Surf n' Turf - Top Sirloin with Sauteed Shrimp

My Dad and his girlfriend sent us Omaha Steaks for Christmas this year, and it was such a nice gift. It's the perfect gift for someone who likes to cook a lot - especially when you realize you don't need to buy as much at the store for that week! Tonight we decided to do a little surf n' turf with the top sirloin in the cast iron (there's nothing better...besides the Big Green Egg, which we also have)...but that's not as enjoyable in the freezing cold. I thought I'd pair the steaks up with some sauteed shrimp. They're super fast to cook and don't take a lot of prep time if you can find them peeled and deveined. This would be a great meal for a special occasion, or whenever you're feeling steak and seafood! This was pretty quick to throw together on a week night actually, so don't be put off by the idea of this being super time consuming. I served this with a side of dill carrots purchased from Whole Foods since we're trying to cut out starchy vegetables for a while, but this would be lovely with potatoes! Give it a try!

Ingredients:

2 top sirloin steaks (or whichever cut you prefer)

~1/3 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

dash of your favorite blackening or seafood seasoning (I love Whole Foods San Francisco Blend)

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 garlic clove, minced

ground pepper, to taste

dash of Montreal steak seasoning

~ 1 cup steak marinade (I prefer Stubb's Beef Marinade with Soy, Garlic, and Red Pepper)

1/2 tb butter

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or rosemary if you have it)

Directions:

Marinate your beef in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to an hour (or longer if you prefer). Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, with the cast iron in the oven. In the meantime, remove the beef from the marinate, place it on a plate, and bring the beef to room temperature. Top it with the Montreal steak seasoning on both sides. Set aside. Rinse the shrimp, pat dry, and season with the blackening/seafood seasoning and a little black pepper if necessary. When the oven is preheated, remove the cast iron pan and place on the stove over medium heat. Sear the steaks about 3-4 minutes per side (depending on your cut of steak and your preference - 4 minutes/side was perfect for a top sirloin). When you flip the steaks, add the butter and thyme/rosemary. As the butter melts, spoon it over the steaks for moisture. Turn off the heat once done and let rest for a few minutes with tented foil over a plate. Heat 1 tb olive oil in the saute pan for the shrimp. Cook the garlic for 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and the lemon juice. Cook until pink - about 2 minutes per side (if that). Serve over the steak and with whichever side you choose!

This is a photo of the top sirloin before removing from the cast iron and topping with the shrimp.

This is the seasoning that I love from Whole Foods - goes very well on seafood!