Steak And Shrimp Surf And Turf – petite filet mignon topped with shrimp scampi in a garlic butter sauce and served with creamy spinach and artichoke. This super easy dinner is sure to impress.
Valentine’s Day is special occasion in my home. It’s a day on which we lavish love on each other, are especially nice to one another and show our love through handmade gifts.
Because I enjoy cooking, my gift is usually a special dinner and a tasty dessert.
This year I’m preparing this delicious steak and shrimp surf and turf dinner. Although I usually buy a whole beef tenderloin when I plan to serve filet mignon, this year I purchased smaller 1-inch filets from the grocery store.
To see a great pinable chart on filet mignon cooking times see my filet mignon recipe post from last year.
For dessert, I’ll make my Chocolate Truffle Creme Brulee or a delicious crustless cheesecake recipe.
Steak and Shrimp Surf and Turf
Typically lobster is served as the “surf” portion of a great surf and turf dinner. Since my son is crazy about shrimp, I thought a simple shrimp scampi would be fun.
It turns out that steak and shrimp are perfect for each other! The garlic butter adds flavor and a little fat to the lean steak, making it irresistible! This is hands-down one of the easiest surf and turf recipes I have ever made.
There are several ways to cook a filet mignon but since these were only 1 inch thick, I settled for using a saute pan. I pan seared the steaks until rare, let them rest, then put them back in the pan just before serving to develop a bit of a crust. It doesn’t get easier than that.
And buttery garlicky shrimp scampi? I’m convinced there isn’t an easier dish you can make. The shrimp cook in minutes – a little garlic, wine, and lemon is added to the pan followed by fresh chopped parsley. That’s it! The rich, pungent sauce brightened by lemon and parsley tastes great on both the shrimp and the steak.
I found 16-20 count/pound shrimp the perfect size to arrange on top of the filets and cooked 12 shrimps for the 4 of us. I also tested out really large shrimp which I butterflied.
I cooked them on each side then on the flattened bottom. They were equally pretty, but because they were so large they looked better on the plate. If you cooked a large steak like a ribeye, larger size shrimp might look nice arranged on top.
Rounding out the meal I served a creamy curried celery root puree and a delicious spinach artichoke dip. I made both the day before because the flavors develop overnight – all I had to do was reheat before serving. (I had artichoke dip left over, but it’s great over chicken, stuffed in mushrooms, or enjoyed as a dip.)
Since the celery root puree pushed this over 10 net carbs, I decided that asparagus would be a better substitute. That is why there is no asparagus the photos.
This delicious meal of Steak and shrimp surf and turf with sides is 7 net carbs.
Steak And Shrimp Surf And Turf - petite filet mignon topped with shrimp scampi in a garlic butter sauce and served with creamy spinach and artichoke. This super easy dinner is sure to impress.
- 2 x 4 ounce filet mignon, (1-inch thick)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (divided use)
- salt and pepper
- 4 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
- 8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 x 13.75 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts (8.5 oz dry weight)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 6 medium shrimp, remove shell
- salt and pepper
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp white wine
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp parsley, minced
- 6 ounces asparagus, trimmed
- 1 tbsp water
- salt and pepper to taste
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Place a non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, add butter, onion and garlic, cooking until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the cheeses have melted and the spinach artichoke dip has heated through. Thin with water if you'd like. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. When cool, refrigerate. Can be made several days ahead. Heat and stir before serving. Makes 3 cups with 1/2 cup per serving.
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Trim the asparagus by cutting off 1 inch off of the bottoms and peeling the last 3 inches with a vegetable peeler. If the asparagus is thin, bend one spear and it will break where it is tender. Use it to cut the rest of the asparagus to length. Place the asparagus in a microwave safe dish with 1 tbsp water and cover with cling film. (Alternately, the asparagus can be steamed on the stove or roasted in the oven before serving.)
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Have the ingredients for the shrimp scampi chopped and ready. Drain the shrimp on a paper towel, then place on a plate and season with salt and pepper.
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Put the Spinach artichoke dip in a microwave safe bowl and ready to reheat (or in a small pot on the stove with 1 tbsp of water to reheat on medium-low). Remove the asparagus from the fridge and have ready to cook.
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Remove the steaks from the refrigerator at least 20-30 minutes before cooking. Rub the exterior surface with about 1 tsp of oil, then season liberally with salt and pepper. Remember: protein loves salt.
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Place a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the remaining 2 tsp of oil and swirl the pan to coat the surface. If the pan is large, you may need more oil. When the oil shimmers, add the steaks and don't move for 4 minutes. Gently work a spatula under the steaks and flip cooking for another 4 minutes. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the steaks and how cold they are. (See cooking chart linked in post.)
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Remove the steaks to a plate and cover loosely with foil to rest.
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Place a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and tilt to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the shrimp when the oil shimmers. Cook the shrimp until opaque about 1/2 way up (1 1/2 - 2 minutes). Turn the shrimp over and coik another 1 1/2-2 minutes.
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Remove shrimp to a plate, turn the heat to down to medium-low and add the butter and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and lemon juice, cooking until the alcohol smell in the wine burns off. Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and add the shrimp back to the pan, covering lightly with foil.
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Steam the asparagus for 1/2-2 minutes. Drain.
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Divide the steak, shrimp, asparagus and between two plates. Measure 1/2 cup each of the spinach artichoke dip, saving the rest for another day. Spoon the garlic butter over the steak and asparagus. Enjoy.
*The spinach artichoke dip is great on top of or stuffed into chicken or pork. It's also great eaten with crackers or spread on pizza dough.
Filet Mignon with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce and Blue Cheese
Pan Seared Flat Iron Steak with Peppercorns and Blue Cheese Butter
Hamburger Steak With Mushroom Gravy
Amazing!
Thanks, Karly. This was such a great meal. -Kim
I wanted to let you know how utterly FANTASTIC your entire Valentine’s Day menu was. My husband and I thought it was a superb choice for a true high-end, restaurant-quality dinner to celebrate our 40-year marriage of love and romance.
I did make a few changes: My husband is allergic to spinach, so I sautéed 5 ounces of fresh baby arugula and added that to the Spinach/Artichoke Dip. It came out beautifully. (I’m so happy I’ve realized arugula makes a much better substitute for spinach that the chard that most people recommend.) And I used his favorite George Stella roasted asparagus/butter/gorgonzola/garlic recipe rather than steaming the asparagus. But I followed your directions for everything else, and the meal came out perfectly. We accompanied the meal with our favorite Edna Valley Pinot Noir and truly enjoyed a sumptuous low carb feast. Who says low carb is boring????? Clearly, they’ve NEVER tried any of your recipes!
One side note, we could only find 6-7 ounce filets and so the meal was so rich and satisfying, we both had leftovers of everything.
Many, many years ago, I forbade my husband from spending a penny on Valentine’s Day because I regarded it, of all the commercialized holidays, to be the most egregious in creating a climate of guilt for men to have to overspend on their sweethearts. We’ve been staying in and cooking really fine dinners rather than going out for over priced, mediocre meals at crowded restaurants. It’s worked out great. And my husband, being the clever, darling man he is, has found a way to outsmart the commercialization and still celebrate our love by buying roses the day AFTER Valentine’s when they are reduced from 35 to 7 dollars, haha!
Thank you once again for your fantastic recipes as well as your generosity with your time and help.
My mouth is watering just by reading your post. I have heard of surf and turf, but never had it. This sounds like the kind of meal I would order in a restaurant (for a lot of money), it is nice to see how easy it is to actually make it at home. Great that your son likes shrimps, my kids react as if I wanted to poison them if I only mention shrimps… 🙂
Hi Adina. Thank you so much! Yep, it looks fancy but is absolutely do-able. Have a wonderful day, friend! -Kim
What a delicious looking meal! I can’t wait to try. Thanks for sharing.