The Italian trick for making one great steak look like generosity itself

The Italians worked out the single-good-steak problem generations ago, and their answer was tagliata — literally "sliced". One marbled steak, seared hard and kept rare, rested properly, then carved thin and fanned across a platter of peppery rocket with parmesan and your best olive oil over the top. It lands in the middle of the table looking like abundance, and it came from one 280g scotch fillet. Thirty minutes, most of which is the steak quietly resting while you pour yourself something.

30 mins 2 servings Prep 10 minsCook 10 minsMain CourseItalian

Ingredients

  • 280g Your Farmer grass-fed scotch fillet steak
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt flakes and cracked black pepper
  • 80g rocket
  • 40g parmesan, shaved
  • 2 tbsp your best extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon

Instructions

Take the steak out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead if you can (optional). Pat it dry, rub with the olive oil and season well with salt.

280g scotch fillet1 tbsp olive oil

Heat a grill pan over your highest heat until it's properly smoking — this dish is built on a hard, fast sear.

Cook the steak 3 minutes per side. Tagliata wants it rare to medium-rare — the slices finish "cooking" in the warmth of the platter.

Rest the steak a full 10 minutes on a board. Don't rush this one — slice early and the juices flood out instead of staying in the meat.

Spread the rocket over a serving platter.

80g rocket

Slice the steak about 5mm thick on an angle, against the grain, and fan the slices over the rocket.

Pour the resting juices and a good squeeze of lemon over the meat, drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil, and finish with salt flakes, cracked pepper and the shaved parmesan.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1/2 lemon40g parmesan

Serve straight away, platter in the middle of the table, with crusty bread for the juices.

Appears in

Pack A & Pack C shares — Scotch Fillet (~280g)

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed beef share — vacuum-sealed steaks, roasts, mince and sausages, paddock-to-plate NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Grass Fed Beef Share
From $176.67

Tagliata: The Dish That's Really About the Cutting

There's barely a recipe here, and that's the point. Tagliata is three techniques standing in a trench coat: a ferociously hot sear, a long rest, and thin slicing against the grain. The sear builds a crust while the centre stays rare; the 10-minute rest lets the juices settle back through the meat instead of running out at the first cut; and the thin slicing means every piece is tender and every piece gets crust, rare centre, oil and cheese. A marbled scotch fillet is the perfect cut for it because the fat through the eye keeps rare meat silky rather than firm — each slice arrives already seasoned from within. Ours comes from smaller-framed grass-fed cattle, which is part of why the grain of the meat stays fine — there's a good yarn on that in why smaller cattle make better steaks. The Your Farmer® scotch turns up in Pack A and Pack C of the beef share, and this is the dressiest fifteen minutes of effort it will ever ask of you.

Swaps and Variations

In Tuscany this is as often made with sirloin — the share's grass-fed sirloin takes the identical treatment, just with a slightly firmer bite. A drizzle of good balsamic instead of (or as well as) the lemon is classic. In summer, scatter halved cherry tomatoes through the rocket; in winter, shaved fennel and a few toasted pine nuts. The one non-negotiable is the olive oil: this is the dish to open the good bottle for, because you'll taste it.

Storage and Leftovers

Like every rare-sliced dish, tagliata is best the moment it hits the table, and the dressed rocket won't hold. If there are leftover slices, lift them off the leaves, and they'll keep 2 days in the fridge. Don't reheat them — thin rare slices cook through in seconds and lose everything that made them good. Instead, lay them cold into a panini with fresh rocket, parmesan and a swipe of mayonnaise, or chop them through a lunch bowl with white beans, lemon and olive oil. Tagliata leftovers might be the best steak sandwich filling there is.

Frequently asked questions

Can I cook the steak on the barbecue instead of a grill pan?

Absolutely — a hot barbecue grill is arguably more authentic. Same timing, same 10-minute rest. Just make sure it's properly preheated so you get a hard crust in 3 minutes a side.

Why does the rest have to be so long?

Because the whole dish is sliced. On a whole steak, a little juice loss hides on the plate; slice a barely-rested steak thin and every bit of moisture ends up on the board. Ten minutes keeps it in the meat where it belongs.

What if my family won't eat rare beef?

Cook it a minute or so longer each side for medium, then slice the meat a touch thinner to keep it tender. It's still lovely — just aim to keep at least a blush of pink, or the slices turn dry.

Do I really need two olive oils?

It's worth it. Use an everyday olive oil to cook the steak — high heat burns off the character of a good oil anyway — and save your best extra virgin for pouring over at the end, where it's basically a sauce.

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