The best way to cook eye fillet steak is a hard sear in a hot pan, a gentle finish in the oven, a pull at 57C for medium rare and a short rest before slicing.
Knowing how to cook eye fillet steak matters, because the cut is so lean that a minute too long takes it from juicy to dry.
This guide covers the pan and oven method, pull and final temperatures, the BBQ, resting and how to cut even steaks from a whole fillet.
How to Cook Eye Fillet Steak: Quick Method and Cooking Time
Pat the steaks dry, sear them in a very hot pan until every side is well browned, then finish them in the oven until the centre reads 57C for medium rare.
Eye fillet is the most tender cut on the animal, but its leanness leaves little fat to protect it, so thickness rather than weight sets the timing. A thick medallion needs a longer oven finish than a thin one, which is why a probe thermometer is more reliable than the clock.
Pull the steak at 52C for rare, 57C for medium rare or 62C for medium, then let it rest while carryover heat lifts the centre another 3 to 5C.
As a general guide, Australian Beef's classic eye fillet steak recipe cooks 150g steaks over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes each side, then rests them for 5 minutes under foil. Treat any time as a starting point and let the probe decide when the steak comes off.
How to Cut Eye Fillet Steaks From a Whole Fillet
To cut steaks from a whole eye fillet, trim off the chain and silverskin, slice the even centre into medallions of the same thickness, and keep the head and tail for other dishes.
These steps suit a whole fillet such as the Southern Ranges SR+ eye fillet, sold as a pair of roughly 2.2kg pieces. If the chain or silverskin is still attached when it arrives, remove it before you portion the fillet.
For a crowd, roasting the fillet whole is the easier option.
Remove the Chain and Silverskin
The chain is the thin, fatty strip of muscle along one side, and it pulls away with a few knife strokes. Slide a thin blade under the silverskin and cut it away in strips, as it turns chewy in the pan.
Cut Even Medallions
Cut the thick centre into steaks of the same thickness, whether 2.5cm, 4cm or 5cm, so every piece finishes at once. The wider head makes smaller steaks, and the tapered tail suits steak tartare, carpaccio or a quick stir fry.
Tie, Season and Temper
Tie each medallion around its middle with kitchen string to hold a neat shape. Salt just before cooking or at least 40 minutes ahead, since salt added in between leaves moisture on the surface. Let the chill come off the steaks on the bench while the pan and oven heat.
Best Way to Cook Eye Fillet: Pan Sear and Oven Finish
The best way to cook eye fillet is to sear it hard in a heavy pan, baste it briefly with butter, then finish it gently in the oven.
- Heat the oven, then heat a cast iron pan until it smokes.
- Pat the steaks dry and coat them lightly in high smoke point oil.
- Sear until a deep crust forms, then turn and sear the other side and the edges.
- Lower the heat, add butter, garlic and thyme, and spoon the foam over as a quick garlic butter baste.
- Transfer the pan to the oven until the centre reads your pull temperature.
- Rest on a warm plate before serving.
Cooking Eye Fillet on the BBQ
Set up a hot zone and a cooler zone. Sear the medallions over direct heat until browned on every side, then move them to the cooler side, close the lid and cook until the probe reaches your pull temperature.
Reverse Sear for Thick Medallions
For medallions over 4cm, a reverse sear gives the most even colour from edge to centre. Cook them in a low oven until the centre sits a few degrees below your pull temperature, then sear them hard for the crust.
Eye Fillet Cooking Temperatures and Resting
For medium rare eye fillet, pull the steak at 57C and let it rest to a final 60 to 63C, because carryover heat lifts the centre a few degrees after it leaves the pan.
| Doneness | Pull from the heat | Final after resting |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 52C | 55 to 60C |
| Medium rare | 57C | 60 to 63C |
| Medium | 62C | 65 to 70C |
| Well done | 70 to 72C | 75C |
Eye fillet has almost no marbling to keep it moist, so it is at its best between rare and medium. Past medium, the fibres tighten, juice is squeezed out and the soft texture you paid for turns dry.
The Food Safety Information Council recommends cooking whole cuts of beef to at least 63C and resting them for 3 minutes, and mince, sausages and rolled or stuffed roasts to 75C. Rarer beef is a personal choice that pregnant women, older people, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system are safest avoiding.
Rest the steaks for about 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil on a warm plate, and give thicker medallions a little longer. Resting lets carryover heat finish the centre and keeps the juices in the meat when you slice.
Common Mistakes That Dry Out Eye Fillet
Most dry eye fillet comes down to five avoidable mistakes: a cold or crowded pan, a wet surface, guessing instead of probing, slicing too soon and cooking a lean steak past medium.
- Cold or crowded pan: the steaks steam and turn grey instead of browning, so cook in batches if needed and wait for the pan to smoke.
- Wet surface: moisture blocks the crust, so pat the steaks dry with paper towel before they go in.
- No thermometer: a lean fillet gives few visual clues, and an instant-read probe takes the guesswork out.
- Slicing too soon: cutting straight from the pan sends the juices onto the board instead of keeping them in the meat.
- Overcooking grass-fed fillet: with so little fat, a few degrees past medium is enough to dry it out.
Because eye fillet is mild, a sauce does a lot of work at the table. A classic pepper sauce or a red wine jus adds the depth the cut lacks without hiding its texture, and a knob of garlic butter works too.
Conclusion
Juicy eye fillet comes down to even thickness, a hot sear, a gentle finish and a probe that tells you when to stop.
Pull it at 57C for medium rare, then rest it before slicing.
Cut your own medallions from the eye fillet range, with grass-fed Angus and Wagyu options delivered chilled.
