Tender, juicy pan-seared lamb leg steaks make a restaurant-worthy main course that is perfect enough for any day of the week. These amazing lamb steaks are seasoned with my delicious homemade lamb rub and basted with butter until they're cooked to absolute perfection.
Serve alongside a cream cheese pasta, or a creamy Caesar salad for a lighter meal that won’t skimp on flavor. You can also go for a full steakhouse night with creamy mashed potatoes and indulgent creamed spinach.
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Lamb often seems daunting, but it can be so easy to make. I love to serve these lamb leg steaks to guests who haven’t tried lamb before because this cut of lamb is very similar to traditional steak with almost no gamey flavor.
Lamb steaks also have an ultra-tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s unmatched!
These steaks are finished in lots of butter, (also called ‘arroser’) which gives the meat extra moisture and makes the outside of the steak an incredible golden brown. It also makes the steaks insanely flavorful! This step is technically optional, but you won’t want to skip it.
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- Unique Main Course. Switch up steak night with these uniquely delicious lamb leg steaks.
- Absolutely Delicious. These juicy lamb steaks are generously coated in my amazing lamb rub and then basted in butter – what’s not to love.
- Done in Under 30 Minutes. These easy lamb steaks only take 5 minutes to prepare and are cooked to perfection in 20 minutes.
🥘 Ingredients
These tender lamb steaks are seasoned with my easy lamb rub. It’s a Mediterranean-inspired blend full of delicious parsley, rosemary, oregano, and sage. The herbs pair wonderfully with the lamb.
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil – I prefer to use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)for this recipe. You can also use any other oil you may have in the kitchen.
- 1 ½ pounds Lamb Leg Steaks – This amount of lamb typically equals 2 lamb leg steaks at about 12 ounces each. You can easily double or triple this recipe if you’re serving a crowd!
- ½ tablespoons Lamb Rub – If you’re running short on time, feel free to use your favorite store-bought lamb rub.
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Butter – I recommend using a high-quality European butter to baste (or ‘arroser’) the lamb.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Pan Sear Lamb Steak
I recommend using a digital thermometer or meat thermometer to make sure the lamb leg steaks are perfectly cooked to your liking. Using a thermometer to temp the meat takes out all the guesswork.
- Prepare skillet. Start by placing a cast-iron skillet or another heavy-bottomed pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Then, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or another oil with a high smoke point and let it come to temperature.
- Season lamb steaks. Next, rinse and pat 1 ½ pounds of lamb leg steaks dry (be sure to sanitize your sink after!). Once the lamb leg is thoroughly patted dry, season thoroughly with ½ tablespoon of homemade or store-bought lamb rub (or according to taste).
- Pan sear lamb steaks. When the oil is shimmering hot, place each seasoned lamb steak in the skillet. Cook the lamb steaks for 5 to 6 minutes on the first side, then flip. After flipping the lamb steak onto the other side (it should have a golden-brown crust), cook for an additional 5 to 6 minutes.
Baste, Finish & Rest
- Baste lamb steaks with butter. Melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter then spoon the butter over the cooking lamb steaks to baste (or ‘arroser’) for about 2 minutes. Flip and continue basting until the desired temperature has been reached.
- Optional oven finish. Particularly thick cut portions of lamb leg steaks can be oven-finished at 400°F (205°C) for 4 to 8 minutes, or until they reach your desired level of doneness.
- Rest lamb steaks. Once the steaks have been cooked to your desired temperature, transfer the lamb leg steaks to a cutting board or place and tent a piece of foil loosely over top. Then, let the steaks rest for 5 minutes to aloe the juices to redistribute through the meat before serving.
💭 Tips & Notes
- Help your steaks cook more evenly by bringing up to room temperature! Take out your lamb steaks and let them rest on your counter for 30 minutes or so before cooking. This will ensure the steaks cook the most evenly throughout.
- A few small cuts through the fat will help the thick middle portion of your lamb leg steaks cook up more evenly and quickly.
- Unfamiliar with cooking lamb? Lamb leg steaks are a great cut of lamb to cook or serve for those who are unfamiliar with lamb meat, as they resemble steak in flavor. Lamb leg steaks don’t have the usual gamey flavor that makes some people wary of lamb!
- Don’t want any gamey flavor at all? Try adding a drop of sesame oil to the olive oil! The sesame helps to neutralize any of the gamey lamb flavor while the steaks are cooking.
- Use a high-quality European butter to baste (or ‘arroser’) your lamb steaks! European butter has a higher fat content than regular American butter, which makes it less likely to quickly burn!
🌡️ Levels of Lamb Doneness
- The USDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) for lamb steaks. This is considered well-done, which is not everyone’s preference of doneness. I seared my lamb steaks to around 130°F (74°C), which is about medium. If you prefer your lamb cooked to a different level of doneness, follow the temperatures below:
- Rare: 120°F-125°F (52°C-54°C)
- Medium-rare: 125°F-130°F (54°C-55°C)
- Medium: 130°F-135°F (55°C-57°C)
- Medium well: 135°F-140°F (57°C-63°C)
- Well-done: 140+°F (63+°C)
See more information about lamb doneness here.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container or wrap them well in aluminum foil and keep them in your refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days.
You can freeze the lamb for up to 3 months. I suggest wrapping the steaks well in heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic cling film, then placing the steaks into an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer storage back.
When you’re ready to reheat, let the steaks defrost in your fridge overnight.
Reheating
To reheat, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and transfer the steaks to a baking dish. Heat in your oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the steaks are warmed to your satisfaction.
If preferred, you can also return the steaks to a hot pan to get a good sear on the outside again.
😋 More Delicious Recipes
- 3 Ingredient Drop Biscuits
- Air Fryer Filet Mignon
- Baked BBQ Short Ribs
- Baked Steelhead Trout
- Chicken Fried Cube Steak
- Baked Eggplant Parmesan
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📖 Recipe Card
Pan Seared Lamb Leg Steak
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place a cast-iron skillet, or another heavy-bottomed pan, on the stove over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Rinse and pat dry your lamb leg steaks then season thoroughly with lamb rub, pressing it in on all sides of the meat.
- Once the oil is shimmering hot, place the lamb steaks in the skillet. Cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes.
- Add the butter to the skillet and use it to baste (or 'arroser') your steaks for 2 minutes. Flip and continue basting until desired internal temperature is reached.
- Transfer lamb leg steaks to a cutting board or plate and tent a piece of foil loosely over top. Let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle before serving. *Particularly thick-cut portions can be oven finished at 400°F (205°C) for 4-8 minutes until they reach your desired level of doneness.
Notes
- To help your lamb steaks cook evenly, let them come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes or so before cooking.
- Lamb leg steaks are a great cut of lamb to serve for those that are unfamiliar with lamb meat as they resemble steak in flavor. The usual 'gamey-ness' of lamb is not pronounced.
- Adding a drop of sesame oil to the olive oil will help neutralize any of the gamey lamb flavor.
- The USDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) for lamb, which is considered well-done. I cooked mine to around 130°F (55°C). If you prefer your lamb cooked to a different level of doneness, follow the temperatures below:
- Rare: 120°F-125°F
- Medium-rare: 125°F-130°F
- Medium: 130°F-135°F
- Medium-well: 135°F-140°F
- Well-done: 140+°F
Rachel says
I made the recipe as follows, including the rub (I zested an orange as I couldn't find dried orange peel), and it came out so good! Paired with some mint sauce I made and roasted carrots- definitely a do over.
Mike says
Cooked as described. However my lamb was pre-seasoned. Skipped that step but I followed everything else. That 130 mark makes them perfect.
Liliana says
Hola Angela, he preparado los filetes de cordero y realmente quedaron exquisitos, la única pega es que 2 cucharadas de sal rosa del Himalaya ha sido excesivo, quedaron un poco salado para el gusto de todos, debo aclarar que preparamos 1kg. de filetes.
Repetiremos la receta, pero con menos sal.
Un saludo
"Hello Angela, I have prepared the lamb fillets and they were really delicious, the only drawback is that 2 tablespoons of Himalayan pink salt was excessive, they were a bit salty for everyone's taste, I must clarify that we prepared 1kg. of fillets.
We will repeat the recipe, but with less salt.
All the best"
Naf says
That may be because your Himalayan sea salt is fine grained. If you use kosher salt, which is coarse grained, you will have no problem.
Sue Jones says
Cooked the lamb steaks as recipe. I used Herbs de Provence as I didn’t have time to make the rub. Then just before I put them into the oven I brushed the steaks on both sides with a “marinade” I had made. This consisted of 1 dessertspoon runny honey, 1 dessertspoon good quality Balsamic vinegar and a splash of Worcester Sauce. It was superb!