Nothing beats a good burger except maybe one made with tender, juicy scotch fillet steak! Spiced up with Harissa paste, laden with fresh salad, hommus and a gloriously tangy preserved lemon yoghurt this burger rated very, very high on the burger scale……actually it was off the charts!!
Prep time: 30 Minutes Cooking time: 8-10 Minutes $$ Medium Budget
Allow at least 30 minutes marinating time
Serves 4
4 x 150gm scotch fillet steaks
3 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs of Harissa paste*
1 tbs of Ras el Hanout (Middle Eastern spice blend, recipe below)*
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
50gm bag of baby rocket leaves
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and then peeled into long thin ribbons
1 small red onion, sliced into rings
4 tbs of store bought Hommus (make your own if you prefer)
4 Turkish rolls, halved crossways
For the Yoghurt:
1 cup of greek yoghurt
3 preserved lemon wedges, flesh removed and discarded and skin finely diced
2 tbs of chopped fresh coriander
Sea salt and cracked pepper
For the Ras el Hanout:
This makes heaps but is a fabulous base for many Middle Eastern inspired recipes
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cardamom
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground coriander
2 freshly grated nutmegs or 6 tsp ground nutmeg
Throw all the spices in a jar, give a good shake and Mohammeds your uncle!
In a flat baking dish combine the olive oil, harissa paste, ras el hanout and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and stir with the back of a spoon to combine. Place each steak between two sheets of baking paper and lightly pound with a rolling pin to flatten them out a little. Place the steaks in the baking dish and use your hands to rub the mixture into the steaks ( it’s a bit messy but it really gets the flavour in there), set aside for 30 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the yoghurt, finely diced preserved lemon and coriander. Season with a little salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
Heat a BBQ or griddle pan to nice and hot. Cook the steaks on each side for 4-5 minutes (depending on thickness) for medium rare ( the best way to tell when to turn the steak is when the blood just rises to the surface of the uncooked side). Set aside to rest. While the steak is resting cook the buns on both sides until slightly charred.
To assemble the burger, smear the bottom half of the bun with a generous amount of hommus. Top with rocket leaves, carrot ribbons, tomato slices and onion rings. Lay the steak on top of the salad and top with a good dollop of preserved lemon yoghurt before placing the top of the turkish roll on. Wrap a serviette around your neck before tucking into these gorgeous juicy burgers!
*Harissa paste and Ras el Hanout can be found at gourmet food shops. If you are in a rural area, you can order these items on line.