Pan Seared Filet Mignon with Lobster Avocado Salsa

This is a recipe for Pan Seared Filet Mignon topped with a luscious lobster avocado salsa. Could there be a more perfect steak recipe for that special occasion dinner? Pan seared and finished in the oven, this is an easy recipe for cooking filet mignon.

I can’t tell you how many times we pan seared filet mignon steaks in Culinary School. It was fast, and an easy way to feed the entire class for lunch.

The blazing gas stove burners would be covered with French Steel fry pans, each holding two steaks. At high heat the steaks were seared, turning once and then easily finished in the oven.

I appreciate this lavish lunch fare because I’m now fearless when it comes to cooking filet mignon indoors. I’m no longer afraid that I’ll over-cook, under-cook or heaven forbid, burn it to a crisp.

And the best take-away is that I’m not afraid of cooking over high heat. As long as I have the correct pan.

What’s The Best Pan to Sear Steaks for Stove Top Steak Recipes?

This could be a matter of opinion, but the opinion at Culinary School was steadfast about using a French Steel pan. Restaurant chefs use these pans for all kinds of kitchen tasks. They are carbon steel skillets and their strength is in retaining heat. This makes them ideal for searing steaks or crisping chicken skin.

And when seasoned correctly, they take on a non-stick quality. Which means you should be able to cook an egg or omelet in them. I’ve only had mine at home for less than a year and haven’t tried cooking an egg yet. I’ll get back to you on that one. For now I’ll keep that non-stick skillet as my go-to for more delicate fare like eggs.

French steel pans can be taken directly from stove top to oven, making them an excellent tool for meat. Cast iron skillets perform these same tasks and very well, but I must say, I admire the lighter weight of the carbon steel over the heavier cast iron.

With that said, let’s pan sear some steaks.

How to pan sear a perfect filet mignon steak:

• Heat a French Steel pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add clarified butter or oil. I like vegetable oil here.
• When the butter is melted and bubbles subside, or the oil is hot, carefully lay the steaks in the pan, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and let them sear until you have a nice brown crust on each side. About three minutes per side. It’s ok to turn the steak several times, or let it sit undisturbed on each side until browned. Your preference.
• I prefer to use tongs to turn a pan seared steaks. That’s even though I’ve read a fork really won’t drain all the juice and flavor out of a steak.
• Transfer the pan to the oven pre-heated to 400 degrees.
• This is where the second most important tool comes into play to finish these steaks. That’s a good digital instant read meat thermometer.
• Don’t depend on a unit of time for finishing the steak. All steaks are not the same thickness. Using a probe thermometer to test the steak’s inner temperature. Cook steaks to a temperature of 120 degrees for rare, and 125 – 130 for medium rare. 140 degrees for medium. Check the temperature every few minutes.

Instant Read Digital Thermometer:

I have several and use each for different tasks. I find my Deiss Pro to work best for quick temperature checks for recipes like this pan-seared filet mignon. It’s got a large handle, easy to maneuver when fishing inside the oven, it’s easy to use, easy to read, and best of all, it’s got a long probe which leaves me less nervous about burning myself. It also works great on both small and large pieces of meat.

Recipe for Pan Seared Filet Mignon with Lobster Avocado Salsa:

We absolutely loved, loved, loved this combination of flavors.

The slightly spicy bite of steak with the creamy decadent lobster salsa is absolutely divine. And what a beautiful surprise to serve the steak over richly flavored beans. I used my recipe for Bolita Beans with Red Wine. But you can make it easier by just opening a can of beans. There are many brands available that offer seasoned options.

I did not purchase a whole lobster or lobster tail for this recipe, but found lobster meat packaged in the fresh seafood section at Whole Foods. It was a perfect amount for two servings of salsa for this recipe.

This recipe comes compliments of Elway’s. A very popular, very highly regarded steak house here in Colorado.

I hope you give this pan seared filet mignon recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.

Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite filet mignon recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

I’m sharing this recipe over at Meal Plan Monday – Check it out.

Products I used for pan seared filet mignon:

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