Description
Fillet is the tenderloin, the muscle that runs along the spine and does almost no work. That is why it is the tenderest cut on the animal, and why it costs the most per kilo. Nothing about it needs rescuing with marinade or long cooking.
Take it out of the fridge twenty minutes before it hits the pan so the middle is not cold. Pat it dry. Dry the surface, season it properly, and sear in a very hot pan, two to three minutes a side for medium rare, then rest it for as long as you cooked it. Sliced thick, one 250g piece is a serious plate. Keep it out of the stew pot, where it will turn to sawdust.
Ask for it cut to the thickness you want, or left whole if you are roasting a centre piece. Fillets are best cooked the day you buy them, though they hold two days in the coldest part of the fridge.
About this cut
- Cut from
- Short loin / tenderloin — the muscle along the spine
- Best for
- Hot pan, grill, or roasting whole as a centrepiece
- Texture
- The tenderest cut on the animal; almost no fat
- Portioning
- Cut to your thickness — 2.5–3 cm for steaks
- How to cook
- Sear hard, rest as long as you cooked it. Never stew it.
- Butchered at
- City Market, Stall 56, Muindi Mbingu Street, Nairobi
Cut fresh when your order comes in. Not frozen. If you want it cut differently, say so in the notes at checkout.
Keeping Beef Fillet Steak
- In the fridge
- 3–4 days in the coldest part of the fridge, on the bottom shelf, covered loosely.
- In the freezer
- Up to 4 months. Wrap it tight — air is what turns beef grey.
- Defrosting
- In the fridge overnight, never on the counter. Cook it within a day of defrosting.
Minced beef and offal are the exception: cook within 1–2 days, or freeze on the day you buy.
Questions about Beef Fillet Steak
Is this halal? +
Yes. Every cut we sell is halal, and it is butchered at our stall at City Market in Nairobi.
Can I choose the exact weight? +
On the cuts sold per kilogram you can order any weight from 0.5 kg in quarter-kilo steps. We cut as close to the weight you choose as the piece allows, and the price is for the weight you ordered.
When will it arrive? +
Same day across Nairobi if you order before 6:30 PM. You pay by M-Pesa to till 9700565 when you place the order, and we start cutting as soon as it is confirmed.
Can you cut it differently? +
Yes. Thickness, trim, boneless, diced for stew, minced through the mincer — write it in the notes at checkout and the butcher will do it.
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Nyama choma at home: the fire, the cuts, the timing
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Why your beef turns grey in the fridge (and what to do about it)
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Reviews
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