Dinner Recipes
Steak Oscar
In 1897, a dish consisting of sautéed veal cutlets, crabmeat, béarnaise sauce, and a garnish of two asparagus spears was served for the very first time. It was named after King Oscar II of Sweden, who was quite fond of those particular ingredients. While you’ll still occasionally find veal Oscar on more old-school menus, nowadays, Steak Oscar is far more ubiquitous — and a culinary classic.
The reason it’s a classic is simple: the combination of ingredients just works. Full stop. Even when you make little swaps — like substituting the crabmeat with shrimp and the béarnaise with a hollandaise, as we’ve done here — you get tons of textural magic. The filet mignon is soft and juicy, the shrimp is firm and chewy, and the asparagus is al dente and snappy.
And the hollandaise! It’s light, bright, and bursting with citrus. We also put some fresh tarragon in it as a nod to the flavors of the original béarnaise. This herby, buttery sauce would taste great with the steak, shrimp, or asparagus individually, but marry them all together, and it’s above-and-beyond fantastic. (And don’t tell anyone, but we make the tarragon hollandaise in a blender, so it’s ridiculously easy.)
Steak Oscar is a perfect dish for entertaining during the holiday season — it feels special but not overly fancy. Plus, between searing the filet mignon, sautéeing the shrimp, and whirling up the hollandaise, you really get to show off the breadth of your culinary chops. Color your guests already impressed!
Our tips: Feel free to substitute the shrimp with crabmeat or lobster; both are delicious alternatives. For wine, go with a lighter, fruitier red, like pinot noir, or a rich, buttery chardonnay.
Share:
Steak Oscar
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450º.
To make the hollandaise: Add the egg yolks to a blender and blend until combined, about 15 seconds. Add the lemon juice and blend for several seconds until incorporated.
With the blender on, slowly drizzle in the melted butter. Add a pinch each of salt and cayenne and blend until combined, about 10 seconds.
Add the chopped tarragon and pulse until incorporated. Set aside.
To make the steaks: Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and generously season both sides with salt and pepper.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and hot. Add the steaks to the skillet and sear on both sides until nicely browned, about 1 minute per side.
Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking the steaks to medium rare, 4 to 5 minutes or until they reach 125° on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the skillet from the oven, loosely tent it in foil, and allow the steaks to rest for 5 minutes.
To make the roasted asparagus: Place the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through. Set aside.
To make the shrimp: In a medium pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the shrimp and sauté until pink and golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
To assemble the Steak Oscar: Divide the steaks among 4 plates. Top each steak with the asparagus spears, shrimp, and hollandaise sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.
Recipe source: Food Network