How to make surf and turf at home that actually rivals the restaurant version

Surf and turf has a reputation as a restaurant move — something that seems too complicated or too expensive to pull off at home. Big Daddy is here to tell you it’s neither. The filet and the prawns go into the same cast iron minutes apart, the butter and garlic carry between them, and the whole thing comes together in under 30 minutes once your mise en place is set. The key is timing: the filet goes first, the prawns go in while the steak rests, and everything hits the plate at the same time. It’s not complicated. It’s just organized.

Surf & Turf Deluxe: Butter-Seared Filet with Garlic Prawns

Big Daddy saves Surf and Turf for special occasions — anniversaries, promotions, or a Tuesday when you’ve decided you deserve something extraordinary. A filet mignon, seared to a caramelized crust with a blush-pink center, right next to a cascade of golden garlic butter prawns that are so sweet and briny they make your eyes roll back. This dish stops conversations. It earns silent nods of appreciation. It is, in Big Daddy’s humble opinion, the greatest thing you can put on a dinner plate.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• Ingredients
• For the Filet Mignon:
• 2 filet mignon steaks 6–8 oz each, 1.5 inches thick
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves smashed
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• For the Garlic Butter Prawns:
• 10 –12 large prawns or jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional Pan Sauce:
• 1/4 cup white wine or dry vermouth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard optional
• For Garnish:
• Lemon wedges
• Microgreens or thyme sprigs
• Flaky sea salt

Method

 

1. Instructions
2. Remove filets from fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Pat completely dry.
3. Preheat cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Rub steaks with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Add oil to pan. Sear filets 2–3 minutes per side without moving. Add butter, garlic, and thyme. Baste repeatedly with butter for 1–2 minutes.
5. Transfer to 400°F (200°C) oven for 4–5 minutes until internal temp reaches 130°F (54°C) for medium-rare.
6. Remove and rest on a warm plate 8–10 minutes.
7. OPTIONAL PAN SAUCE: Deglaze the steak pan with white wine. Scrape up the brown bits. Add heavy cream and Dijon mustard. Simmer until slightly thickened and glossy.
8. GARLIC BUTTER PRAWNS: In a clean skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add prawns in a single layer, season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
9. Cook prawns 1–2 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Squeeze in lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley. Do not overcook — prawns are done when they curl into a ‘C’ shape.
10. Place each filet at the center of a warm plate. Arrange garlic prawns over or around the steak. Drizzle pan sauce and extra garlic butter across both.
11. Finish with flaky sea salt, a spritz of lemon juice, and a few microgreens or thyme leaves.

Why This Works

The prawns are cooked in a separate pan for a specific reason: the high-heat sear on the filet leaves the pan coated in browned steak fond and butter at a temperature that would immediately overcook delicate shrimp. Starting with a clean pan for the prawns gives you full control over a gentler medium heat. The ‘C’ shape test for shrimp doneness is the most reliable visual cue — when a shrimp curls into a tight ‘O’ shape, it’s already overcooked; a loose ‘C’ means it’s perfectly cooked through and still juicy. The optional pan sauce made in the steak pan captures all that browned fond and transforms it into a quick, elegant sauce that ties both proteins together on the plate.

What to Serve With This

Surf and Turf deserves a fully composed plate. Truffle mashed potatoes or potato gratin as the base, asparagus tips lightly blanched and finished in brown butter alongside, and a small dressed green salad to start. The pan sauce or extra garlic butter should be in a small ramekin on the side — don’t pour everything over the steak, let people add as they go. A cold glass of Champagne or a rich white Burgundy with the prawns, or a classic Cabernet Sauvignon for the filet, or both.

Make It Your Own

Sea scallops are an elegant substitute for prawns and cook in the same time with the same method — get a hard sear on them in clarified butter. Lobster tail, split and basted with garlic butter under the broiler, elevates this to a special-occasion centerpiece. For the filet, New York Strip works equally well with a shorter cook time. The pan sauce is optional but highly recommended — even 2 tablespoons of white wine deglazed and reduced for 1 minute while the proteins rest produces something exceptional.

Storage & Leftovers

Cooked shrimp and filet should be eaten immediately — reheating either tends to overcook them. Leftover filet sliced thin over a salad the next day is excellent cold. Leftover shrimp should be eaten within 24 hours, cold, over a simple green salad with lemon and olive oil. The pan sauce does not keep or reheat well. This is a dish best made and eaten at the table the same night.

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