We realized that we were nearing the premiere of Top Chef All Stars at about the same time we pretty much ran out of Season 4 recipes that were online or that we hadn’t already made. So we punted and decided to be a little decadent with Tre’s (from Season 3) Surf-and-Turf Burger (recipe in the Quickfire cookbook). This was a busy night and K had to work late after a week off for wedding fun, so I had most of the fixins prepared so we could fire up the proteins when he arrived home.

I sautéed the mushrooms and shallots before adding a bit of red wine and whisking in the butter, which left the sauce with a pretty sheen. I juiced the lemon, pulled the tiny thyme leaves off the stems and mixed the sour cream and horseradish together. I also sliced tomato for K’s burger and some roasted red pepper for mine as I am not a fan of many things tomato-related and *definitely* not raw tomatoes.

Then K got home, was greeted heartily by two excited dogs and he went straight to work!

Instead of two giant beef tenderloin filets, we went with one smaller grass-fed filet of beet and cut it in half lengthwise (so it still looked like a “burger”). After K seasoned the beef with kosher salt and pepper, he let it soak in the goodness for a few minutes before searing it in the grill pan.

Just slightly before the tenderloin hit medium rare, I sautéed the shrimp in some white wine, butter, lemon juice and thyme. The surf and the turf were done at about the same time so we assembled our luxurious burgers. Ciabatta bun, beef tenderloin, mushrooms, shrimp, tomato (or roasted red pepper), mixed greens, provolone cheese, top bun.

If you are looking for a special occasion “burger” go with this one. Everyone eating it will yell, “You have GOT to be kidding me with this.” The beef was hearty and meaty, the shrimp was light and sweet and had a nice pop to it, the cheese was melty and mild and played nice with the shrimp, the mushrooms were substantial and played nice with the beef, the greens and tomato/red pepper were fresh. It was the best of all worlds. Next time you’re in the mood for burger night, give it a twist and go surf and turf instead!

Surf-and-Turf Burger