This Creamy Steak Topping Delivers Deep, Savory Flavor With One Unexpected Ingredient

It's hard to beat a juicy, savory, perfectly cooked steak. But when it comes to cooking it at home, people are often confused on whether they should marinate it or simply season it with salt and pepper; if it's best to use a cast iron skillet or grill it over an open fire; or when to choose a complementary sauce that won't shadow the natural flavor and savoriness of the meat. 

Following some chef-approved tips, everyone can learn to cook a restaurant-quality steak at home. A simple one is to top the steak with a compound butter that will complement, rather than overwhelm, the flavor of the steak. And we can't think of a more appropriate companion to crank the "wow" factor of your steak to 11 than a homemade three-ingredient anchovy butter. Although some might find this a bizarre pairing, a few high-quality anchovy filets melted or simply mashed into your favorite butter will add a huge amount of flavor without the fishy taste.

In fact, anchovies are beef's unexpected best friend — they are the perfect way to amp up the umami level of the meat effortlessly. Plus, you can tailor the anchovy butter to your taste, adding some chopped fresh herbs like parsley or tarragon, or mixing in garlic, red wine, or lemon juice for extra flavor and zing. Thanks to their flavor-enhancing properties and health benefits, there's a strong case for putting anchovies in more recipes.

When it comes to cooking and serving the perfect steak, there isn't a sole right way to do it. Sometimes, as is the case with the anchovy butter, thinking outside the box yields great results. So, for a buttery steak, you can try the reverse sear, a technique in which you cook the meat in a low-temperature oven until it's barely done, then finish it with a sear in a hot cast iron pan over butter to develop a beautiful crust. 

In this case, you don't want to use compound butter to cook the steak, as the high temperature will burn the bits of garlic, herbs, or whatever you've used for seasoning and make them bitter. Rather, add a dollop of the flavored butter to the steak after it's done and rested, at the time of serving. It will melt over the warm meat, permeating it with extraordinary flavor and giving it a silky texture. For a cool spin on the anchovy butter, you could compile traditional Caesar dressing ingredients into a flavorful compound butter, a pairing made in steakhouse heaven. 

If you're not convinced about the virtues of anchovies, or if you're allergic to the tasty little fish, there are other mouthwatering compound butters that will go marvelously over your steak. A miso compound butter, perhaps with a touch of fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary, will give it a hint of nuttiness, while a butter enhanced with dried mushrooms or truffle will offer a classic, earthy flavor companion. If you like things spicy, go for a potent horseradish butter — a tried-and-true pairing for beef. Either way, you can't go wrong with a compound butter for steakhouse-quality steak at home.