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A hand holding two chopsticks and serving beef tataki sliced over a plate of ponzu sauce topped with crisp fried onions and green onions, surrounded by avocados sliced

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.
    A piece of filet mignon or tenderloin seasoned with salt and pepper on parchment paper
  2. Sear the steak over high heat with butter.
    the seasoned tenderloin steak searing in butter over a hot skillet
  3. Make sure there's a crisp golden crust before flipping and continuing to sear on the other side.
    golden crust on the filet mignon and flipped 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.
    he filet mignon searing on the sides as well for maximum beef tataki flavor
  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.
    wrapped seared filet mignon or tenderloin steak ready to chill to make beef tataki

  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.

    a sharp knife slicing the chilled tenderloin steak to make slices of beef tataki

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

    All ponzu sauce ingredients poured into one bowl
  8. Simply use a whisk to blend them all together.
  9. Pour the sauce at the bottom of your serving plate.
    whisked and ready ponzu sauce is poured over the serving plate at the bottom of the dish
  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.
    slices of beef and avocados added over the ponzu sauce and a hand sprinkling green onions and fried onions on top to finish the beef tataki
  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!!!
    A hand holding two chopsticks and serving beef tataki sliced over a plate of ponzu sauce topped with crisp fried onions and green onions, surrounded by avocados sliced

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.