The old steakhouse secret that never tastes of fish
I know — anchovies. Stay with me. Mashed into soft butter with garlic, lemon and parsley, they don't taste of fish at all; they melt into a deep, savoury richness that old-school steakhouses have quietly relied on for generations. Sirloin is the right steak for it too — clean, honest flavour that carries the butter without being buried by it. Charred broccolini from the same pan, a squeeze of lemon, and you've got a dinner that tastes far fancier than the half hour it takes.
Ingredients
- 1 Your Farmer grass-fed sirloin steak (about 420g)
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the broccolini
- Salt and pepper to season
- 80g butter, softened (for the anchovy butter)
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained (for the anchovy butter)
- 1 small clove garlic, crushed (for the anchovy butter)
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, plus a squeeze of juice (for the anchovy butter)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (for the anchovy butter)
- 2 bunches broccolini, ends trimmed
- Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
Instructions
For the anchovy butter
Mash the anchovies and garlic to a paste on the board with the flat of your knife, then beat into the soft butter with the lemon zest, juice, parsley and a good grind of pepper.
4 anchovy fillets1 clove garlic80g butter1 tbsp parsleyScrape the butter onto a sheet of baking paper, roll into a log and twist the ends. Into the freezer to firm up while you cook.
For the steak and broccolini
Heat a grill pan over high heat for a good 5 minutes — it should be properly smoking. Pat the steak very dry, rub with the oil and season generously.
420g sirloin steak1 tbsp olive oilStand the steak fat-edge down for 2 minutes to render, then grill 3–4 minutes per side without moving it, so the ridges leave proper char bars.
Rest the steak on a warm plate for 8–10 minutes, loosely covered, with a thick disc of the anchovy butter melting over the top.
While it rests, toss the broccolini with a little oil and char in the same pan for 4–5 minutes, turning, until the stems are blistered. Add a splash of water at the end to steam them just tender, then season and scatter with chilli flakes.
2 bunches broccolinipinch chilli flakesSlice the steak across the grain, lay it over the broccolini, and top the warm slices with more discs of anchovy butter so they melt where they land. Serve, and keep the rest of the butter log for next steak night.
Appears in
Pack C shares — Sirloin (~420g)
From $159.00$176.67SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 10%
The Steakhouse's Quietest Trick
Anchovies dissolve. That's the whole secret — mashed into butter and melted over hot beef, they surrender their shape entirely and leave behind pure savoury depth, the thing that makes you look at a steak and wonder what the chef knows that you don't. Nobody at the table picks them; they just notice the steak tastes somehow more like steak. Sirloin is the ideal canvas because its flavour is clean and direct — cut from the striploin along the back, tender, fine-grained, with a fat cap that crisps beautifully against a ripping-hot grill pan. Give that pan the full five minutes of preheating, too — char bars are a temperature achievement, not a talent, and a half-hot pan just greys the meat. It's the Pack C steak in the grass-fed beef CSA share, and this compound-butter move is the same family of trick we pull in scotch fillet with compound butter. Make the log once and Your Farmer® steak nights get easier for a month.
Swaps and Variations
Rump carries the anchovy butter just as confidently, and the butter itself is a workhorse well beyond steak: melt a disc over roast lamb, charred broccolini on its own, baked potatoes or steamed green beans. Genuinely anchovy-shy? Swap them for a tablespoon of finely chopped capers — sharper, still savoury, same melting habit. A rosemary-and-garlic version of the butter suits winter; extra lemon and chilli suits summer. For the cut's plainer glory, our original grass-fed sirloin recipe is the reference point.
Storage and Leftovers
The butter log is the gift here: wrapped well, it keeps a week in the fridge and two months in the freezer, and you slice discs straight off frozen. Cooked steak keeps airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days — eat it cold and thinly sliced rather than reheating. The best leftover assembly: cold sirloin, a smear of the anchovy butter brought to room temperature, and rocket on grilled bread. Lunch that outranks most dinners. And if the broccolini outlasts the steak, chop it through hot pasta with a disc of the butter and a handful of parmesan — dinner number two from the same night's work.
Frequently asked questions
Will the butter actually taste fishy?
I don't have a grill pan. What else works?
How long does the anchovy butter keep?
What else can I use the butter on?
Three Simple Steps
A whole table of real food.
Your Farmers grow grass-fed beef and lamb, pastured eggs and the best eco-grown veggies and produce — every item grown to the same ecological standard, every farmer one you can know by name. One subscription, your whole real-food shop.
01
Reserve your share — or try a pack
Subscribe to a share of the harvest, or start with a one-off fixed pack.
02
Make it your own
Pick your delivery rhythm and what's in the box. Skip or cancel anytime — no lock-in.
03
Cook, savour, know your farmer
We deliver in a reusable esky we collect next time. No couriers, no waste.
Price$176.67
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 10%
$159.00
Price$183.33
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 10%
$165.00
Price$158.89
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 10%
$143.00
Grass-Fed Mince, Sausage and Diced Beef Pack
Price$264.44
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 10%
$238.00
Grass-Fed Beef and Lamb BBQ Box
Price$286.67
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 10%
$258.00
Pastured Lamb Roast and Slow-Cook Box
Price$155.56
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE 10%
$140.00
More Recipes
Sirloin with Green Peppercorn Sauce
The steak-restaurant order you can make in one pan
There's a reason the green peppercorn sauce has never left the steak-restaurant menu: it's magnificent, and it takes about ten minutes. The little peppercorns come in a jar of brine, sitting near the capers at the supermarket, and they bring a gentle heat that cream rounds off beautifully. You'll sear the sirloin in a heavy pan, rest it, and build the whole sauce on the browned bits left behind. Two steaks, one pan, and a dinner that feels like a night out.
Warm Eye Fillet and Roast Pumpkin Salad
Two small steaks, three full plates
Here's a quiet bit of kitchen maths. Two 140g medallions doesn't sound like dinner for three — until you roast a tray of pumpkin, sear the fillet medium-rare, rest it properly and slice it thin across the grain. Suddenly every plate gets sweet golden pumpkin, creamy feta, toasted pepitas and a generous fan of the tenderest beef there is. It's the kind of dinner that feels abundant without being heavy, and it makes the smallest pack in the share go further than you'd believe.
Sirloin with Bordelaise-Style Red Wine and Shallot Sauce
Occasion cooking from a bottle of red and a bit of patience
This is occasion cooking, but be clear about what that means: the sauce is red wine, eschalots and stock reduced patiently in a small saucepan, finished with cold butter until it turns glossy. Half an hour, most of it unattended. Meanwhile the sirloin gets a proper sear and a proper rest, and the two meet on a warm plate over mash. It's the kind of dinner restaurants charge dearly for, made from one steak and the open half of a bottle you were drinking anyway.
Read moreabout Sirloin with Bordelaise-Style Red Wine and Shallot Sauce
Share:
Eye Fillet Medallions with Garlic Cream Sauce
Porterhouse Night: Sirloin with Smashed Potatoes