Beef Carpaccio with Rocket, Capers and Aged Pecorino

⏱ 40 min · Serves 4

Whisper-thin slices of seared, chilled beef fillet fanned across a cold plate, dressed with lemon and peppery olive oil, then piled with rocket, crisp fried capers and shards of aged pecorino. Twenty minutes of work, a couple of hours in the freezer, and you have a starter that looks like it came from a Milanese trattoria.

Per serving: 412 kcal · 26.0g protein · 2.0g carbs · 33.0g fat

Ingredients

• 400g centre-cut beef fillet, trimmed of all sinew
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for searing
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• 3 tbsp capers in brine, drained and patted very dry
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, for frying the capers
• 60g wild rocket
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, best quality
• 1 lemon (zest of 1/2, juice of 1)
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 60g aged pecorino, shaved with a peeler
• Flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to finish
• Grissini or warm sourdough, to serve

Method

1. Pat the beef fillet completely dry and roll it in the cracked pepper and flaky salt.
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan until just smoking and sear the fillet hard for 30-40 seconds on each side, including the ends, so it takes on a thin brown crust but stays raw within. Lift straight onto a plate to cool.
3. Wrap the cooled fillet tightly in cling film, twisting the ends into a firm cylinder, and freeze for 1.5-2 hours until very firm but not frozen solid. (Do the rest while it chills.)
4. Fry the capers: heat the neutral oil in a small pan over medium-high, add the dry capers and fry for 1-2 minutes until they burst open and crisp. Lift onto kitchen paper.
5. Whisk the extra virgin olive oil with the lemon juice, zest, Dijon and a pinch of salt to a loose dressing. Chill four serving plates in the fridge.
6. Unwrap the beef and slice as thinly as you can with a very sharp knife. For paper-thin slices, lay each one between two sheets of cling film and tap gently with the flat of a heavy pan or rolling pin.
7. Arrange the slices over the chilled plates in a single overlapping layer, covering the base. Season lightly with flaky salt and pepper.
8. Spoon over about two-thirds of the dressing. Toss the rocket in the rest and pile a loose nest in the centre of each plate.
9. Scatter with the crisp capers and shaved pecorino, add a final crack of pepper and serve immediately with grissini or warm sourdough.