Easy and Yummy Surf ‘n’ Turf Dinner

This year we are doing something different for our July 4th gathering. Usually, we serve hamburgers and hotdogs which are delicious and fitting for a 4th BBQ; however, sometimes routine gets old. So, we broke with tradition and decided to do a coastal theme and came up with a menu to fit. The new theme also gives our 4th a bit of a colonial New England feel to it, also fitting for the day. The change in venue was exciting, and I was eager to plan the details. Marinated shrimp and grilled steak are the main courses on our coastal menu as well as two of our favorite dishes. Usually we eat them separately, but together they make a perfect “surf ‘n’ turf” menu for our event. The main side dish is a simple one I call “Company Rice”, and it is a perfect accompaniment to the meats.

Keep reading for the recipes!

The Shrimp

I should preface this by saying this is the shrimp recipe that won me over to shrimp permanently. Seafood and I have never been on good terms. However, I am working through that because it is a nutritious food option. Additionally, my husband loves seafood, so it’s a lot easier if we both like it. Typically, shrimp is something I only eat if it’s breaded; however, a year ago we went to a dinner party where my friend raved about the shrimp they were serving. She went on and on about how addicting they are, but of course I hedged. I mentally prepared to eat some as there was no way to conveniently discard them like that one time at my in-laws. My father-in-law insisted on making me soup with lots of tentacles. Yuck! No thanks! Thankfully, he left the room because the dog got every tentacle! True story.

Our friends don’t have a dog and they weren’t leaving the room. So, I mustered up my courage to politely eat the shrimp. The next thing I knew I had powered down 10 of them. The flavor was so good that I became an instant shrimp lover. Why had I never tasted shrimp like this before??? Where had this recipe been my entire life? Of course, I immediately got the recipe and learned this is a simple and clean dish that is marinated for an hour and grilled. Additionally, the leftover marinade is delicious cooked and poured over pasta. This shrimp recipe is now on our regular meal rotation, especially in the summer. We love them with fresh angel hair pasta and salad for an easy and ultra-flavorful dinner.

The Steak

For the steak part we settled on a favorite, super-easy steak recipe we often eat around here. This recipe uses tri tip, one of our favorite cuts of beef. We have been buying it for years because it freezes well, cooks well, the leftovers are good, and it tastes really yummy. Our local grocer runs some excellent sales on tri tip steaks about this time of year, so I loaded up for our BBQ. We only do two things to our tri tip before cooking it: add Montreal seasoning and grill. Montreal is probably our favorite seasoning around here and we use it liberally on steak. And if there is leftover steak then I slice it up, toss on some more Montreal seasoning, and fry it on high in a bit of olive oil- YUM! So that is our big steak recipe. I know, complicated, right?

Company Rice

And as far as side dishes go, it doesn’t get much lazier than Company Rice. We eat a lot of rice which gets a bit old. In an effort to jazz up the rice one day I added salt, a stick of butter, and green onion. It was an instant hit. You might wonder how rice and butter is so special, but it’s the addition of the green onion that makes it so good. My husband absolutely loved it and asks me to make it often now. We eat a lot of rice, so it’s nice to find simple variations, especially ones that use fresh vegetables. And green onions really jazz a recipe up, so they are something I keep in the fridge regularly these days. Keep reading for the recipes.

The Recipes

Grilled Marinated Shrimp

The original source of this recipe (for me anyway) is allrecipes. Below is the shrimp recipe as well as the link to the original. As the recipe notes in the original source, don’t let the cayenne scare you. I am not big into spicy and usually stay in the mild range; however, these weren’t “hot” at all. And don’t toss the marinade; rather, boil it and serve over pasta- so good! In fact, I often double or triple the marinade to have more sauce. Here is the recipe:

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. of red wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1/2 tsp. of salt

1/4 tsp. of cayenne (yep!)

2 tbsps. of chopped fresh basil

2 lbs. of large, raw shrimp peeled.

Combine first 7 ingredients for marinade. Add shrimp and stir to coat. Let shrimp marinate for one hour. Skewer shrimp and grill on BBQ- easy and so good! If desired, save marinade and boil for a few minutes. Pour over pasta- also delicious!

Original source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21694/marinated-grilled-shrimp/

Grilled Steak

Tri tip steaks

Montreal Seasoning

Sprinkle Montreal Seasoning liberally on steaks and grill as desired. Let sit for 10 minutes and slice. That’s it.

Note: Cooking steaks straight from the fridge may result in undercooked/black surface. I season the steaks and let them sit out for a half hour before cooking.

Company Rice

Note on rice: this recipe works with any rice. We prefer basmati because of its nutty, slightly floral taste and fluffy nature.

2 cups of uncooked rice

4 cups of water

2 tbsp. of olive oil

1 cube of butter melted

1 tsp. of sea salt

2 stalks of green onion, minced

Prepare rice according to instructions adding 1 tsp. of salt and olive oil. When rice is cooked add melted butter and minced green onions. Stir until combined and serve.

Note: Double or triple recipe if desired.

Enjoy the recipes and have a great week getting ready for the 4th!

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