Filet Mignon with Peach Mango Cilantro Sauce

Special occasions call for special meals, like a steak dinner. That doesn’t mean you have to splurge on a fancy steakhouse. Bring the steakhouse home with this recipe for filet mignon with peach mango cilantro sauce and grilled sweet onions. Whether you are celebrating an anniversary, birthday, or just planning a fancy date night, this recipe is sure to impress your guests and satisfy your tastebuds.

When it comes to milestone celebrations at home, filet mignon is often our go to dish, but I don’t have any of my steak recipes here on the blog. That all changes today with this filet mignon with peach mango cilantro sauce and grilled sweet onions.

This combination was originally created with a tri-tip, but the flavor combination was so delicious I had to revisit it with filet mignon for my husband’s birthday and I am so happy I did. The result was one of my favorite steak dinners yet.

The sauce is bright and refreshing with an fruity, herbal flavor. The onions are a classic addition, with a tangy sweetness and slight crunch that balances the richness of the meat. All together this meal has a flavor combination that has summer written all over it. Try it for your next special occasion. You won’t be disappointed.

Cooking Steak at Home with the Reverse Sear

Mastering steak at home can be intimidating. Steak, especially filet mignon, is expensive, so you want it to turn out perfectly on the first try. The two most important things for cooking a great steak are to use a tried and true method, and invest in a good meat thermometer. Even the best home chefs can struggle with getting steak done perfectly without a thermometer.

When a chef cooks a steak, they approach it from two different angles. First: you want to get a great sear on the outside of the steak. Second: you want the final internal temperature to be correct, based on how your diner likes their steak. Often this means searing the outside in a pan, then finishing the steak in the oven. I prefer to flip this method on it’s head, with a method called the reverse sear.

For the reverse sear you first cook the inside of the steak (phase 1) then finish it off by searing the outside (phase 2). The most noticeable difference is that the reverse sear results in a thinner gray band. If you are unfamiliar with that term, the gray band is the section of meat that is between the seared outside and the perfectly pink/red center. The smaller that band, the more perfectly cooked meat you have in your steak.

Reverse Sear Steak Cooking Temperatures

The most important part of cooking steak is getting it to your ideal internal temperature. While the exact number is subject to taste, there are two key things to remember. First, the searing process will increase the internal temp by about 15º. Second, resting will increase the internal temp by about 10º more. Use the chart below to find the proper temperature for your preferred degree of doneness.

• Rare: Cook to 100º, Sear to 115º, Serve at 125º
• Medium Rare: Cook to 110º, Sear to 125º, Serve at 135º
• Medium: Cook to 120º, Sear to 135º, Serve at 145º
• Medium Well: Cook to 125º, Sear to 140º, Serve at 150º
• Well Done: Cook to 135º, Sear to 150º, Serve at 160º

Filet mignon is a very tender, very lean cut. Typically it should be served medium rare or 135ºF. In order to achieve this based on the chart above, initially cook it to 110º in phase one. After you sear it, it should register 125º, which will climb to 135º after it rests 10 minutes.

Using a Meat Thermometer

For this, you will need a good meat thermometer. I personally own 3, two of which are probes that have separate digital displays and can stay in place during the entire cooking process. The third is a handheld instant read thermometer. For steak, I use both of them.

Start with the probe style thermometer. You can watch the display to gauge the temperature without disrupting the heat by opening the grill or oven. Once it gets to 15 degrees less than your ideal temperature, pull the meat off. After you sear the steak, use the handheld thermometer to make sure you reach your ideal final temperature.

Grill Settings

To do a reverse sear on the grill, you need to cook the steak over indirect medium heat. My gas grill has three burners. For this recipe I put the one on the right to medium for the onions, the one in the middle to high, and kept the one on the left off. I cooked the steak on the “off” section until it reached 110 degrees then used the “high” center section to sear it.

Adapting for the Oven and Stove Top

Want to do this indoors? It’s easy. Start with an oven safe pan, I recommend cast iron, and a 250º oven. Roast the steak in the oven until it reaches 110º, adjusted for your preference using the chart above, then remove the steak from the oven and the pan.

Heat the now empty pan over a medium high heat. Once it’s hot add a little butter and/or oil, then sear all sides of the steak. Again, when you are done searing check the internal temperature to make sure it gets where you want it.

Peach Mango Cilantro Sauce

This sauce was a happy experiment as a result of needing to use up a peach, mango, and cilantro before they went bad. It’s so simple, but adds a bunch of flavor that tastes great with grilled meat.

LIke pesto or chimichurri sauce, this sauce is best prepared in a food processor or blender. The mango should be peeled, but the peach does not. For the cilantro you can use the stems, but I would recommend trimming the bottom inch or two off before tossing them in.

If you have leftover sauce, it makes a delicious sauce or marinade for chicken, pork, salmon, or even shrimp. Also, you can use it as a replacement for pesto in your favorite pasta, or mix it with some extra olive oil and vinegar to make a tasty salad dressing. It tastes best when fresh and used within 5 days.

Grilled Onions

Onions on the grill aren’t new or fancy. You can use a grill basket or even a cast iron skillet over the grill, but there is something about the direct flame that makes them taste so good.

In order to grill onions directly on the grate without having them fall apart, I use wooden skewers. Soak them in water for about 30 minutes to prevent them from burning. Slice the onions thick, then use two skewers running parallel to hold all the layers together. The extra skewer makes it easier to handle as the onions cook and soften.

Filet Mignon with Peach Mango Cilantro Sauce Recipe

Perfect for summer celebrations! Whether it’s date night, a birthday, anniversary, or other milestone, this meal will impress your guests and tantalize your taste buds.

For a complete meal, serve it with Screaming Skillet Green Beans and follow it with a Citrus Dream Tart. Want more peach mango flavor? Check out my recipe for Steamed Artichokes with Spicy Peach Mango Sauce or see my complete collection of summer recipes.

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Filet Mignon with Peach Mango Cilantro Sauce

Tender, juicy filet mignon grilled to a perfect medium rare. Served with a fruity, herbal, peach mango cilantro sauce and tangy sweet grilled onions. This meal is sure to impress your guests. 

4.7 stars (17 ratings)

prep: 20 minutes minutes

cook: 20 minutes minutes

total: 40 minutes minutes

servings: 4 servings

author: Renee N Gardner

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Ingredients

The Steak

• 24 ounces filet mignon
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

The Onions

• 2 large sweet onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Peach Mango Cilantro Sauce

• 1 large peach
• 1 large mango
• sweet onion ends
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 – 4 tablespoons water

Instructions

• Soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes. Preheat the grill with a section for indirect medium heat and a section for direct medium heat.*
• Prep the Steaks
• Portion the filet mignon into four 6 ounce steaks. Season each steak with salt and pepper then rub with olive oil. Set aside.
• Prep the Onions
• Slice onions into three 1/2″ – 3/4″ thick slices, reserving the thinner end pieces for the sauce.
• Skewer the onion slices using two parallel skewers to hold all the layers together. Make sure one skewer pierces the center section so that it doesn’t fall out.
• Rub all slices with olive oil and salt. Set aside.
• Prep the Sauce
• Remove peach seed, remove seed and peel from the mango. Place mango and peach flesh along with remaining onion pieces into a large food processor or blender.
• Trim the ends off of 1/2 a bunch of cilantro, then add cilantro to the food processor along with the vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Blend on high until the sauce is bright green and resembles a pesto or chimichurri style sauce.
• Start Grilling
• Place the onions on the grill over direct medium heat. Place the steak on the grill over indirect medium heat.
• Grill steak and onions for 7 minutes, then flip. Continue to cook the onion another 7 minutes – 10 minutes or until they are tender and golden brown.
• Continue to cook the steak until the internal temperature reaches 110 degrees, then remove the steak to a clean plate. Turn that section of the grill to medium high and allow it 5 minutes to heat.
• Sear all sides of the steak over direct medium high heat for about 60 seconds per side. Check for an internal temperature of 125 degrees and allow it to rest 5 minutes before serving.
• Roughly chop onions. Serve steak with sauce and onions.

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Notes

*Using a three burner grill, I leave the left side off for the steak, put the middle on medium high, and the right on medium for the onions. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 785kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 48gFat: 50gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 2151mgFiber: 5gSugar: 28g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.

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