Recipe File: Filet Mignon with Crabmeat Crust

Last week, both of my parents turned 40. 

Ok, not 40…but nevertheless a special birthday dinner was on the menu. I had a simple cookout idea in the works, but when asked what they would like me to cook for their birthdays, they chose this-and it was absolutely amazing.

I purchased a whole tenderloin of beef for $9.99/lb on sale the week prior. We were able to cut 11 nice-sized filets from the whole tenderloin, which worked out to about $6.00 per person. I served this recipe with roasted red potatoes and asparagus, bringing the grand total to around $7.25 per person. I’m guessing a restaurant would charge over $30 for this meal, so we were thrilled that not only that we had a fantastic meal, but that we did it for about a quarter of the cost of a night out. 

This recipe is adapted from Emeril Lagasse and serves four. You can easily scale the recipe up or down, depending on how many you are cooking for.

Ingredients

• 4 (6-ounce) beef Filets


• 2 1/4 teaspoons Emeril’s Bayou Blast Essence


• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt


• 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper


• 1 tablespoon olive oil


• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions


• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers


• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery


• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley


• 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions


• 1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage


• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise


• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat a grill to high. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Season the filets with 2 teaspoons Essence, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Mark the steaks on the grill, searing on both sides. Transfer to a small baking pan and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, remaining 1/4 tsp Essence, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of parsley and the green onions and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Place the crabmeat in a medium bowl and add the cooked vegetables. Add the mayonnaise and bread crumbs and stir to combine.

Evenly divide the crabmeat between the steaks, allowing about 1/4 cup for each steak. Pack the crabmeat on top of each steak, gently molding to the steak’s shape to create a crust. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes for medium-rare. Garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and serve.

Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of this beautiful dish as I was busy cooking, documenting the birthday events and enjoying the company :) The filet in the top middle of the top photo illustrates the look of the finished entree, minus the potatoes.

Photo Credit:

http://www.examiner.com/restaurant-in-boston/fall-recipes-filet-oscar-by-fleming-s-prime-steakhouse-wine-bar