Beef liver on the stove with caramelized onions is lightly breaded for a protein-packed meal. If you loved our pressure cooker liver this is yet another way to cook it for dinner as well.
How to cook liver takes very little prep. You want calf liver to become fork tender and seasoning is important. Onions are a must if you ask most people too. Get your your skillet and let’s get started. (affiliate links present)
How is Liver Supposed to be Cooked?
Just like how to cook beef heart this is delicate so it doesn’t need long. You definitely want something in the pan like butter (best option) or olive oil to keep it nice and moist. Adding salt and a bit of sweetness like brown sugar with onions is usually the most popular method. Organ meat does have a strong flavor that isn’t always enjoyed.
If you saute it with a sweet and savory mixture of flavors you can kinda’ counterbalance the strong beefy flavor.
Yellow onions are your best bet, even minced garlic would be fabulous. As far as seasonings on the meat itself, salt and pepper is really all you need. Coating it with flour will create a nice crust, the best way I say.
Should Beef Liver be Soaked Before Cooking?
Um, yes, how to cook beef liver starts with this step. It will help tone down the strong liver taste as well. Some prefer buttermilk, a long time, raw milk, etc…. I have to use Lactaid for a lactose free version for my husband and that works just as well for this. For this batch we used the following ingredients;
Making a batch of caramelized onions while your meat is resting is ideal when cooking organ meat. I mean they’re a must y’all. Don’t start counting calories like at this point. 😉 You definitely want to add lots of flavor or it will be rather strong with organ flavors. How much you add and how thick the coating is is up to you of course.
How to Prepare
- Soak your pieces for at least 20 minutes but I will leave the bowl in the fridge for a good hour. This is going to subdue the strong flavor and tenderize it a bit as well so don’t skip this step.
- Pat dry with a few paper towels, if you want the ideal exterior texture of becoming a bit crispy this is extremely important, then you will want to cut into pieces, about portion sized for your family.
- Coat in flour on all sides that has been seasoned to add flavor and create a light coating that can get a bit crisp. If you do not coat liver in breadcrumbs or something the meat won’t be as tender
How Long to Pan Fry Liver
You only need about 6 minutes in a large skillet over medium high heat after you soak the liver slices. Coated thinly sliced beef liver and onions sauteed together with a few tablespoons of butter is ideal to add flavor and make this crispy beef liver recipe.
From Frozen
Forgot to defrost and you need instructions on cooking frozen meat? I have tips for you here in this link. Biggest difference is you wouldn’t be able to coat the outside in flour and a lid would be necessary to sort of steam it while it is thawing in the beginning.
How to Serve
Traditionally, I will serve organ meat over a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes. My family does want some sort of carbs with this protein packed dish and this is our favorite choice.
How to Cook Beef Liver
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs liver
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 c milk
- Caramelized onions
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Put beef liver slices in a bowl and pour over milk. Leave for 20 minutes (or an hour or two in the refrigerator). Pour flour into another bowl and add salt, spices, and mix.
- Remove the liver slices from the milk, pat dry and cut into 2-inch pieces. Roll each piece of liver in flour on all sides so that it is covered.
- Transfer the liver pieces to a pan over medium high heat with already heated olive oil. Fry for 3 minutes on one side and 2 -3 minutes on the other side. This way the liver will remain pink inside and very soft. (timing depends on thickness)
- The internal temperature for organ meat should be 160 F in the thickest part. Remember that proteins will rise another 5 degrees as they sit but much higher will make it dry out and be too firm.
- Transfer the fried liver to a napkin to absorb excess oil. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion until soft and caramelized. Add sugar and fry the onion for another 3-4 minutes until the sugar has melted completely. Transfer the onion to a plate and place the liver pieces
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do you store leftovers
You know how I hate wasting food so this is the next thought when you’re done right? After you are done eating liver, store it in a container smothered with the onions and sauce in that pan. If all you have is the meat then wrap tightly in foil. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat and make liver and pasta with it.
Soak in milk or buttermilk before cooking and add seasonings or a bit of breading to the outside before you pan fry it. Dipping in a flour mixture with seasonings like coriander and paprika with a pinch of salt and pepper will make the outside delicious and crispy.
We will show you here how to pan fry liver which is the best way to control how long it is cooked so it stays moist and doesn’t get dry. In the oven on a sheet pan is possible too, you can cover with foil at the beginning to keep it tender as well. Either way I would pair with sliced onions to add flavor.
Growing up, we always had it with the onions, but I also found I enjoyed it with sautéed mushrooms along with it.
oh good
I like the bacon fat idea, and the sauteed onions. I like a baked sweet potato with butter, sour cream, sweetener & some cinnamon as one side and steamed asparagus or cabbage as another. I’ve started using a polenta cake, that I put through my waffle maker, to soak up any gravy. *Skylark is one company. They sell a pound package of 4 individually wrapped calf or beef liver slices. These slices defrost in about an hour.
Good cooking beef liver is very nice the cooking time has got to be right if not the dog can have it but we’ll done I would of liked to have tried a piece kind regards David the best liver recipes chef
Loved it cut it crossways into 2″ stips before soaking cook in bacon grease served over noodles and beef gravy best liver and onions i have ever eaten!! Lemon pie and coffee to finish the evening was great.
My first time making Liver and it came out amazing. Unfortunately in my area I couldn’t find fresh liver so I had to use frozen. My husband loved it. This is my go to recipe. Sweet onions tasty tender.
so glad it was a hit
WE Love liver but I use egg instead of flour, as trying a carnivores diet!
Delicious with the onions and mashed potatoes
Adding bacon is always good – not as healthy as frying liver in Olive oil. I usually drain all the grease from cooking bacon in skillet. Use bacon grease as base for cooking onions. Mushrooms can also be combined in the skillet. – Just a thought.☺️