Some flavor combinations work their way under your skin. They become almost a knee-jerk reference in your culinary vocabulary. I have a few of these tasty touchstones. Hilariously, two of them have the same name – Caesar. I love the cocktail, I love the salad. And both show up frequently in my work. Today, I’m borrowing from the salad. Well, the dressing, to be specific. Everything you would find in a quality, from-scratch caesar dressing, you will find in today’s Ribeye Steak with Caesar Butter. Well, minus the egg. But if you’re ambitious, you could shred a cured egg yolk into the mix. I would be most impressed if you did.
This recipe kicks off with a step that requires no skill except the ability to plan ahead. Naturally, this is the step I most frequently forget to do. And that’s soften butter. We’re using unsalted butter for this because we’re about to add a ton of salty ingredients to it. You want to be able to control the salinity, and the best way to do that is to have a neutral base. Plunk your softened butter into a bowl that looks a little too large for the purpose. It’s essential to have ample space for mixing, your counters will thank you for it.
To the butter, add some finely minced garlic cloves and finely chopped anchovies fillets. I used three. That’s probably a heaping teaspoon of the paste if that’s all you can get. If you’re not a big anchovy fan, fear not; you will not be able to taste them. All you will taste is depth and umami.
Add some finely chopped parsley and lemon zest to the butter. I’m always partial to citrus-forward caesar dressings, but adding a ton of lemon juice to butter would result in a soupy mess. So the zest brings that hit of lemon, while the addition of Dijon mustard brings acid without excess moisture. Speaking of which, add some Dijon mustard to your butter. Finish things off with a whack of Parmigiano Reggiano (Grana Padano is also acceptable) and a couple of grinds of black pepper. Mix everything together using a rubber spatula. You can also use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this, but as long as your butter is good and soft, you won’t need more than a little elbow grease.
Transfer your finished Caesar butter to a piece of parchment paper. Roll the butter into a log and fasten the ends as you would a big piece of candy. Place the butter in the fridge and chill until solid. I would give it a good two hours to get there. I usually leave my compound butters overnight to solidify, but in a pinch, I think two hours would work.
Now, let’s move on to the ribeye steak. I know there are a lot of techniques and opinions surrounding the preparation of steak. I get it. Ribeyes and cuts like it are a bit of a spend, so you want to get them right. But as with most things, the best way to get good at cooking steak is a lot of trial and error. This is how I like to cook my steak. Is it the absolute best way to cook steak of all time? Maybe not. But I have found this has worked for me in the past, and I have reason to believe it will work for you as well.
Take your steak out of the fridge and liberally salt it on both sides. Let the steak sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. When you’re ready to cook, place a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add canola oil or another neutral oil with a high smoke point. Once the skillet is smoking, add your steak. Sear the steak until a good crust forms, then flip it. I usually let mine go for two minutes or so. Once the steak is flipped, add a disc of your caesar butter. Tilt the skillet towards yourself and spoon the butter over the steak.
Now, what happens next has everything to do with your personal preference. I like a rare steak and will tolerate medium rare. And I would call this an opinion that is bordering on unpopular, given the reaction my prime rib and steak recipes tend to get on the internet. So, instead of telling you how to cook your steak, I’m going to throw some numbers at you and let you make up your own mind. For rare, you want your steak’s internal temperature to fall somewhere between 120-125°F; for medium-rare, aim for 130-135°F, medium 140-145°F, medium-well 150-155°F, and finally, well-done clocks in at 160-165°F. Please know that if well-done is where you’re headed, I support you, but I cannot follow you there.
Remember to pull your ribeye steak when it registers an internal temperature that is 5° lower than your intended target. The steak will continue to cook while it rests. And yes, I do like to let my steak rest for 10 minutes before serving. I’m one of those people. If you are not, you do you. I know what it is to want to tear into a steak the minute it leaves the pan.
At this point, there is nothing left to do but serve up your ribeye steak to what I hope is thunderous applause. I like to keep things simple in terms of sides because, well, we already blew our budget on the steak, so why detract from it? A side salad and extra pats of the Caesar butter will round out the meal nicely.
Enjoy!
Ribeye Steak with Caesar Butter
Equipment
- 1 cast-iron frying pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 anchovy fillets ** finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- ⅓ cup Parmigiano Reggiano*** shredded
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard heaping
- 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 2 ribeye steaks
- 2 tbsp neutral oil I used canola
Instructions
- Place the butter, garlic, anchovies, parsley, Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, Worchestershire sauce, salt, and fresh ground pepper in a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, cream the ingredients into the butter until uniform.½ cup unsalted butter, 4 cloves garlic, 3 anchovy fillets **, ¼ cup fresh parsley, ⅓ cup Parmigiano Reggiano***, 2 tbsp lemon zest, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce, ½ tsp salt, Fresh ground pepper
- Transfer the butter to a piece of parchment paper and roll it into a log. Twist the ends as you would a big piece of candy and transfer the butter to the fridge. Let chill for 2 hours. Cut the butter into ¼ inch thick discs.
- Take the steaks out of the fridge and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Let the steaks sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.2 ribeye steaks
- Place a large cast-iron skillet over high heat and add the oil. Heat until the skillet is smoking, then add your steaks. Sear the steak on one side until a crust forms – about 2-3 minutes.2 tbsp neutral oil
- Flip the steak and add a disc of the caesar butter. Tilt the pan towards yourself and spoon the butter over the steak. Continue to cook until the steak registers 5°F lower than your desired internal temperature. I was aiming for 130°F, so I pulled my steak at 125 °F. This is the low end of Medium-rare.
- Transfer the steak to a warm plate and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the steak with a simple side salad and additional pats of the Caesar butter.
