Milanesa

Milanesa (Argentine breaded beef cutlet)

A thin beef cutlet dipped in garlic-and-parsley seasoned egg, coated in breadcrumbs, and pan-fried until golden. Brought to Argentina by Italian immigrants, it is served as a main with a lemon wedge, fries, or a simple salad, and can be topped as 'napolitana' with ham, tomato sauce, and melted cheese.

Prep

20 min

Cook

10 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (1¼ lb) beef eye of round or top round, cut into 4 cutlets; in Argentina 'bola de lomo' or 'nalga' is traditional, sliced thin
• •2 g (½ tsp) salt, fine sea salt
• •1 g (¼ tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
• •2 g (½ tsp) dried oregano, optional, common in Argentine kitchens
• •2 whole (2 large) eggs, room temperature
• •2 cloves garlic, very finely minced or grated to a paste
• •8 g (½ cup packed) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• •120 g (2 cups) fine dried breadcrumbs, plain, unseasoned; in Argentina 'pan rallado'; homemade from stale bread pulsed fine is even better
• •60 g (½ cup) all-purpose flour, for dredging
• •300 ml (1¼ cups) neutral frying oil, sunflower or canola; enough for about 5 mm / ¼ inch depth in the pan
• •1 whole lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Slice the beef across the grain into 4 equal cutlets, about 5 mm / ¼ inch thick. Place each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet (or a heavy skillet) until evenly thin, about 4 mm / ⅙ inch. Pounding too hard will tear the meat; even, firm pressure works best.
2. 2 Season both sides of each cutlet with the salt, pepper, and oregano. Keep them cool while you prepare the rest: leave them in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature if the kitchen is warm.
3. 3 In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with the grated garlic and chopped parsley until the garlic and parsley are evenly distributed.
4. 4 Set up a breading station in this order: flour on a plate, the garlic-parsley egg in a shallow bowl, and breadcrumbs on a second plate or tray.
5. 5 Pat a cutlet dry. Dredge lightly in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip fully in the egg mixture, turning to coat, and let the excess drip off. Press firmly into the breadcrumbs on both sides, patting so the crumbs adhere; do not press so hard that the crumbs turn to paste.
6. 6 Place the breaded cutlet on a wire rack and repeat with the remaining cutlets. Resting 5 minutes before frying helps the coating set and reduces blow-off in the oil.
7. 7 Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat to about 180 °C / 350 °F. To test, drop in a few breadcrumbs; they should sizzle immediately and turn golden in about 15 seconds.
8. 8 Fry the cutlets one at a time (or two if the pan is large) for about 2 minutes per side, without moving them, until deep golden brown. The beef is thin, so it cooks very quickly. Do not rely on a timer alone: insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a cutlet at the end of cooking, and it must read at least 63 °C / 145 °F, then rest 3 minutes before eating. For pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised guests, cook through to 71 °C / 160 °F. If the coat is already golden but the centre is cooler than that, lower the heat slightly and cook a minute more.
9. 9 Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate or wire rack and season lightly with extra salt while hot. Rest 2 minutes before serving.
10. 10 Serve immediately with lemon wedges. For milanesa napolitana: top each fried cutlet with a thin slice of cooked ham, a spoonful of warm tomato sauce, and a slice of mozzarella or provolone, then run under a hot broiler / salamander for 2-3 minutes until the cheese melts and bubbles, and serve at once. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat until piping hot.