Lamb steak is tender and delicious when cooked to rare or medium rare. For the tastiest and juiciest results, I cook it for just two minutes per side.
Lamb steak is a quick alternative to cooking a whole leg of lamb. Minimally seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin and quickly pan-fried in a cast-iron skillet, this tender and flavorful steak is a nice change from beef steaks. It has the robust flavor and tenderness of lamb, but unlike recipes such as lamb shanks, it's ready fast, making it ideal for a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Lamb steaks: You can buy them already cut or cut them yourself from a boneless leg of lamb.
- Ground cumin: This is an optional ingredient, but I like adding it. I season beef steaks such as New York Strip or ribeye with just salt and pepper. But when cooking lamb, I enjoy the warmth cumin adds.
- Butter: For topping the steak. Another optional ingredient that adds great flavor, so I like to use it. The photo below shows a steak topped with butter. The butter melts into the steak and greatly enhances its flavor.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Season the steaks with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cumin.
Cook them in a hot cast-iron skillet for about 2 minutes per side plus 30 seconds on the edges.
Transfer the cooked steaks to a plate, loosely cover them with foil, and let them rest for about five minutes before serving.
Excellent recipe for my favorite meat. Never cooked this cut before and didn't wanna mess it up because it's sooooo expensive! It was perfect. I think it's hilarious that you talk about having leftovers! We practically licked the plates! Great recipe! Thx Vered!
R Dennis
Read more comments
Excellent recipe for my favorite meat. Never cooked this cut before and didn't wanna mess it up because it's sooooo expensive! It was perfect. I think it's hilarious that you talk about having leftovers! We practically licked the plates! Great recipe! Thx Vered!Recipe Tips
- Just like beef steaks, and even more so, you don't want to overcook these steaks, or you'll end up with tough meat. So it's best to aim for medium-rare (however, the CDC recommends cooking steaks and roasts to 145℉). To ensure medium-rare doneness and still cook the steaks enough to create a nice crust, cook them right out of the fridge. Here's a photo that shows the inside of a medium-rare steak:
- Lamb steaks sometimes curl, as shown in the photo below, because the layer of fat around them contracts and tightens. To prevent this from happening, either trim the fat or make shallow cuts in the fat before cooking.
But even if it happens, as recently happened to me, don't worry about it! While cooking, gently flatten the steaks with a wide spatula to ensure full contact with the skillet. Once they're done, flip them - the bottom side will be flat and gorgeous!
Recipe FAQs
You can simply omit the cumin and season the steaks with salt and pepper. Another option is to use dried rosemary, as I did in the photo below. Rosemary pairs well with lamb. 
I always use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet to cook steaks. It's superb in terms of heat distribution and retention. It heats up well and creates a beautiful crust on the meat. If your skillet is well-seasoned, there's no need to add butter or oil.
Although cast-iron is best, you can use a heavy-bottomed, high-quality nonstick skillet marked as safe up to 500°F. In the photo below, you can see that I cooked the steaks in such a skillet (here's a link to the nonstick skillet I own). When using this skillet, I cook the steaks in two tablespoons of butter. 
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Since reheating steak often causes it to become overcooked, I prefer to slice the cold leftovers and use them in a salad or lettuce sandwich. The image below shows the leftovers in a simple salad of mixed greens and homemade ranch dressing. 
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these steaks with a side salad. Here are a few good options:
- Cucumber tomato salad
- Asparagus salad
- Creamy cucumber salad
- Spinach salad
- Arugula salad
- Cherry tomato salad, as shown in the photo below
- Coleslaw, as shown in the second photo below
Recipe Card
Pan-Fried Lamb Steak
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lamb steaks - 1-inch-thick, 8 ounces each
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Heat a well-seasoned, large cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking, for about 4-5 minutes.
- Season the steaks with kosher salt, black pepper, and ground cumin.
- Add the steaks to the hot skillet. Cook until a brown crust forms on the bottom, about 2 minutes.
- Flip the steaks and cook them for 2 more minutes on the second side.
- Finish by cooking the strips of fat on the edges, about 30 seconds for each edge.
- Transfer the steaks to plates, loosely cover them with foil, and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If you have a smoke alarm near your kitchen, open your kitchen windows and run your range hood fan on high.
- You don't want to overcook these steaks, or you'll end up with tough meat. It's best to aim for medium-rare. To ensure medium-rare doneness and still cook the steaks enough to create a nice crust, cook them right out of the fridge. Don't let them get to room temperature before cooking. A 1-inch-thick steak should be pan-fried for no longer than 2 minutes per side, plus a few seconds on the edges. However, the CDC recommends cooking steaks and roasts to 145℉.
- The steaks sometimes curl because the layer of fat around them contracts and tightens. To prevent this from happening, make shallow cuts in the fat before cooking.
- Rest the steak before eating to allow juices to redistribute and settle.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power. But since reheating steak often causes it to become overcooked, I prefer to slice the leftovers and use them cold in a salad.
Nutrition per Serving
Save this Recipe!
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
We will also add you to our weekly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime. See healthyrecipesblogs.com/privacy/ to learn how we use your email.
Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Lifesart says
Leftovers? LOL! The last time I cooked an 8 lb leg, I only had leftovers for 3 hours. They disappeared into sandwiches and went back to my nephew's house. Later he said he ate them on the trip, which is about 90 minutes.
Anyway, now that I have only myself to cook for, lamb steaks are very important. Though I've been cooking them at a fairly high temp (375f), I'll boost it to 400 or 425 this time.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Haha I agree - these are too delicious to store. Thanks for the review! Much appreciated.
Tomas says
Very easy recipe, the great meat. Thank you.
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Tomas! Glad you liked it.
Aĺexander says
super easy, I will cook more often,
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Alexander. Thanks for the comment.
R Dennis says
Excellent recipe for my fav meat. Never cooked this cut before and didn't wanna mess it up because it's sooooo expensive! It was perfect. I think it's hilarious that you talk about having leftovers! We practically licked the plates! Great recipe! Thx Vered!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're most welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
T says
This recipe is really tasty and simple!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it!