Eye fillet
The most tender steak there is, because the muscle barely works. Buttery in texture, mild in flavour, and easy to overcook.
- Also called
- Filet mignon, tenderloin
- Section
- Tenderloin
- Fat
- Very low, lean
- Best cooked
- Pan sear and baste, or grill, then rest
- Best doneness
- Rare to medium rare
Tap a section to explore its cuts.
Chuck
The shoulder. Hard working muscle and rich flavour, where the short ribs begin.
Rib
The richest marbling on the animal, and the home of the scotch fillet.
Striploin
Along the back. Firm, beefy steaks with a fat cap down one edge.
Tenderloin
Tucked under the loin, doing almost no work. The most tender cut there is.
- Eye filletAlso called Filet mignon, tenderloinYou are here
Rump
The hip. Big beef flavour for the price, and a favourite on the grill.
Plate
Below the ribs. Loose grained, intensely flavoured and quick to cook.
Flank
The belly behind the plate. Lean, long grained steaks made for a marinade and a hot grill.
Round
The hind leg. Lean, hard working muscles such as topside and silverside, used for roasts and corned beef.
Shank
The hind leg from below the round to the knee. Very lean and tough, so it is slow cooked or minced rather than served as a steak.
What is eye fillet?
The eye fillet comes from the tenderloin, a long muscle that sits tucked underneath the loin along the spine. It does very little work, and that is the whole secret: a muscle that is barely used stays extraordinarily tender.
In the US it is called filet mignon, and a thick centre cut for two is often sold as chateaubriand.
What part of a cow is eye fillet?
Eye fillet comes from the tenderloin, a long, narrow muscle tucked underneath the backbone in the loin, below the striploin and in front of the rump.
Location and anatomy
It runs along the inside of the spine from the last ribs back towards the hip. Because it supports the spine rather than moving the animal, it does almost no work, which is why it is so tender.
The head (butt) is the thick end near the rump, cut into larger portions. The centre cut is the even middle, where the neatest round fillet steaks come from. The tail is the thin end towards the ribs, often used for smaller pieces.
The trade off
That tenderness comes at the cost of fat and flavour. The eye fillet is lean, so it tastes milder than a scotch fillet or a rump, and it has very little marbling to protect it if you cook it too long. It is also one of the most expensive cuts by weight, because each animal yields only a small amount.
How to cook it
Keep it rare to medium rare. Sear it in a hot pan, turn it to colour every side, then baste it with foaming butter, garlic and herbs for the last minute. Rest it well.
Because it is lean, it pairs well with a sauce: a pepper sauce, a red wine jus or a bearnaise all add the richness the steak does not carry on its own.
Where to order eye fillet
Sydney has plenty of places to order a good steak, and our pick of the best steak restaurants in Sydney is a good place to start.
Our venues serving eye fillet are Elements Bar and Grill in Walsh Bay and Pyrmont (MB4 eye fillet, MB9 wagyu eye fillet, eye fillet butter steak and salt baked wagyu eye fillet), Elements Brasserie in Belmore (eye fillet) and Elements Smokehouse in Darlinghurst (fillet mignon).
Cuts to compare with eye fillet
Frequently asked
What is the most tender cut of steak?
The eye fillet, cut from the tenderloin. The muscle does almost no work, so it stays exceptionally tender.
Is eye fillet the same as filet mignon?
Yes. Eye fillet is the Australian name; filet mignon is the American one for the same tenderloin steak.
Why is eye fillet so expensive?
The tenderloin is small, so each animal yields very little of it, and demand for the most tender cut is high.
Is wagyu eye fillet more tender?
Only slightly, because eye fillet is already the most tender cut. The bigger difference is flavour: Angus eye fillet is lean and mild, while wagyu marbling adds richness and juiciness the cut usually lacks.
