Originating from the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice, this raw beef carpaccio is served with oranges and a vinaigrette to be the quickest, and most delicious antipasto you can make.
Carpaccio is thin slices of raw beef and was first presented at the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice. Yes, the same place that also created the Bellini – how is that for a culinary legacy, having two legendary recipes on the same menu?
The traditional dish is made with the freshest paper-thin beef sirloin or tenderloin and served with just a squeeze of lemon, some black pepper and shaved Parmesan as an appetizer course. I took this idea and made a recipe with an orange and lemon vinaigrette marinade, but wrapping orange segments with the meat, a play on the recipe of Prosciutto and melon. Since there is no cooking involved, this is the fastest starter your can make… I like to call it “the Italian sushi”.
A couple of tips and alternatives:
– One classic version of this raw meat appetizer sprinkles capers or caper berries on top of the meat just before serving. It’s a great, salty addition to the dish.
– If you really want the thinnest possible slices of beef – and you haven’t gotten your butcher to do it for you, you can freeze the beef just slightly, and then cut it as thin as a stamp. Just throw the steak in the freezer for about 45 minutes and you should be good to cut it super-thin with a very sharp knife.
– Yes, tuna is a perfectly acceptable version of the classic beef carpaccio. So is salmon carpaccio.
– As far as sauce is concerned, please don’t. The beef and the parmesan are the stars here!
– A drizzle of olive oil isn’t a bad way to top things off.
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How to Serve Beef Carpaccio
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
The classic invention from Harry's Bar in Venice gets a gentle and respectful upgrade, to make a lighter and even more elegant appetizer.
Ingredients
- 2 high quality NY steaks sliced very thinly (tell your butcher it’s for Carpaccio)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 large oranges (segmented)
- 1/2 cup fresh arugula
- Shave of Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim off the very top and bottom of the orange with a sharp knife.
- Set the fruit on end, and cut the skin from its flesh, beginning at the top and following the curves.
- Cut out each section of the fruit by inserting the blade of the knife between the flesh and the membrane on each side.
- The wedges should come out easily, leaving the membrane intact. Transfer on a dry plate, discard excesses of juices, cover and refrigerate of 30 minutes.
- In a medium bowl combine the lemon and orange juices, add olive oil, salt and pepper and whisk together.
ASSEMBLING
- Place the arugula on a serving plate. Dip each slice of meat in the vinaigrette and then wrap it around the orange segment leaving some of the meat flat on the plate.
- Repeat this step until you fill the large serving plate.
- Drizzle the rest of the vinaigrette on top the meat and orange segments.
- Shave and crumble some Parmigiano-Reggiano, grind some black pepper, and sprinkle with sea salt flakes to taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Antipasto, Appetizer
- Cuisine: Italian
