Of all the cuts of beef, eye fillet is certainly one of the best. While porterhouse steaks, rib eye steaks, and scotch fillet steaks all have their place, it is the pure quality of the eye fillet which makes it stand above the rest. Beef eye fillet is also known as fillet steak, beef fillet and beef tenderloin and you don't need to be a chef to prepare to perfection.
Eye fillet can be purchased from a range of sources – a butcher, your supermarket, a restaurant or of course for that restaurant quality at supermarket prices with free delivery – you can purchase it from The Meat Society – your very own Australian online butcher where you can buy meat online.
Eye fillet is lean, tender and extremely healthy. You can roast it as a whole piece, slice into thick steaks, slice thin to create amazing steak sandwiches or wrap it in bacon to create the world class fillet mignon. You can serve straight, combine with a butter based sauce or create your very own red wine jus.
When you get the eye fillet the first thing you should do is lay it out on a cutting board and remove any excess fat. Once you have done this using a nice sharp knife then remove the silver skin. You now have a prime cut of eye fillet, one of the healthiest cuts of meat available.
At this point you can decide the roast the whole piece or cut into thick steaks for the BBQ or the pan. An average eye fillet will cut approximately 12-14 steaks which can either be all eaten straight away or put some in the freezer for another day.
Here's a quick video to show you how to prepare your eye fillet.
Once you have prepared your eye fillet season the steaks with some salt and pepper then a light splash of oil. You can also try adding some various herbs to give it that little bit extra! Once you have prepared your steaks, leave them to come to room temperature by getting them out of the fridge approximately one hour before cooking time.
Heat the frying pan til it is hot and then add a splash of oil. When the oil is also hot place the steak in the pan. Once the steak goes into the pan reduce the heat to medium. Leave the steaks on one side until without touching for 4-5 minutes (see table below for different cooking times). Turn your steaks over with a pair of tongs and cook for a further 5 minutes. The outside of your steak should be brown and crisp.
To test for perfection, press your steak gently with the tip of the tongs (or the tip of your finger). Rare should be soft to the touch, well done firm to the touch and medium in between.
Once to your liking take the steaks out and leave to rest at room temperature for 8-10mins before serving. If you have bought your meat from The Meat Society then you will surely have an amazing eye fillet steak to impress your guests.
Good sides to serve with this include chips, mashed potato, broccoli, peas etc.
Don't forget you can order your eye fillet steaks from The Meat Society - Australia's leading online butcher – right now. The Meat Society offers you restaurant quality pork, chicken, beef and lamb cuts at low supermarket prices, with free delivery to your door in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.