Filet Mignon Recipe
Published May 5, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious Filet Mignon Recipe is pan-seared with herbs, garlic, and butter until perfectly cooked and golden brown. If you follow these foolproof procedures, you will always have impeccable steak.
I don’t eat beef too often because it can be expensive and hard to prepare. However, I do get cravings for it. If you want a great steak, try my Classic Boeuf Bourguignon or Steak Frites recipe.
Filet Mignon
Filet mignon, pronounced “fil-ay min-yon,” is an individual, single-slice serving of beef tenderloin cut from the cow. It can range from 2 ounces up to 24 ounces. This super lean, tender cut of beef can range from around $13.99 per pound all the way past $49.99, depending on the grade of beef.
This can be cooked in many ways, from oven-roasted to grilled to pan-seared, which I did.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef – I used individual-cut filet mignons. You can purchase whole beef tenderloins and cut them into smaller portions.
- Fat – You will need a neutral-flavored oil for pan searing and some unsalted butter for basting. The best oil to use is olive or avocado oil.
- Herbs – I used fresh thyme sprigs. However, you can also use fresh rosemary or sage.
- Garlic – Some whole garlic cloves are used when basting the steak for added flavor.
- Seasonings – I only used coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper.
How to Cook a Filet Mignon
Add cold oil to a cast-iron skillet or your favorite frying pan and set it to medium-high heat until it smokes lightly. The smoke that comes from the oil, also known as the smoking point, tells you when to start pan-searing.
Add your seasoned with salt and pepper steaks, immediately turning the heat to medium, ensuring you don’t burn your filet.
The next thing to do is start pumping some flavor into the pan by adding garlic cloves, fresh thyme sprigs, and unsalted butter. All of these ingredients will deliver a seriously tasty steak.
I personally prefer a rare to medium-rare internal temperature, which is about 125° internally, so cooking an 8-ounce filet mignon using this exact method will take about 3 to 3 ½ minutes per side of cooking. There should be a dark brown malliard crust on it.
Once you flip the steak over, begin to baste it with a large spoon by tilting the panhandle towards you. Scoop up the hot butter/oil mixture and pour it over the filet mignons. Feel free to put some garlic and thyme in your spoon as you baste it.
The last thing you need to do, and it’s so important, is to let it rest for 3 to 5 minutes on a plate once you remove it from the pan. Doing this will allow the juices to soak back in, making it tender and flavorful.
Top off the steak with blue cheese butter and serve it with sauteed mushrooms.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This is meant to be served as soon as the steak rests.
How to Store: Cover and store this in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen, covered for up to 3 months and covered in plastic. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add your desired portion to a small sauté or roasting pan and pour ½ cup of beef stock over it. Cover the pan in foil and cook it in the oven at 400° for 5 to 7 minutes. Reheating your steak will 100% cause it to increase in internal temperature, most likely past medium and into medium-well.
CHEF NOTES + TIPS
- Cast iron or carbon steel are the best pans for a good sear.
- This is best prepared and served at a rare to medium-rare internal temperature to preserve as much flavor as possible.
- If you are unsure of the internal temperature, be safe and use a thermometer.
- Feel free to use your favorite steak seasoning.
- Maillard reaction, also known as the browning reaction, is an interaction between sugar and amino acids in the steak when heated to 285°and 350° over high heat, browning the meat to enhance the flavor and add more crispness. This is not the same as caramelizing.
More Beef Recipes
Video
Filet Mignon Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 8-ounce filet mignons
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5-6 garlic cloves
- 8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 1 blue cheese butter
- 1 suateed mushrooms recipe
Instructions
- Season the filet mignons on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the oil to a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke lightly.
- Add the steak, turn the heat down to medium and then add in the garlic cloves, thyme, and butter.
- After 3 to 3 1/2 minutes flip the steak over and begin to baste them with the hot butter and oil from the pan. Cook for 3 to 3 ½ minutes to achieve a rare to medium-rare internal temperature.
- Take the steaks out of the pan and let them rest on a plate for 5 minutes.
- Serve the filets with the mushrooms and blue cheese butter
Made this last night… it was perfection. Many thanks from one of your devoted commies, Chef Billy.
My pleasure! Thank you for giving it a shot.
Absolutely wonderful.
Many thanks!
Made this today using eye fillet. Followed the instructions and it tasted out of this world.
Thank you ChefBilly for your fab Tasty recipe that you created loveing your videos …. 😀😋
Hey Chef Billy, I went to my Meat Market this morning after reading this recipe and The Guy I do business with there asked me what I was making for dinner tonight and I told him about your recipe. He says he is such a fan of yours too and makes several of your dishes too. I told him how helpful all of your tips, tricks, and great recipes have been in our house. He couldn’t believe it, now we really have something to talk about. By the way…My son is doing an event next Saturday for Famous Dave’s. The winner will be invited to The Jack Daniels BBQ cook off too. I wish you could be there.
That’s so cool. Small world!
Made this last night with roasted baby potatoes and string beans. Delicious!
Thank you ChefBilly mouth watering good 😋😁👋🤩
my pleasure!
Incredible, easy, delicious. Christmas dinner.
so good!!
We made this Filet mignon tonight for dinner. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you Chef Billy for all your baking tips and recipes. I save many of your recipes and have truly enjoyed them. I have become an amazing cook. I’ve learned a lot from you.
Linda Smith
My pleasure!
Wow taste 😋🤩😁recipe of Chef Billy delicious thank you for all you do sharing showing me how so appreciated thank you 🤩😁😉😊😜
my pleasure!
I’ve been cooking and baking over 60 years thought I made the best filets our Family favorite until I made your recipe Wow everyone loved it so much wanted to know what I did to make it so much better!
Thank you Chef
I’ve made a number of your recipes and they are all fantastic! Thank you! I started out looking for a cauliflower recipe which then led me to this filet mignon one and… it was spectacular!! I tried to post a pic so you could see how absolutely perfect it looked…and tasted. Thank you again Chef!!!
I have LOVED every single recipe that I have made of yours and this is no exception, absolutely FANTASTIC!!!
many thanks!
Very Nice. Thanks for the tip on how to slice it!
my pleasure
You make everyone feel like a chef! My family thinks this is better than a restaurant (and it costs a lot less!).
That’s the goal!
We have used this recipe and the Filet came out perfectly! I especially enjoyed the blue cheese butter. Yum!
Awesome!
This was outstanding!! Whenever we have guests for dinner quite often I will make tenderloin with Gorgonzola sauce. The sauce which is delicious takes about an hour to make. This time I followed this recipe and Wow!! The steak was perfect and the blue cheese butter was so quick and easy and possibly better tasting then the sauce! Will definitely make this again and again!
thanks for giving it a shot!!
Sooooo good’
super tasty.
I am a grill guy when it comes to steak! But I found some Fillets on sale and decided to try this procedure for the first time, and WOW did you make me look good! Thanks Chef!
This was an amazing special night dinner. Truly restaurant quality. The blue cheese butter was the perfect touch. The mushrooms were perfection. My steak was a little larger so we could just share one. It was slightly underdone. I was afraid my sear was burning, a novice’s mistake. Will try the Don Vito style next!!
My family loved this. Definitely have everything measured and set to the side before cooking. Makes it so much easier.
I know this is question is in the “you want to do what? to this great of filet,” but I gotta ask. Got someone in the house who won’t eat steak rare. I know it won’t be the same, but how much longer should I cook the filet for it to be medium?
Really depends on the size. It’s also hard to give you an exact time. Best thing you could do is cook it for 2-4 minutes more per side and stick a thermometer in it if you’re not sure what temp it’s at by touch or feel. When it gets to 135 pull it off and rest it for 4-5 minutes before serving.
Omg! This was absolutely amazing!!!!! My husband couldn’t stop talking about how great this was! I make alot of your recipes but this one has to be one of my favorites!!!!!
The blue cheese butter is amazing! I don’t even like blue cheese and I couldn’t stop tasting it. Love all your recipes. Thank you for being generous with your time and knowledge and reaching everyone how to cook.
I don’t understand why this recipe–and so many others–calls for unsalted butter, and then calls for salt. Unsalted butter, to my mind, is tasteless, like lard; it’s just fat on the tongue. Better, I say, to use salted butter and then reduce the salt in the recipe. The final product is the same! And I must say, this filet mignon tops the charts.
Because I want to control the salt content, not the butter company.
Yum. All my favorites. Thanks Chef.
Thanks a lot chef Billy parisi
You is best!
This is perfection! So amazing!
WOW!! This is such a fantastic filet mignon!! And that blue cheese butter is just AMAZING!! I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
My husband is going to love this! I can’t wait to make it for him!