There is nothing better in this world than a big fat hairy steak. My favourite cut is rib eye, lots of marbled fat makes it deliciously tender, juicy and very flavoursome.
I also love Béarnaise sauce with steak, but when I can’t be bothered to make the sauce from scratch (shop bought ones are awful), then a butter flavoured with tarragon, parsley and garlic makes for a heavenly meal.
I usually make a lot of the herb butter and then keep it in the freezer – the amount in the recipe below would normally last for a few months worth of recipes.
As it’s finally sunny and warm, barbecuing the rib eye is even better than pan frying. Follow the method below, but barbecue over super hot coals instead of a super hot pan.
My rib eye steak with tarragon, parsley and garlic butter recipe was featured in the Waitrose Weekend magazine!
Miraculous ingredients: rib eye steaks (grass fed and/or organic), unsalted butter, fresh tarragon
Rib eye steak with tarragon, parsley and garlic butter
Ingredients
Rib eye beef steaks, 1 per person (½ for children)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to season
Tarragon, parsley and garlic butter
125g unsalted butter
1 clove of garlic approx 25g fresh flat parsley, stalks removed (the small bags vary in size, 25g or 30g, between the supermarkets) approx 25g fresh tarragon, stalks removed (the small bags vary in size, 20g or 30g, between the supermarkets)
Method
Start by making the herb butter. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape the herb butter out of the processor onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Roll the butter using the surrounding paper to create a sausage shape.
For the steak, heat a dry cast iron or stainless steel frying pan on a high heat for 10 minutes. Smear the steaks with oil on each side and season with salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot add ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the steaks. Fry for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Do not move the steaks in the pan as soon as you put them in otherwise they will stick. Let them first form a brown crust and then you’ll be able to turn them over.
Once the steak is cooked to your liking, remove from the pan onto a warm plate and place a big slice of the tarragon, parsley herb butter on each steak. Cover the steaks with foil and a couple of tea towels on top to keep warm. Leave to rest for 10 minutes – this is the most important bit as the resting time allows the steak to relax, reabsorb the juices and make it taste even better.
Serve with a big slice of the tarragon, parsley and garlic butter.
Preparation time 10 minutes, cooking 5 minutes, resting 10 minutes, 2 adult portions, 2 child portions