Filet Mignon with Smoked Paprika
I am currently obsessed with smoked paprika. I want to add it to everything I cook. I love the smokiness and kick it brings to anything.
I had a few filet mignon steaks in the fridge and I decided to take the Latin route and use some smoked paprika. I made a rub with roasted cumin seeds, smoked paprika and salt- very simple, yet super flavorful. The roasted cumin mimics the smoked paprika flavor without the kick. It is a wonderful rub for any meat as well as fish. I marinated the steaks over night but you can leave them for at least 2 to 3 hours. I then concocted a sauce. My initial plan was to use some tamarind concentrate with chipotle sauce, etc. Unfortunately, I discovered I was out of tamarind- oh, no, what will I do?? I looked in my pantry and found an unopened bottle of tamarind jam that I purchased years ago from St. Maarten. I took it out and mixed it up with a few other ingredients and came up with a delicious sauce. If you don’t have the same jam, you can use any other like apricot or raspberry.
I served the steaks with brussels sprouts and Spanish rice. The whole meal was delicious, flavorful and quite healthy. I avoided the rice but ate lots of sprouts..
- 1 pound filet mignon steaks
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon crushed roasted cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix the paprika, cumin and salt together. Rub all over the steaks and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours if not over night.
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water
- 2 teaspoons chipotle sauce
- 2 teaspoons tamarind jam
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix all the ingredients together and keep aside.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Heat a cast iron pan and add the olive oil. Sear the steaks on both sides and cook according to the desired wellness. Take the steak out and cover with aluminum foil. In the meantime, add the sauce to the pan and mix well. Bring to a boil and pour the sauce all over the steaks and serve.
