Solomillo
The Spanish word for tenderloin (filet). The most tender cut of beef or pork, usually grilled or pan-seared and served rare to medium-rare.
Solomillo is the Spanish word for the tenderloin — the long muscle that runs along the inside of the spine, on both beef (solomillo de buey, solomillo de ternera) and pork (solomillo de cerdo, solomillo ibérico). It's the tenderest cut on the animal, with little marbling and a delicate texture; it cooks fast and benefits from high heat. Standard preparations: grilled or pan-seared, served rare to medium-rare, often with a sauce (a red-wine reduction, a foie or truffle accent on the high-end versions). The Ibérico pork version (solomillo ibérico) is one of the more accessible cuts of the prized Iberian pig; the beef version is on almost every traditional Spanish menu under one preparation or another.
How it's served
Grilled or pan-seared at high heat, served rare to medium-rare in a thick medallion or carved into smaller portions. Sauces vary: red wine reduction, foie or truffle accent, a simple jus, a roasted-pepper sauce. Many Spanish menus list it as 'solomillo al gusto del chef' (chef's choice of preparation).
Regional variation
Solomillo ibérico (from the Iberian pig) is a Spanish specialty, smaller and richer than beef tenderloin, often grilled briefly and served with a salt flake and not much else. Solomillo de buey (old cow) or de ternera (veal) is the everyday beef version, served across Spain in different sauce treatments by region.
- Origin
- Spain
- Etymology
- From the Spanish solo ('alone' or 'only') and lomo ('loin'), in turn from Latin lumbus.
Where to try it in Barcelona
One restaurant on Guidavera mentions solomillo in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What is solomillo?
The Spanish word for tenderloin (filet), the most tender muscle on the animal. Refers to beef or pork; on the high end, solomillo ibérico (Iberian pork tenderloin) is one of the most prized accessible cuts. Always cooked fast at high heat, served rare to medium-rare to preserve the tenderness.
What's the difference between solomillo and chuletón?
Different cuts of the same animal. Solomillo is the tenderloin: the most tender cut, no bone, no marbling, cooked fast. Chuletón is the bone-in ribeye chop: bigger, fattier, aged for weeks, cooked rare over coals. Solomillo is delicate; chuletón is dramatic. Both appear on most Spanish steak-leaning menus.
What's solomillo ibérico?
Tenderloin from the Iberian pig (cerdo ibérico). Smaller than beef solomillo, richer-flavoured, with a deeper red colour from the breed's grass-and-acorn diet. Usually grilled briefly and served rare with little more than sea salt; the meat carries the dish. One of the more accessible cuts of the prized Iberian pork.
Related terms
- LomoThe Spanish word for loin. On menus it usually means either fresh pork loin (lomo de cerdo) or cured pork-loin charcuterie (lomo embuchado).
- Jamón ibéricoCured ham from the black-hooved Iberian pig. The top grade, jamón ibérico de bellota, comes from pigs fed on acorns in the dehesa.
- ChuletónGiant aged bone-in ribeye chop. The centrepiece of any serious Spanish asador. Cooked rare over open coals, sliced thick, finished with sea salt.