Pan Seared Steak with Horseradish Sauce
Learn how to cook a perfect pan seared steak like a pro! This easy method is done on the stove top in a cast iron skillet and takes only a few minutes for medium rare. Great for ribeye, strip steak, sirloin, t-bone and more! Serve with my favorite horseradish sauce recipe.
Servings 4
Calories 500kcal
Ingredients
Steak
- 2 12-oz steaks, 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
Horseradish Sauce
- 1 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3-4 medium scallions, sliced and chopped
- 2-3 tbsp horseradish
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
Pan Cooked Steak
- Salt the steak: Take the steak out of the refrigerator and pat it dry. Season both sides of the steak with kosher salt and fresh black pepper.
- Let the steak brine for 40 minutes - 1 hour. (You can also put the steak in the refrigerator and let it rest up to 1 day. Just take it out 40 minutes before you are going to cook it.)
- Sear the Steaks: Put your cast iron pan on the burner over medium heat. Once you get a little wisp of smoke from the pan, add the oil and swirl to cover the bottom
- Add the steaks and cook for 1 minute. Then flip and cook on the other side for 1 minute.
- Continue cooking and flipping each minute until you have cooked the steaks for 8 minutes.
- Check the temperature. You are looking for 120F for medium rare or 130F for medium. If they haven't reached your desired temperature yet, continue cooking and flipping, checking every minute or two. This may take another 4-6 minutes.
- Rest the steaks: Once your steaks are done, move them to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest for ~5 minutes.
Horseradish Sauce
- Make the horseradish sauce while the steak is being brined.
- Mix together the sour cream, scallions, horseradish, and salt in a bowl. Use the smaller amounts of scallions and horseradish to start. Taste and add more as needed.
- Serve the steak with the horseradish sauce.
Notes
- Types of Steak: You can use ribeyes, strip steak, t-bones, filets, or sirloin. The weight in the recipe is without the bone.
- Heat: If you like your steaks rare, increase the heat to medium high when cooking the steaks. They won't be in the pan long and will need to develop a crust more quickly. Medium heat works great for medium rare - medium. For medium well - well done, reduce again to medium low so they don't get too browned on the outside.
- Set a Timer: I set a timer for ~15 minutes and just flip whenever it counts down a minute.
- Sear the sides: If you want to sear the sides of the steaks, pick one or both up with tongs and press them down on their sides in the pan until browned. Do this before they reach temperature so you need not worry about overcooking.
- No cast iron? Use a heavy stainless skillet instead and sprinkle a bit of water into the skillet (a drop or two) to check the temperature. If the water balls up and bounces around before evaporating your skillet is hot and it's time to add the oil.
- Green Onions: You can switch to chives instead. A tablespoon or so of chopped chives will do it.
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcal