Surf and Turf Recipe
Published February 13, 2025. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Surf and turf is a traditional American dish of perfectly cooked beef with a full-flavored lobster tail and an unbelievable sauce. When I’m looking to impress guests, this is the dish that I make. While it may seem overly sophisticated, if you time everything correctly, this can come together in under an hour from start to finish.
The combination of filet mignon and lobster is the perfect pairing. You’ve got incredibly tender and juicy steak next to poached lobster in a highly flavorful broth. Not-too-mention I then pour on one my favorite all time sauces for a truly epic meal. Now, if this sounds good to you, I highly recommend trying my chateaubriand for two. You won’t regret it.
Surf and Turf
Surf and turf is a classic entrée of beef and seafood served with butter or sauce of some sort and then often with a side of starch and vegetables. The dish is said to have been created in the 1960s. However, a restaurant in Seattle claims to have invented it in 1962, while a newspaper in Massachusetts demands it showed up as an ad in the Lowell Sun in 1966.
Surf and Turf—no question, it’s one of the most epic combos in the food world. You’ve got filet mignon and lobster, two powerhouses of flavor. It’s a hearty meal that can be served for one, but often time is split between two. This dish is commonly ordered at restaurants for Valentine’s Day, and if you plan on serving it for that holiday, try serving it with my molten lava cake.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef – The classic cut to use for this recipe is filet mignon. However, other excellent cuts of beef are ribeye, New York strip steak, flank, skirt, or hanger.
- Lobster – The two main types of lobster frequently sold at the store come from cold or warm water. They vary in price, but I find the cold-water lobster tails sweeter and more delicious. The warm water tails can be up to 40% cheaper and still have fantastic quality and taste. You can be sure that any tail of any size will work for this recipe.
- Fat – I use unsalted butter in the basting of the steak. Controlling the salt content is essential to me. When cooking the mushrooms, you’ll need a little more fat in addition to the rendered bacon lard, so olive or avocado oil is excellent.
- Bacon – Any regular-cut bacon will work. I prefer smoked uncured bacon because it is more flavorful.
- Wine – I deglazed the sauce with a hint of dry wine. My preferences are chardonnay, sauvignon Blanc, and pinot grigio.
- Cream – The sauce uses heavy whipping cream, adding incredible fat and flavor to the steak and lobster.
- Mushrooms – I used a combo of oyster mushrooms and baby bellas. However, mushrooms like buttons, shiitakes, maitake, and chantarelles, among others, can be used.
- Herbs – I always baste my steaks with fresh thyme. It makes the steak taste next level. I also use it in the sauce.
- Onions – Fresh pearl onions of any color are used in the sauce, but they can be substituted for yellow, white, red, or sweet onions. In addition, frozen pearl onions work just fine. Lastly, garlic is used in the sauce, the lobster braising liquid, and for basting the steak.
How to Make Surf and Turf
Cook the bacon: add it to a pan and cook it over medium heat until crispy. Set them to the side.
Sear the Mushrooms: Sauté the mushrooms for 4 to 6 minutes or until browned.
Add the Onions: Add pearl onions and sauté for only 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant. Deglaze with the wine and cook until it is almost gone.
Cream the sauce: Add cream to the pan and cook over low to medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until very thick, like Alfredo sauce. Set it to the side.
Cook the lobster: Add the tails to the prepared court bouillon and poach them for 8 to 10 minutes. Once they hit 135° internally, they are done.
Season the Beef: Pat the steaks dry, then season them with salt and pepper.
Sear the beef: Add olive oil to a carbon steel skillet and heat over high heat until it smokes. Place in the meat, turn the heat to medium and let it sit for 90 seconds untouched.
Move the beef: I then move the meat in a circular motion for 30 seconds each to help create a deeper Maillard crust. Flip over the meat, turn the heat low, and then add butter, thyme sprigs, and garlic. Baste the steak for 3 minutes for a medium-rare internal temperature.
Rest the beef: Set the meat to the side on a rack.
Rest the lobster: Remove it with a perforated spoon and set it to the side on a plate.
Finish the sauce: Add the pan to the burner over medium heat with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, crispy bacon, and minced thyme. Finish it with salt and pepper and cook it until it’s hot.
Assemble the dish: Remove the lobster by cutting down through the middle of the shell to expose the meat. Serve it in, on top of, or outside the shell alongside the beef.
Add the sauce: I like to serve it on top of everything, but you can feel free to serve it on the side.
Serving Suggestions
Surf and turf is a recipe often split between two people because it’s such a hearty meal loaded with protein. I take it further with the mushroom cream sauce, making it even more filling.
I prefer to kick it up even more with twice-baked potatoes and then a side of roasted asparagus to balance the dish perfectly. If you can eat this entire meal by yourself, then bravo!
Chef Tip + Notes
The key to success for surf and turf is ensuring that everything is finished simultaneously and hot. The sauce cooks first because it can easily hold for 25 to 30 minutes without losing quality. In the meantime, we’ll prep and cook our lobster tails, which will take about 15 to 20 minutes. Then, within that window, we’ll season and sear the steak and rest it.
- Seasoning the mushrooms: I gently season them when I start to sear them to help draw out some moisture so that they will brown faster and better.
- Lobster cooking methods: There are many ways you can cook the lobster. For example, you can make broiled lobster tails in minutes. You can also make baked lobster tails or, for a healthier alternative, steamed lobster tails. The choice is yours, but the court bouillon is my favorite.
- Dry-brining the steak: If you have more time, I recommend dry-brining the steak for at least 4 or 24 hours before cooking.
- Sauce Option: An herb and garlic butter is an excellent substitution for the mushroom cream sauce I used.
- Leftover sauce: This makes quite a bit of sauce that efficiently serves 4 people.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: While this dish is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking, you can still prepare all the mise en place for the dish, like the pearl onions, mushrooms, herbs, etc.
How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for 3 days. Unfortunately, this meal will not freeze well, so I do not recommend it.
How to Reheat: I like to reheat the sauce in a small pot with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help loosen it up. Then cook it over low to medium heat until warm. Sealing the leftover steak on both sides in a lightly oiled pan is best. This will revive the crust and flavor without drying out the meat. Add the lobster tails to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or in a large frying pan. Brush 1 to 2 tablespoons of unsalted melted butter to each tail and bake in the oven covered with foil or a lid at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes or until it reaches back to 135°.
More Main Course Recipes
- Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
- Pork Chops with Apples
- Boeuf Bourguignon
- Roman Chicken Cacciatore
- Pasta alla Papalina
Video
Surf and Turf Recipe
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 4 strips julienne regular cut bacon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup cleaned and thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 cup cleaned and torn oyster mushrooms
- 1 cup peeled pearl onions
- 2 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh thyme
- coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
For the Lobster:
- 1 recipe for court bouillon
- 3 4-6 ounce lobster tails
For the Beef:
- 2 8-10 ounce filet mignons
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 garlic cloves
- 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
For the sauce:
- In a large non-stick frying pan, add the bacon and cook over medium heat until crispy and browned. I then removed the lardons and set them to the side in a bowl.
- Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan with the rendered bacon fat and then I place in the mushrooms and turn the heat to high. Spread them out across the pan and gently season with salt. Let them sit untouched for 2 to 3 minutes
- Sauté the mushrooms for 4 to 6 minutes until they are well browned. Be sure to let the mushrooms sit for 2 to 3 minutes at a time between sauteing so that they have time to brown.
- Add the pearl onions and sauté for only 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Then, I stir in the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, which only takes 30 to 45 seconds. Deglaze with the white wine and cook until it is almost gone, or au sec.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream into the pan and cook over low to medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until it is very thick, kind of like alfredo sauce. Set it to the side over no heat.
- Before serving it, add the pan back to the burner over medium heat along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, the crispy bacon, and minced thyme. Finish it with salt and pepper and cook it until it’s hot.
For the Lobster:
- Prepare the court bouillon and bring it to a low simmer over low to medium heat. Be sure the butter is melted. Next, add the 4-to-6-ounce lobster tails and poach them for 8 to 10 minutes. If you are poaching large 10 to 14 ounces tails, add 2 to 4 more minutes. Once they hit 135° internally, they are done. Cook the beef in the meantime.
- Once the lobster is done, using a perforated spoon or spider strainer, remove the lobster and set it to the side on a plate. Take out the meat by cutting it down through the middle of the shell to expose the meat. Serve it in, on top of, or outside the shell alongside the beef.
For the Beef:
- Pat the steaks dry and then season them with salt and pepper.
- Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a carbon steel or cast-iron skillet and heat over high heat until it smokes. I then place in the beef, turn the heat to medium, and let it sit for 90 seconds untouched.
- Move the beef in a circular motion for 30 seconds each to help create a deeper Maillard crust. Flip over the meat, turn the heat to low, and then add butter, thyme sprigs, and garlic. Baste the steak for 3 minutes for a medium-rare internal temperature.
- Set the beef to the side on a rack to rest for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Serve the sauce on top of everything, but you can feel free to serve it on the side.
Thx pls excellent recipe.
Thank you so much Chef Billy Parisi! I didn’t make the surf. I have only made filet mignon on the grill, but took a chance on your recipe. It was absolutely SUPERB! My husband loved it and so did I. In fact the grill is out from now on! I will try the sauces another time, but just loved the butter, whole garlic and fresh thyme, what a winner!
Excellent! Thank you!
Looks amazing to me…Happy Valentines Day to you Chef!!!