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Are you looking for a great alternative to steak tartare? Try this delicious vegetarian tomato tartare. Super easy to make and just as good as the original! It’s a perfect appetizer for the festive season.
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Tomato tartare recipe
Two years ago I posted this recipe for steak tartare which is a classic and still one of my absolute favorites but if you’re not into meat or raw meat, you might be looking for a good alternative that would still look impressive on the dinner table. Now tomatoes can be quite similar in structure to meat in a way and this tomato tartare is so good!
What goes into the Tomato Tartar?
You can make your own mayonnaise for the tomato tartare, but you can also use a jar. You’ll need the following (see the recipe card for full details!) main ingredients.
- Coeur de boeuf tomatoes – you can also use other firm fresh tomatoes
- cornichons – small gherkins
- Apple capers and regular capers
- Worcestershire sauce
- Quail eggs – you can use regular eggs, or leave them out. Traditionally a steak tartar is served with an egg yolk on top. I opted for cute quail eggs instead.
- Mayonnaise
How to make the Tomato Tartar
To make the tartar, start by peeling the tomatoes. The skin is not very nice. You want a nice soft tartar. To peel the tomatoes, first cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife.
Put the tomatoes in boiling water and leave them for a while. You will see the skin come off. This takes a few minutes. Now plunge them into an ice bath and leave them there for a while. The skin should peel away easily now.
Remove excess moisture
Once you have skinned the tomatoes, you will want to remove any excess moisture. To do this, cut the tomatoes into quarters.
Now remove the seeds and the moist part of the centre of the tomato. Cut the rest of the tomato flesh into small pieces. Sprinkle generously with salt and place in a cheese cloth in a sieve. Leave to rest for an hour. After an hour, carefully squeeze the excess moisture out of the cloth, leaving only the pure tomato.
Seasoning
Your tomato tartare is now ready to be seasoned. First, mix the drained tomatoes in a small bowl with the mayonnaise, red onion and chopped cornichons. Season to taste with salt and pepper. A little bit of dijon mustard is also nice to give it an extra kick.
To finish the plates, it is nice to arrange the tomato tartare in a ring or round cookie cutter, as you would with a steak tartare. Just add the tomato mixture to the ring and press it down gently. You’ll need a 3-inch ring mold or something similar Garnish with some cress and a boiled quail egg. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately. It’s nice to serve with some bread slices or crispy toast. Or just some potato chips is also delicious.
Questions about Tomato Tartar
As tomatoes contain a lot of moisture (even though you have already removed most of it), it is better not to prepare it too long in advance. Keep it for about an hour at the most. You can prepare it just before you eat it, but don’t let it stand too long.
You can prepare the different parts and put them together just before serving.
Yes, you can use other firm tomatoes for your tomato tartare. Think of Roma tomatoes, for example. The firmer the tomato, the better the tartar will hold.
tomato tartare
Ingredients
- 750 grams cote de boeuf tomatoes
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1/2 red onion
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 8 cornichons or gherkins
- 6 apple capers
- 4 quail eggs
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
To serve
- Handful of cress
- Toast
Equipment
- Ice Water
- Cheesecloth
How to make the tomato tartar
- Put a pan of water on the heat and bring to the boil.
- Score the tomatoes with a knife and plunge them into the boiling water for a few minutes. When the skin comes off, place the tomatoes in ice water to cool. Peel the tomatoes.
- Quarter the tomatoes and remove the flesh. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and sprinkle them generously with salt. Drain them in a cloth in a sieve for an hour. After an hour, wring the tomatoes out well to remove most of the moisture.
- Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and mix with two tablespoons of mayo.
- Finely chop the red onion and cornichons and stir into the tomato mixture. Cook the quail eggs in boiling water for 2.5 minutes, then chill in ice water. Carefully peel and halve the quail eggs.
- To garnish, arrange the tomatoes in a ring mold with some cress and the egg on top. Drizzle a little olive oil over the plate and you're ready. Delicious with toast!
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
