Zero-Carb Carnivore | Sautéed Heart & Liver is an easy dish that takes minimal effort.
Some people love offal. Some people dislike it. Others are simply intimidated by it. So today I’m going to share the secret to cooking heart and liver properly, with a tender result and no bitterness or metallic flavour.
It doesn’t matter if you’re following a keto diet, a carnivore regime or neither. Being nutrient-dense, organ meat has an unrivalled nutritional profile that everyone can benefit from – irrespective of their dietary preference. Heart and Liver are the absolute best.
The Original and Best Super Foods
Ox Heart‘s incredibly nutritious profile includes massive amounts of Vitamin B12, as well as Coenzyme Q10, Iron, Selenium, Vitamin B2, plus other Vitamins and Minerals, Collagen, Elastin and Peptides.
Ox or Calf Liver is packed with B vitamins, vitamin A, copper, iron, selenium, choline… the list goes on and on. No other food can compete with liver. It’s the best multi-vitamin you can get.
I know that cooking organ meat can seem challenging, but really, once you know what to do, there’s nothing to fear.
How to Cook Zero-Carb Carnivore | Sautéed Heart & Liver
Most recipes will direct you to quickly pan fry heart and liver, or risk ending up with a tough, chewy, unpalatable result. I have news for you: it’s not true. But it does depend on the preparation and method, and this is the Italian way my mum taught me…
To start with, I make sure to trim away any sinew. Then I cut both liver and heart into slivers, rather than attempting to cook whole slices or pieces. I soak the meat in whole milk for 30-60 minutes. Then I infuse butter with fresh sage leaves. Sage leaves discarded, I add the meat and fry, stirring until all pieces become pale. Then a good glug of brandy goes in. Finally, I add my seasoning ingredients, and continue to cook, stirring regularly, until no liquid remains and the meat is sizzling and beginning to caramelise. This can take 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the pan I’m using and how much offal I’m cooking.
The result? Tender, flavoursome, delicious, and zero-carb. If you have some leftovers, make sure to use them up within 3 days max, re-heated gently in a pan (*do not microwave).
I commonly eat heart and liver twice a week, as a ‘side’, to go with whatever muscle protein I’m choosing as a main course. The image shows my ox tongue dinner with heart & liver.
Enjoy!
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Zero-Carb Carnivore | Sautéed Heart & Liver
Ingredients
- 250 g calf liver (or ox liver - calf liver is more tender)
- 250 g ox heart
- 300 ml whole dairy milk (I use Arla lactose-free)
- 60 g butter
- 8 sage leaves
- 1 splash brandy
- ½ beef stock cube (U.S. option HERE)
- 1 tsp tomato concentrate purée
- 1 pinch fine himalayan pink salt (U.S. option HERE)
Instructions
- cut heart and liver slices into 0.5-1cm width x 6-8cm length slivers, discarding any grey or white sinew.250 g calf liver, 250 g ox heart
- place the slivers in a large bowl, and submerge in milk for 30 minutes.300 ml whole dairy milk
- using a sauté pan, gently fry the sage leaves in butter for a few minutes, until reduced in size and crispy, and butter has caramelised, then remove pan from heat source and discard the leaves.60 g butter, 8 sage leaves
- drain heart and liver, bring the butter back to a sizzle over medium-high heat and tip the meat into it.
- allow all pieces to brown, then add brandy and remaining ingredients.1 splash brandy, ½ beef stock cube, 1 tsp tomato concentrate purée, 1 pinch fine himalayan pink salt
- stir well; sauté until the liquids have evaporated and the meat starts to sizzle and begins to caramelise; you will need to stir regularly.
- serve immediately alongside your main protein.
Notes
Nutrition
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