Surf & Turf: A Match Made In Heaven!

The starting point has to be the beef steak; we suggest using a steak with the perfect amount of fat for quick pan-frying, such as Fillet, Sirloin or Ribeye, (our Valentine's Ribeye Steak is the perfect cut for this recipe) because the fat will melt during cooking to ensure a succulent end result – leaner steaks with less fat may tend towards dryness, especially if you prefer them well done.

When you’ve decided on the steak, the next task is to choose your ‘surf’. The seafood element of Surf & Turf is traditionally Prawns – King Prawns, Crevettes, Langoustines and Tiger Prawns are all surefire winners, and can be pan-fried, grilled or steamed quickly while the steak cooks. If you feel like ringing the changes, there’s no reason why you can’t use Scallops, garlicky mussels, teamed Crab Claws or (for an extra-luxurious twist) Lobster instead.

Finally, what about finishing touches? A dish of garlic butter is always welcome, and it’s easy to make – just beat a crushed clove of garlic into 50g softened butter, together with 1tbsp chopped parsley, then season to taste with salt & pepper and set aside or refrigerate until needed. It’s also true that everything tastes better with chips (view our handy guide to Make the Perfect Chips here), though mash or even sweet potato wedges would also be great here. You could even add battered onion rings and a simply-dressed side salad of fresh leaves and sliced tomato; whatever you decide to serve as an accompaniment, it’s worth getting it cooked and ready to serve before you tackle the meat and fish, because they will be ready in minutes.

Shortly before you’re ready to cook the steak, remove it from the fridge and allow it to come up to room temperature. Carry out any prep needed for your seafood (e.g. rinsing shellfish and patting dry) and put your plates into a low oven to warm. Ascertain exactly how your dinner guest prefers their steak (rare, medium-rare or well done), then place a frying pan over medium-high heat and brush the steak with oil. Put the steak in the pan and – for ribeye or sirloin steak – cook for two minutes, before turning and cooking the other side for a further two minutes. If you prefer your steak well done, turn them again and then turn the heat down; cook for a further 2-3 minutes, then take the pan off the heat and allow the steaks to continue cooking for another couple of minutes, turning every minute or so. For fillet steak, turn the steak 30 seconds after adding it to the pan, and continue to turn at 30-second intervals until cooked to your taste (typically, a ‘rare’ steak will take about 3 minutes to cook in this way). If you have a meat thermometer, you can use it as you cook to check the internal temperatures of your steaks; as a guide, aim for 50°C for rare steaks, 60°C for medium steaks and 70°C for well-done.

Whatever your steak, and however you cook it, it will need to rest for a few minutes before serving, allowing you a perfect window in which to quickly pan-fry prawns or scallops in the garlic butter you made earlier, or to steam mussels or crab claws. When the seafood is done and the steaks have rested, plate them up on the warmed plates and take to the table with your chosen side dishes, together with any remaining garlic butter and (if you’ve chosen shellfish) finger bowls, then dig in and enjoy. Happy Valentines Day!