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Argentina, Americas

Milanesa (Argentine Breaded Beef Cutlet)

Argentina's everyday favourite: thin beef soaked in garlic-parsley egg, pressed into breadcrumbs and fried until golden and crisp.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time30 min
Marinating+ 30 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsKeep raw meat and the egg marinade cold, wash hands and boards after handling, and never reuse the marinade. Hot oil can cause serious burns: lower the meat in gently.

Method

  1. Trim off any fat and the tough silvery skin around the edge of each slice. Lay the slices one at a time between two sheets of cling film and pound from the centre outwards with a meat mallet or the bottom of a small pan until evenly 5 mm thick. Make 2 or 3 small cuts in the edge so the meat stays flat in the pan. One serving is one large slice or two smaller ones.

    Add in this stepBeef top round or rump, thinly sliced 300 g

  2. In a deep dish, beat the eggs with the garlic, parsley, salt and a little pepper. Add the meat, turn it so every slice is coated, cover and refrigerate for . This Argentine habit seasons the meat and helps the crumbs stick; leaving it overnight is fine too.

    Add in this stepEggs 2Garlic cloves, finely chopped 1Flat-leaf parsley, chopped 2 tbspSalt ½ tspBlack pepper to taste

  3. Spread the breadcrumbs on a large plate. Lift out one slice, let the excess egg drip off, lay it on the crumbs, cover the top with more crumbs and press hard with the flat of your hand on both sides so the coating sticks firmly. Shake off loose crumbs and set the slices side by side on a tray. Throw away the leftover egg mixture, since raw meat has been in it, and wash your hands.

    Add in this stepFine dry breadcrumbs 110 g

  4. Pour the oil into a 26 cm frying pan to a depth of about 1 cm and heat over medium-high heat for , to about 170 °C. Without a thermometer, drop in a few crumbs: they should sizzle at once and float. If the oil smokes it is too hot, so take the pan off the heat for a minute. Keep children away and never leave hot oil unattended.

    Add in this stepSunflower or neutral oil, for frying 250 ml

    medium-high heat

  5. Lower a milanesa into the oil, laying it away from you so any splashes go the other way. Fry over medium-high heat for until the underside is evenly golden, turn it with a spatula and tongs and fry more. The meat is thin, so it is cooked through once both sides are golden brown. Fry in 2 batch(es) without crowding, scooping out dark crumbs in between.

    medium-high heat

  6. Drain on a rack or paper towels for 1 minute. Cut the lemon into wedges and serve them alongside to squeeze over at the table. In Argentina milanesas come with mashed potatoes, chips or a simple salad.

    Add in this stepLemon 1

Cook's tip

Ask the butcher for thin milanesa slices of top round or rump to save on pounding. If the crust falls off, the meat was too wet or not pressed firmly enough. Breaded raw milanesas freeze well between sheets of baking paper; fry them straight from frozen over slightly lower heat, adding 1 minute per side.

Cooking it at camp

Pound, marinate and bread the meat at home, stack it between baking paper and carry it in a well-iced cooler below 5 °C. At camp, shallow-fry in a deep frying pan with just 5 mm of oil on a stable burner on level ground, away from the tent. Let the oil cool completely and take it home in a sealed bottle.