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Mound of hand-chopped beef tatar with a whole raw egg yolk nested in the center, surrounded by separate piles of diced pickle, onion, paprika, pepper and salt with a lemon wedge

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Polish Beef Tatar with Raw Egg Yolk

Prep 25 min Cook 0 min Total 25 min Servings 2

By Katarzyna Jagiello

Published Sep 18, 2026 · Updated Oct 28, 2026

Recipe
About this recipe

Raw beef tenderloin chopped by hand, served with a whole raw egg yolk and small piles of diced pickles, onion, butter, paprika, salt and pepper. Chopping with a knife instead of grinding keeps the texture just right. Each person breaks the yolk and seasons it at the table with lemon. Use tartare-grade beef and pasteurized eggs. Ready in about 25 minutes.

Tip: Chop the beef by hand instead of using a grinder. This keeps a better texture and leaves less of the meat open to germs before serving. Leave the yolk whole in the center. Each person breaks it and seasons the dish to their own taste at the table, instead of getting it mixed ahead.

Equipment used in this recipe

  • chef's knifeView on Amazon

    A sharp, well-balanced blade makes repetitive cuts like this faster and safer.

Techniques in this recipe

Ingredients

  • For the tatar
  • For the garnish plate
  • To finish

Method

  1. 01

    Place a mixing board and your knife in the freezer for 10 minutes. Keeping everything cold limits bacterial growth while you work with raw beef.

  2. 02

    Finely dice the pickles and onion into pieces about 3 mm (1/8 inch). On two serving plates, set out the pickles, onion, butter pats, salt, pepper and paprika in small separate piles. Leave room in the center of each plate for the beef.

  3. 03

    Trim all the thin, shiny silver skin and tough tissue off the beef tenderloin. These parts don't soften when raw, and you would notice them in the finished tatar.

  4. 04

    Use a sharp knife to slice the tenderloin into thin strips. Stack the strips and cut them into very small cubes. Then rock the knife back and forth over the pile until the beef is evenly minced. It should be coarse but hold together. Chopping by hand keeps germs on the surface from getting pushed into the middle of the meat. It also gives a better bite than pasty ground meat.

  5. 05

    Divide the chopped beef between the two plates. Press each portion into a neat, low mound with a shallow dip in the center.

  6. 06

    Carefully separate each egg yolk. Set one whole yolk in the dip on each beef mound. Keep the yolk whole so it stays raised and unbroken.

  7. 07

    Tuck a lemon wedge onto each plate and add a parsley sprig to each for color. Serve right away. Each person breaks the yolk and mixes in pickles, onion, butter, salt, pepper, paprika and a squeeze of lemon to taste.

Notes & swaps

  • Buy tartare-grade beef from a butcher you trust, the day you plan to serve it. Because the meat is eaten raw, freshness and sourcing matter more than in any cooked application; ask specifically for tenderloin suitable for tatar.
  • Keep everything cold until the moment of serving. Raw beef held at room temperature for even a short time is a food safety risk; chop and plate just before serving, not in advance.
  • Use pasteurized eggs for the yolks. Raw yolk is essential to this dish, and pasteurized eggs remove most of the salmonella risk that comes with standard raw eggs.
  • Keep the yolk whole until the table. Nesting it unbroken in the well of the beef is both the traditional presentation and lets the diner control exactly how much yolk mixes in.
  • Make ahead: the pickles and onion can be diced up to a day ahead and refrigerated. The beef should be chopped and plated no more than 30 minutes before serving.
  • Storage: tatar does not keep. Discard any leftovers rather than refrigerating them, since raw chopped meat spoils quickly and unsafely.
  • Swap — beef tenderloin: sirloin or top round can substitute at the same weight if very fresh and trimmed well, though the texture will be slightly less tender.
  • Swap — hand-chopping: a meat grinder fitted with a coarse die saves time, but the result is denser and less distinct, and it increases the risk of surface bacteria being distributed through the meat.
  • Swap — dill pickles: cornichons, finely diced, can replace dill pickles at the same quantity for a sharper, less sour bite.
  • Swap — butter: can be omitted entirely for a leaner, less rich plate; traditional versions vary on whether butter is included.
  • Do not substitute pork. Raw pork carries a materially higher risk of parasites such as Trichinella and is not safe to eat raw regardless of sourcing. If using pork, cook it fully to an internal temperature of 63°C (145°F) with a rest, rather than serving it as a tatar.

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