Lamb Tenderloin

The easiest way to cook lamb tenderloin to medium-rare perfection. While our recipe is simple to follow the results can easily be named spectacular. Dinner party worthy this lamb cut is also suitable for a weeknight dinner.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time: 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 329kcal

Author: Milena Perrine

Ingredients

5-6 lamb tenderloins
1 tablespoon olive oil to sear

Marinade

3 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 garlic cloves large
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

If needed, remove the silver skin from each tenderloin by gently lifting it with the tip of a knife and peeling it off very carefully with a paper towel.
Make the marinade - finely chop the rosemary leaves and rough chop the peeled garlic, then mix all the ingredients together. You can blitz them with a hand-held blender just to get a better but still rough consistency.
Brush the marinade over the tenderloins and allow them to absorb the flavors for 30 minutes. **
Heat a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. It should cover the surface and once it begins to shimmer start searing the tenderloins.***
Turn each tenderloin about every 45 seconds so they get a nice sear on all sides. Keep doing that until the internal temperature taken with a meat thermometer registers 140-145 F. Then immediately remove from the pan and allow them to rest before cutting into thickish rounds. Serve.

Notes

*The average weight per lamb tenderloin is 2 ounces.

**The meat is so delicate and the tenderloins so small that this is enough time. You can simply allow them to reach room temperature in the marinade.

***We recommend a 12 inch skillet so that you can sear all the tenderloins at the same time without overcrowding.

Because of their small size lamb tenderloins will cool down fast. Try to loosely tent them with foil to keep them warm as the juices redistribute from the center to the surface of the meat. The small size is also the reason you want an internal temperature reading of above 140F for medium-rare doneness - there simply is not enough time for residual heat to carry over and finish cooking the meat while it is resting.

Nutrition