Artist’s Palate: Prem Sahib’s steak tartare

By
last updated
in Features
Prem Sahib’s steak tartare
‘TAC Gropius’ small plate, €29, by Rosenthal. Eco-Soft Deluxe pillow, £300; pillow case, £30, both by Hästens. ‘Majestic’ carpet in Antique Silk, £100 per sq m, by Brintons
(Image credit: Gustav Almestál)

Prem Sahib is having a moment. Last year, just two years after leaving London’s Royal Academy, he had a solo show at the ICA. Meanwhile, his club night collaborations with artists George Henry Longly and Eddie Peake have earned him a place on the kind of mover-and-shaker lists that the London media adores. His artworks exude a cool minimalism with fleshy undertones, from pressed puffer jackets in seeming embrace to studded tiles pierced like skin.

Cool and fleshy are also apt words for his favourite recipe. His version of steak tartare is influenced by his Polish heritage and includes tinned sardines rather than anchovies (a holdover from Communist era austerity?) and chopped ogórek kiszony, better known outside Poland as a gherkin. He also likes a few drops of Maggi seasoning sauce. Piquant, cool and fleshy, just like the best club nights. 

Ingredients
250g fillet of beef, carefully trimmed  
Tinned sardines
1 shallot, very finely diced 
2 gherkins, very finely diced  
1 egg
Maggi seasoning, to taste

Method
Start by slicing the fillet into thin slices and place in a bowl. Add the chopped ingredients and a few sliced sardines, stirring together with the seasoning (pepper, if desired) before mixing with whisked egg yolks and arranging on a cooled serving dish.

Sahib has created a site-specific artwork for Bistrotheque this Christmas. His wreath-like giant rubber ring, featuring a brass bell, will form the centrepiece of the East London restaurant’s dining room. Visit www.bistrotheque.com for details.

As originally featured in the January 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*202)

INFORMATION

Photograph: Gustav Almestál. Interiors: Matthew Morris