Surf and turf has always been a bit of a show-off dish – the moment someone first said, “Why choose between steak and seafood?” and everyone else nodded in hungry agreement. Born in mid-century America’s steakhouse boom and embraced by Aussie pubs soon after, this land-and-sea pairing became a symbol of celebration, indulgence and a touch of cheeky excess. In the US it was all about lobster tails and filet mignon. In Australia it quickly morphed into our own reef and beef, with juicy steaks crowned in prawns, bugs or scallops.
Ingredients
- Bounty Premium grain-fed rib eye
- Moreton Bay bugs
- Salt and pepper
Whisky mustard sauce
- 60g salted butter
- 6 gold shallots, very finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 280ml whisky (choose a good-quality one)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 tablespoons mustard (wholegrain, Dijon or honey mustard)
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons porcini powder
- 400ml beef stock
- 400ml thickened cream
- Salt and pepper
- 300ml coconut cream (for cracking the paste)
Method
Prepare the whisky mustard sauce ahead of service. Melt the butter and sweat the shallots and garlic until soft. Add the whisky and reduce. Stir through the honey, mustards, mustard powder and porcini powder, then add the beef stock and cream. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, then adjust seasoning. Hold warm in a bain-marie, or use it to deglaze the same pan you’ve cooked your steaks in for added depth.
Cook steaks to the desired cuisson and rest well. While the steaks are resting, warm the bug meat in the sauce. Pile the bug meat back into one half-shell so it spills naturally onto the steak when plated. Serve with additional sauce on the side and the steak garnish that suits your venue – fries, mash, greens, bread.
Kitchen notes
A T-bone or bone-in rib-eye suits the retro vibe – aged beef adds even more depth.
Ideal upsell – use the bug and whisky mustard combo as a premium topper on your specials board.
A pinch of xanthan gum will stabilise the sauce for better hold on the pass.
Pre-cooked bugs can be heated to order for speed and consistency.
The mustard you choose defines the personality of the sauce – treat it like a pairing with the whisky and decide how bold or subtle you want the final flavour.
