Surf & Turf Salad (Paleo, Whole30, Gluten-free)

Made with grilled steak, prawns and creamy garlic and caper dressing, this is a surf and turf salad recipe you have to put in your meal plan. It’s Whole30, paleo and keto friendly.

Red meat and seafood are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet so this satiating surf and turf salad is one epically nutritious meal. I recently made this for mum and me for dinner and we both commented on how well the classic combination of steak and prawns works in a salad format.

If you’ve never heard of a ‘surf and turf’ before, it refers to a dish of steak (turf) and seafood (surf) such as prawns/shrimp, crab or lobster topped with (usually) creamy sauce. It’s popular in Australia/NZ, America and in Canada and is usually served at steakhouses or pubs. The sauce is often made with dairy cream and fries are served on the side, so I always thought of it as a pretty heavy affair. I wanted to take the idea of those ingredients but turn it into a healthier, lighter option. That said, this salad is still very satiating due to the high protein content but you’ll be getting plenty of veggies in there too.

A little trivia: I was researching the origins of surf and turf and the words ‘surf and turf’ were often considered to symbolise the middle-class continental cuisine of the 1960s and 1970s, when the seafood (often frozen) and steak were the show-off foods for the middle class.  Thomas Keller – a famous chef – reappropriated the name for one of his dishes made with those two ingredients.

Love this recipe? Try my 20-Minute BLT Salad With Shrimp & Avocado,  Crispy Garlic Pork Steaks With Green Beans & Leeks, or Kale Chicken & Apple Salad.

Surf & Turf Salad (Paleo, Whole30, GF)

• Author: Irena Macri | Eat Drink Paleo
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 2-3 1x
• Category: Salad, Main

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Ingredients

• 2 x 150 g / 5-6oz. beef fillets (I used scotch fillets)
• 10 large raw prawns, peeled, deveined but with the tails intact
• 1 bunch of asparagus, spears cut in halves and hard ends removed
• 1/2 medium zucchini, sliced in circles
• Salt, pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika powder
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, macadamia oil or coconut oil
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 3 heaped cups of chopped salad leaves or/and baby spinach or rocket
• Garnish (optional): some chopped chives or spring onion/scallions

For the dressing

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 anchovy, finely chopped (can be omitted but it doesn’t add much ‘anchovy’ taste)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
• 1 teaspoon baby capers, chopped
• 2 teaspoons of juice from the baby capers jar (or lemon juice!)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon or other mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

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Instructions

1. Pat dry the beef steaks and season with a little salt and pepper on each side. Prepare the prawns, asparagus, zucchini, and tomatoes and set aside.
2. Sprinkle the green vegetables and prawns with a little salt and pepper as well. Season the prawns with a little paprika (it gives it a lovely colour).
3. Mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
4. Heat a large frying pan over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once really hot, add the steaks and asparagus spears. Cook the steaks for 3 1/2 minutes each side and asparagus for about 4 minutes. Remove them before the steaks.
5. In another frying pan, grill the zucchini slices over medium-high heat for 2 minutes each side, or until golden brown. Once cooked, set aside as well.
6. Remove the cooked steaks to a cutting board and allow to rest of a few minutes.
7. In the meantime, keep the large frying pan over high heat and add the prawns. If needed, add a little more oil. Cook for 2 minutes each side and remove from the heat.
8. To assemble the salad, place the salad leaves on a large platter and scatter half of the zucchini, asparagus and cherry tomatoes over the top. Slice the steaks into thin strips and scatter over the salad.
9. Top the steak with the remaining vegetables and then place the grilled prawns on top. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with chopped chives.

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