Tagliata – sliced steak with rosemary
Serves 2 · 20 minutes · Classic frying pan
Italian tagliata is steak seared hard, rested and sliced. A hot carbon steel pan gives it the dark crust the dish depends on.
Tagliata means ‘cut’ and is an Italian dish of thick steak seared over a high heat, basted with butter, rested and sliced. It is best with a properly hot pan, a meat thermometer and five minutes’ rest before slicing.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 2 sirloin or ribeye steaks, about 250 g each and 3 cm thick
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 30 g butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 40 g rocket
- 30 g parmesan
- 1 tbsp good olive oil
- ½ lemon
Method
- Pat the steaks dry with kitchen paper and salt them all over. Lightly crush the garlic cloves, skin on.
- Heat the dry pan over a high heat for 3–4 minutes, until it is almost smoking. Brush the steaks with the oil.
- Lay the steaks in the pan and sear for 2 minutes without moving them. Turn with the tongs and sear for another 2 minutes. Then turn every minute until the core temperature reaches 52 °C for medium-rare or 56 °C for medium, 6–8 minutes in total.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the butter, garlic and rosemary. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over the steaks for 1 minute.
- Transfer the steaks to a board and rest for 5 minutes. The temperature will rise by another couple of degrees.
- Slice the steaks 1 cm thick across the grain and return them to the pan. Spoon over the pan juices, top with rocket, shaved parmesan, flaky salt, pepper and olive oil, and serve with lemon.
Why it works
Carbon steel can be heated dry until it almost smokes, and that heat builds a dark crust before the meat turns grey inside. The low sides make it easy to tilt the pan and baste with butter.
FAQ
What core temperature should the steak reach?
Take it out at 52 °C for medium-rare or 56 °C for medium. It rises a couple of degrees more as it rests.
Which cut is best for tagliata?
Sirloin and ribeye are classic. Flank steak works too, but cook it pink and slice it thinly across the grain.
Why should steak rest before slicing?
Resting lets the juices settle evenly. Slice it straight away and more juice runs onto the board, leaving the slices drier.
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