servings

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
468	Calories
37g	Fat
2g	Carbs
30g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories	468
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37g	48%
Saturated Fat 10g	51%
Cholesterol 110mg	37%
Sodium 207mg	9%
Total Carbohydrate 2g	1%
Dietary Fiber 0g	1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 9mg	47%
Calcium 27mg	2%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 405mg	9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

In France, finely minced raw beef is called steak tartare and is served with a raw egg. In northern Italy's Piedmont region, it is considerably different and called carne cruda all'albese, meaning "raw meat, Alba-style." Alba is a town in the Piedmont region famed for its precious white truffles.

This Italian version of steak tartare is served with thin shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It's also common to find it with those prized white truffles (tartufi bianchi). In either version, it is simply dressed with freshly squeezed lemon juice and high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Even if you think that you don't like raw meat, this recipe is definitely worth trying. The citrus gently cooks the meat and it is a rare treat when made with high-quality, grass-fed beef.

1 pound grass-fed, organic beef filet
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 2 medium lemons
2 cloves garlic, slightly crushed
1/3 cup olive oil, or as needed
Fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 salted anchovy, rinsed, boned, minced, optional
Freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, optional
1 white truffle, or fresh wild mushroom, optional

Choose the Right Meat

The quality of the meat is, of course, paramount to the success of the dish. Considering that it will be served raw and the occasional outbreaks in commercially slaughtered meats, selecting the proper meat is very important.

You want a thick, whole piece of beef filet. The filet cut is perfectly tender for the dish and when it's whole, the bacteria that can cause food poisoning cannot penetrate the entire piece of meat. Instead, it stays on the surface.

When you get the filet home, quickly sear it on all sides with the intent of killing whatever's on the surface, not cooking the meat. Remove it from the flames, trim away the seared sections, and you're ready to proceed.

Gather the ingredients.
Chop the meat very finely with a sharp, 8-inch chef's knife. Do not use a food processor or meat grinder because the texture will suffer.
In a medium bowl, combine the meat with lemon juice and garlic cloves.
Season abundantly with olive oil (as much as the lemon juice or perhaps more), salt, and pepper. If you are using the anchovy, add it now.
Let the meat sit for 10 minutes (minimum) to 2 hours (maximum). The longer it sits, the less pink it will become because the lemon juice cooks the meat. Purists prefer shorter sitting times.
Before serving, remove and discard the garlic cloves and arrange the meat in small mounds on serving dishes. Sprinkle each serving with finely shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and paper-thin shavings of white truffle (if using either).
Enjoy!