Lamb steak is tender and delicious as long as it's cooked to rare or medium rare. For the tastiest and juiciest results, 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! The photo below shows two steaks topped with butter.

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.

Lamb steak is served on a black dinner plate.

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
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Recipe Tips

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 oil.
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:

Cutting the steak to show that it's medium-rare on the inside.

Storage: You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. 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 steak salad or lettuce sandwich.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve these steaks with a salad. Here are a few good options:

Cucumber tomato salad
Broccoli salad
Asparagus salad
Creamy cucumber salad
Spinach salad
Arugula salad
The simple salad shown in the photo below (mixed greens, tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar).

Recipe Card

5 from 17 votes

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Pan-Fried Lamb Steak

Lamb steak is tender and delicious as long as it's cooked to rare or medium rare. For the tastiest and juiciest results, cook it for just two minutes per side.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Rest time5

Total Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 617kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

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℉.
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

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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.

Lamb Steak

Ingredients

Instructions

Recipe Tips

Serving Suggestions

Recipe Card