Steak and lobster is an elegant yet easy dinner for date nights, holidays and more! Pair tender cooked ribeye with baked lobster tails and garlic butter to create a hearty restaurant-quality meal. Serve it with your favorite side dish or salad for a complete meal.
Steak and Lobster (also known as “Surf and Turf”) is a sophisticated meal you can prepare in the comforts of your own home. Enjoy this meal as a cozy dinner in the winter or as a fresh and flavorful meal in the summer. Serve it with a glass of wine for the perfect touch!
Besides prepping the compound butter, the rest of the recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less. You can prep the butter in advance and enjoy a quick meal any day of the week.
Enjoy this recipe as a romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day or another special occasion including birthday dinners and holiday dinners. Or you can enjoy it as a delicious Friday date night.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Impressive dinner: Surf and turf is an impressive meal that comes together easily.
- Easy recipe: Although it looks fancy, this surf and turf recipe is relatively easy to prepare. With a few easy steps, you’ll be on your way to an elegant meal.
- Restaurant-quality: You only need a few simple seasonings to create this restaurant staple.
Ingredients You Need
Besides the lobster and steak, all of the ingredients for this recipe are common pantry ingredients or ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Steak: I usually choose ribeye steak, but you can use filet mignon steaks or another cut, if desired. You may need to adjust cooking time, as cook time will vary with another cut of steak.
- Lobster: Choose fresh lobster tails. You can also substitute with other shell fish like scallops, crabs legs or shrimp.
- Butter: Use a high quality butter for the best flavor. The butter should be softened.
- Olive Oil: Use high quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves to make minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Breadcrumbs: You can omit the breadcrumbs, if desired. Or use gluten free breadcrumbs to make this recipe gluten free.
- Lemon: I use both the lemon juice and the lemon zest to add fresh flavor to the lobster tails.
- Seasonings: You will need fresh parsley, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. You can swap the fresh herbs for something else. Fresh basil is also a great choice.
Visit the recipe card below for full quantities and details.
Equipment
A cast iron skillet is preferred for cooking steak since it creates the perfect sear and cooks the steak evenly. But you can use another type of oven safe skillet, if desired. You will also need kitchen shears or something to cleanly cut the lobster tails.
How to Make Surf and Turf Steak and Lobster
You can find the full recipe with measurements and instructions in the recipe card below. You will want to bring your steaks to room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before you start prepping the recipe.
- Make the compound butter – In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, garlic, parsley, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper and lemon zest. Use a fork to mix it well, then transfer about 1/4 cup of it into a small bowl. Transfer the rest to a sheet of plastic wrap and form the mixture into a 1-1/2 inch thick cylinder. Roll tightly and freeze for 10 minutes to solidify, then refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prepare the oven – Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat it with nonstick spray.
- Prepare the breadcrumb topping – Melt the remaining butter in the bowl and add the breadcrumbs, tossing to combine.
- Prepare the lobster – Using kitchen shears, carefully split the top of the shell in half lengthwise. Cut down the middle of the shell. Gently insert an upside-down teaspoon between the underside of the shell and the meat and carefully pull the meat away from the shell without removing it.
- Add the breadcrumb topping – Place the lobster tails on the prepared baking sheet. Squeeze a lemon wedge over each, then divide the breadcrumb mixture evenly between them. Set them aside.
- Prepare the steak – Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel, then season steaks liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place steaks in the pan and sear for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, then place the skillet in the oven and cook for 4 to 8 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches your desired doneness.
- Cook the lobster – At the same time as you are cooking the lobster, place the lobster tail in the oven. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes until the meat is firm and opaque. Remove the steaks from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes while the lobster finishes cooking.
Serve the steaks and succulent lobster tails on individual serving plates, topping each steak with a part of the compound butter. Serve with lemon wedges. Add your favorite sides like salad, sautéed vegetables or mashed potatoes.
See the guide for steak temperatures below.
Expert Tips
- Let the steaks sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking.
- Do NOT overcook the lobster or steak! Over cooked lobster is tough and rubbery. The secret to cooking a good steak is to not overcook it.
- Rest meat before serving. Once the steak is cooked, allow it to rest for 5 to 8 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute so the steak is juicy and flavorful.
Steak Temperature
Cook the steak to the desired internal temperature. Use a meat thermometer for an accurate reading. Steak will typically cook a little more after pulling them out of the oven to rest. Remove steaks from the oven when the thermometer registers 5°F lower than the desired doneness.
- Rare: 120-125°F
- Medium-Rare: 130-135°F
- Medium: 140-145°F
- Medium-Well: 150-155°F
- Well-Done: 160°F+
Frequently Asked Questions
Surf and turf or surf ‘n’ turf is a main dish that combines seafood with red meat. Typically, it is a steak and lobster dinner combination, but you can also find shrimp or scallops served as the seafood component. Steak if the turf portion and the seafood is the “surf” part.
Yes! You can substitute the lobster with shrimp or scallops. We like Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Broiled Scallops.
Surf and turf is best served fresh, however you can store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven prior to serving. If you want to save time, you can prep the butter in advance.
Sides for Steak and Lobster
You can serve steak and lobster surf and turf with any of your favorite sides. We love serving it with simple sides like you will find at a restaurant. A few of our favorite side dishes are below.
- Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes
- Sautéed Butternut Squash
- Creamed Kale
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Garlic Green Beans
- Pan Fried Potatoes and Onions
Did you try this Steak and Lobster recipe? Leave a recipe rating and review below.
Steak and Lobster (Surf and Turf)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup high quality butter, softened
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 3/4 teaspoons black pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 (5-6 ounce) lobster tails
- 2 (6-8 ounce) ribeye steaks
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, garlic, parsley, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and lemon zest. Use a fork to mix it well, then transfer about 1/4 cup of it into a small bowl. Transfer the rest to a sheet of plastic wrap. Form the mixture into a 1 1/2-inch thick cylinder. Roll tightly and freeze for 10 minutes to solidify, then refrigerator until ready to use.
- Melt the butter in the bowl and add the breadcrumbs, tossing to combine; set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, positioning a rack in the center. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat it with nonstick spray.
- Using kitchen shears, carefully split the top shells of the lobster tails in half lengthwise. Gently insert an upside-down teaspoon between the underside of the shell and the meat and carefully pull the meat away from the shell without removing it.
- Place the lobster tails on the prepared baking sheets. Squeeze a lemon wedge over each, then divide the breadcrumbs mixture evenly between them; set aisde.
- Pat the steaks dry with paper towels, then season liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and sear for 1 to 1/2 minutes per side, then place the skillet in the oven and cook for 4 to 8 minutes, until they reach your desired doneness (medium-rare, 130°F; medium, 130°F; medium-well, 150°F.)
- At the same time, place the lobster tail in the oven. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes until the meat is firm and opaque.
- Remove the steaks from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes while the lobster finishes cooking.
- Arrange the steaks and lobster on individual serving plates, topping each steak with a part of the compound butter. Serve with lemon wedges.
I have always been intimidated to make a lobster tail at home, but this recipe made it so easy to follow. Thank you! It was amazing.
We love surf and turk! Thanks for the recipe and tips.