Juicy beef fillet is paired with fiery wasabi in this vibrant beef tartare recipe by Adam Bennett. If you can’t get horseradish shoots other peppery leaves such as rocket, watercress or nasturtium would work equally well for the garnish.
Cut some of the mooli into small dice to give around two heaped tablespoons. Cut the rest into thin discs, allowing ten discs per serving. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the diced mooli to the pan for 30 seconds. Remove and refresh in iced water until chilled, draining well. Repeat this process with the mooli slices, too ensuring to keep separate
1 mooli, peeled
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Place the discs and dice in separate containers and pour over the pickling liquid at room temperature, refrigerate and allow to pickle for a minimum of 4 hours. The pickled mooli will last up to 5-7 days if refrigerated
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For the quinoa heat the oil in a deep pan until it reaches 180°C. Add the quinoa and fry until crisp, stirring carefully, then remove from the pan and drain on absorbent paper. Season with salt and set aside until ready to serve
Before beginning the tartare first chill the beef in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up, taking care to not let the beef freeze
350g of beef fillet, trimmed Irish Prime (dry aged 28 days)
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While the beef is chilling finely chop the shallots, rinse briefly in cold water and drain, gently squeezing dry. Finely chop the horseradish shoots - reserving the stems for the garnish - and set to one side along with the shallots
When the beef has firmed up remove it from the freezer and, using a very sharp knife, cut the beef into small cubes. Place the beef cubes in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, then add the shallot, horseradish shoots and wasabi paste to your taste. Drain the diced pickled mooli and add to the bowl, stirring well to combine
Place the tartare mix to the fridge to chill for ten minutes then remove and check the seasoning - the initial seasoning will have faded slightly so adjust if necessary. Arrange four 6cm rings on a lined tray and transfer 80-90g of the tartare mixture into each ring to shape. Return the tartare to the fridge for a further ten minutes to set
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Meanwhile prepare the wasabi mayonnaise by simply mixing the mayonnaise with the wasabi paste to your taste. Reserve in a squeezy bottle ready for plating
wasabi paste to taste
125g of mayonnaise
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To serve, arrange the discs of pickled mooli in a circle on the plate. Remove the tartare from fridge and use a spatula to lift the ring of tartare and place in the centre of the circle, topping with the quinoa. Carefully remove the ring. Squeeze dots of the wasabi mayonnaise on top of the quinoa, followed by the radish slices and horseradish shoots. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately
