Legume Free Beef Carpaccio with Arugula and Capers
Few dishes feel as effortlessly elegant as thinly pounded raw beef tenderloin fanned across a platter and finished with bright, peppery greens. The technique here — a quick freeze followed by careful slicing and gentle pounding — transforms a single piece of quality meat into something that looks genuinely restaurant-worthy. A simple dressing of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and a whisper of ground ginger ties everything together with a citrusy lift that cuts right through the richness of the beef. Baby arugula piled in the center adds a fresh, slightly bitter contrast, while briny capers and chopped flat-leaf parsley scattered over the top bring little pops of flavor in every bite. Because the entire dish is built around whole, unprocessed ingredients — fresh meat, herbs, good olive oil — there's nothing hiding a legume derivative in a sauce, marinade, or seasoning blend. It's naturally free of beans, lentils, peas, and their derivatives without any substitutions required, which makes it a genuinely stress-free choice for anyone navigating that restriction. Source the freshest tenderloin you can find from a trusted butcher, keep everything cold until the last second, and this stunning dish comes together with very little effort at all.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the carpaccio
- 8 oz beef tenderloin, trimmed of any sinew
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
For serving
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Wrap the beef tenderloin tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 25–30 minutes, until the exterior is firm to the touch but not frozen solid — this makes slicing and pounding much easier.
- 2
Remove the beef from the freezer and unwrap it. Using a very sharp knife, slice the tenderloin crosswise into rounds as thin as possible, about 1/8 inch thick.
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