Ingredient

Fillet steak

The fillet, or tenderloin, is a long muscle running along the inside of the spine that does almost no work at all. That is precisely why it is the tenderest cut on the animal and why it has the least flavour, and both facts follow from the same thing.

Tenderness without flavour

Flavour in beef develops in muscles that work. Work brings blood, blood brings myoglobin, and the associated compounds are much of what makes beef taste of beef. The fillet is protected inside the ribcage and barely moves.

It also carries almost no intramuscular fat, and fat is where a great many flavour compounds sit. So a fillet is soft, fine-grained and mild — which is exactly what some people want and exactly what disappoints others.

This is why fillet is nearly always served with something assertive: a peppercorn sauce, a béarnaise, a wrapping of pastry and mushroom duxelles, or simply a great deal of butter. It is a texture that needs a flavour brought to it.

The parts of a fillet

Butt end

The thick end, nearest the rump. Slightly firmer and more flavourful. Good for roasting whole.

Centre cut

Even in diameter, the classic filet mignon and chateaubriand. The most expensive part and the most uniform.

Tail

Thin and tapering. Best for stroganoff, stir-fry or trimming into medallions.

Chain

A ragged strip of muscle running alongside, usually removed. Full of sinew but well-flavoured — good for mince or a stir-fry.

Silverskin

A tough silvery membrane on the surface. It must be trimmed off, as it does not soften and contracts in heat.

Cooking a thick piece evenly

The problem with fillet is its shape: thick and round, so the outside overcooks before the middle warms.

1. Trim the silverskin by sliding a thin knife under it and running the blade along, angled slightly upwards.
2. For steaks, cut at least four centimetres thick. Thin fillet is a waste of the cut.
3. Bring it well towards room temperature. This matters more here than for any other steak.
4. Sear hard on all faces including the edges — a fillet has a lot of edge.
5. Finish in a moderate oven rather than continuing in the pan, so the heat penetrates without burning the crust.
6. Rest for at least as long as it cooked. Fillet carries a lot of carryover heat because of its thickness.

When it is worth it

• Beef Wellington, where the even shape and the absence of fat and sinew are exactly what the dish needs.
• Chateaubriand, the thick centre cut roasted whole and carved, for two.
• Steak tartare, where tenderness and a clean flavour are the whole point — and where sourcing and handling are food-safety matters, and the Food Standards Agency is the authority.
• Carpaccio, sliced paper-thin and dressed.
• Stroganoff, using the tail end, where quick cooking suits it.
• For somebody who dislikes chew, which is a perfectly good reason and the honest case for the cut.
• Not for a slow cook, a braise or anything long. There is nothing in it that rewards time.

Common questions