What is Surf and Turf? How is it done?

The rising food trend of recent times is the name given to the presentation of surf and turf seafood and red meat together in meals. In surf and turf recipes, which are enjoyed by those who love to eat meat, protein-heavy plates are balanced with vegetables and the presentations are enriched with sauces.

In recent years, surf & turf presentation has been made under the name of reef and beef in Australia and England. The number of people who want to try this food style spread all over the world in their homes and restaurants is increasing day by day.

Although the remarkable gastronomy trend is striking with the elegance of the presentations and the deliciousness of the ingredients, the high protein content of seafood and red meat dishes can be challenging for the digestive system for some people. Experts do not find excessive protein consumption healthy. For this reason, such meat-based dishes are not suitable especially for gout patients.

What are Surf and Turf?

• The meaning of the popular food presentation surf and turf is “seafood and red meat”. The word surf is the name given to the seafood category, especially lobster and shrimp. Turf word includes the red meat group.
• The history of this trend dates back to the 1960s. At that time, this form of presentation, which was designed as a nutritious and satisfying meal plate for the middle class in America, is now being offered as a chef’s plate even in luxury restaurants.
• Generally, red meat, white meat, or one of the seafood products are chosen in dishes containing meat in our country, but this method, in which seafood and red meat are served together, has started to be tried by those who follow the global gastronomy world.

How to Surf and Turf?

• There is no single surf and turf recipe. The content may vary depending on the person’s taste and creativity. The main ingredients are seafood and red meat.
• If you want to prepare a plate suitable for this presentation style, you should first choose one of the meaty seafood such as shrimp, lobster, crab legs, and scallops, and a tender red meat type such as beef tenderloin.
• You can steam, grill, or stir-fry seafood while you prepare your surf and turf dish. Red meat, on the other hand, can be prepared to be eaten directly, or it is also served in the hamburger concept in the recipes of some chefs.
• In general, veal cuts such as tenderloin, sirloin, or strip steak are prepared medium-rare. Brewing the meat with herbs and spices before cooking is also among the methods used.

Surf and Turf Service Recommendations

• Surf & turf dishes are enriched with sauces such as garlic butter in order to blend the flavors of red meat and seafood better. You can also flavor the butter with lemon juice, dill, coriander, or chives. The trick for sauces is to use sauces that are compatible with both types of meat. For example, red meat with barbecue sauce should not be placed next to a citrus-flavored fish.
• Since the meat needs to rest a little after cooking during the preparation and serving stages, it is recommended to process the red meat first and then the seafood.
• It is also important that the degree of tenderness of the meat is different. Thus, the person eating will experience different chewing experiences and the pleasure of eating will increase. Tasting the more saturated form of steak after tender crab meat provides a rich taste progression in the mouth.
• After pouring sauce on red meat and, if desired, seafood, adding steamed vegetables, mushrooms, french fries or potato chips next to seafood is the most used form of presentation for surf and turf dishes. In addition, choosing a drink that will be compatible with both types of meat enriches the table even more.