I confess that I have only just discovered spider steak. Have you tried it yet?
This small, but tasty morsel is extremely tender and easy to cook, as the thin layer of fat on the outside of the steak melts during cooking, for succulent meat.
To really enjoy the taste of the steak, it's served with a simple tarragon butter, that's easy to make in minutes.
In fact, this can be on your table in 15 minutes! So quick, easy and delicious.
Perfect for a treat and not expensive either.
Enjoy!
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FAQ
This little known cut is now becoming regularly available in the UK and is a hugely popular cut around the world.
However, it it a difficult cut and only experienced butchers can remove the steak intact, hence for many years this cut of beef ended up being processed into something else.
The cow only has two of these steaks, one in each hip, as it is a piece of meat from the inner part of the hip bone.
It's rather in the shape of a kidney or an oyster and has a web of intramuscular fat on the outside, which helps to keep the meat succulent but not fatty.
The fat is rather like caul fat, which is a lacy web of fat membrance which is found around the internal organs on cows, sheep and pigs. It is often sold by butchers to keep meat products such as faggots moist and together while they cook.
It is known as spider steak in Australia, oyster steak in the US, araîgnée, (spider) in France and often popeseye steak in the UK. However, in Scotland popeseye can often refer to the rump to be confusing!
I think it must be the fat thatresembles a spider's web!
It has a high moisture content and is quite fibrous, so it does need to rest and be cut along the grain in slices, like flank steak, to ensure that the meat is tender.
While you probably won't see this cut in the supermarket, you will easily find it online from quality butchers and from your local butcher.
It's a great idea for a dinner party as a conversation starter, and it won't break the bank either!
Why you will love this recipe
- Fat to prepare and cook.
- Tasty and tender - no need for a sauce.
- Budget friendly.
- Great for entertaining.
🥘 Ingredients
- Steak - this recipe feeds 4 with 1 spider steak per person. However, they can vary in size and mine are about 150g each. Depending on your diners, you may wish to allow 2 steaks per person.
- Butter - salted butter for the tarragon butter and for cooking the steaks.
- Tarragon - fresh French tarragon.
- Salt - cooking salt or kosher salt.
- Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
- Oil - vegetable, sunflower or canola oil that can be heated to a high temperature without burning.
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
🍽 Equipment
- heavy frying pan or skillet
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- cling film
- aluminium foil
- tongs
- paper towel
🔪 Instructions
Start by making the tarragon butter.
Strip the tarragon leaves from the stem and chop into small pieces.
Put 2 tablespoons of soft butter into a bowl and mash with a fork.
Add half of the chopped tarragon and mix well.
Check the seasoning as it may need more salt.
Scrape the butter together and place on a piece of cling film.
Form it into a sausage shape and twist the ends to seal.
Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
Unwrap the butter and roll in the remaining chopped tarragon.
Leave in the fridge until needed.
Bring the meat to room temperature so that it can start cooking straightaway.
Ideally this means to remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to cook it.
Remove the meat from the packaging and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Rub a tablespoon of butter over both sides of the steaks.
Season both sides with salt and pepper.
💭 Top Tip
- Please don't salt the oyster steak until just before it goes into the pan. If the salt is left on the surface of the meat for any length of time it will start to draw out the moisture and make the surface rather slimy.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Heat the oil over a medium to high heat in a large frying pan.
Add the steaks and cook for 3 minutes.
Turn the steaks over and cook for a further 3 minutes then add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan and baste the steaks.
Remove from the heat, cover loosely with foil, and leave to rest for a few minutes.
Serve the steaks with a slice of tarragon butter and the buttery juices from the pan poured over.
🥗 Side Dishes
Try some of these side dishes with beef
- Fried Cabbage with Bacon
- Cavolo Nero Kale
- Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
- Easy Roast Potatoes
- Honey Roasted Swede
- Roast Savoy Cabbage
- Green Beans with Almonds
- Chateau Potatoes
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
🥙 Substitutions
- Steak - use flank steak instead.
📖 Variations
- Butter - crush 2 garlic cloves to the butter or swap the tarragon for parsley.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and rerigerate any leftover meat and butter for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - place in containers and freeze the meat and butter separately for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat - use cold in salads or slice and use in stir fries or to fill fajitas or tacos.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- This dish is so quick, but to save time you could prepare the butter in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months if you wanted to.
More beef recipes
- Beef Olives
- Slow Cooker Brisket
- Flanken Short Ribs
- Corned Beef Fritters
- Roast Rib of Beef
- Picanha Beef
- Chateaubriand
- Jacob's Ladder
📋 Recipe
Spider Steak with Tarragon Butter
Equipment
- Chopping board
- cling film
- Aluminium foil
- Tongs
- paper towel
- Sharp knife
- heavy frying pan or skillet
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
For the tarragon butter
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon tarragon
For the spider steak
- 600 g spider steak 4
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Strip the tarragon leaves from the stem and chop into small pieces.
- Put 2 tablespoons of soft butter into a bowl and mash with a fork. Add half of the chopped tarragon and mix well.
- Scrape the butter together and place on a piece of cling film. Form it into a sausage shape and twist the ends to seal. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
- Unwrap the butter and roll in the remaining chopped tarragon. Leave in the fridge until needed.
- Bring the meat to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking. Remove the meat from the packaging and pat dry with kitchen paper.
- Rub a tablespoon of butter over both sides of the steaks and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil over a medium to high heat in a large frying pan. Add the steaks and cook for 3 minutes.
- Turn the steaks over and cook for a further 3 minutes, then add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan and baste the steaks.
- Remove from the heat, cover loosely with foil, and leave to rest for a few minutes.
- Serve the steaks with a slice of tarragon butter and the buttery juices from the pan poured over.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
More beef recipes
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe?
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Cara
I had never even heard of spider steak before seeing this recipe! It was so delicious, and just perfect with the tarragon butter. Fan for life!
Beth
I have to see if I have a butcher who can get me this cut. This recipe looks so tasty, and the beef looks so tender.
Tayler
I’ve never heard of spider steak, but wow does it looks amazing! I can’t wait to give it a try!
Ieva
We love steak, but I am never confident in my ability to cook it well, especially the less common cuts! Your tutorials are always so informative, and this post really taught me a lot about how to cook oyster steak perfectly! First time I made it, but certainly not the last! Thanks again! 🙂
Jacqueline
Oh that tarragon butter sounds amazing. I wouldn't have thought of tarragon.
Beth
i haven't seen these steaks come to US yet but I'm going to keep my eyes open now!
Shadi
This was such a hit! Thank you for Love all the ingredients, can’t wait to try this!
Mahy
So juicy and so inviting! I can't believe how delicious this recipe is. Just what I need!
Michelle
I had never heard of this cut of meat, so thank you for the lesson and the recipe. That tarragon butter on the steak is to-die-for