Fillet is the leanest of the steaks we sell. There is almost no fat to rescue an overcooked centre, which is why people say it is “easy to ruin”. It is easy to cook if you treat it as a short, fierce job and stop in time. Fillet Steak 2x 6oz is the two-person pack in our fillet steaks collection. A whole fillet is a different cook entirely and belongs in whole beef fillet.
Pan times for a 6oz fillet
Dry the steaks, salt them, and use a pan you can get properly hot. Fillet is often a taller steak than sirloin of the same weight, so think in minutes and a probe, not in “two minutes a side” copied from rump. For a 6oz fillet: 2 minutes first side, 2 minutes second side, then 30 seconds on the edges if it is a tall barrel. Probe for 48–50°C for rare, 52°C for medium-rare. Rest 5 minutes under loose foil. Past medium, fillet dries out and you have paid fillet money for a texture you could have had from a cheaper cut.
A spoon of butter and a crushed garlic clove in the last 30 seconds is enough. Do not drown it. Fillet’s selling point is tenderness and a clean beef flavour; heavy sauces hide both. Pepper after it comes out of the pan.
BBQ and air fryer fillet
BBQ fillet over direct heat for 2 minutes a side, then 2 minutes on the cool side with the lid down if the centre is still cold. Air fryer: 200°C for 7 to 8 minutes, turning once, rest 5 minutes. Because there is so little fat, brush a teaspoon of oil on the steak before it goes in or the outside will look pale. Neither method beats a pan for crust, but both will get a 6oz fillet to medium-rare without a fuss.
Steak versus a whole fillet roast
Two 6oz steaks are supper. Fresh Whole Beef Fillet 1.2-1.8kg or the frozen whole fillet is a roast for a table: brown it in a pan, then 180°C for about 20 to 25 minutes depending on weight, probing for 52°C in the thickest part, rest 15 minutes, and slice thick. That is a different meal to steak for two. Do not buy a whole fillet because it looks impressive and then try to cook it like two steaks; you will grey the outside before the middle is warm.
Pull fillet early, rest it, and serve it simply. That is how you get the tenderness you paid for.