I got a call from Chef Remi yesterday for advice
about Surf & Turf for a Father's Day special–
how best to combine ribeye and lobster?
A typical Surf & Turf entree... NOT what we're making here.
Lobster and beef do not make natural companions on a dinner plate, and yet American restaurants have long enjoyed success offering "Surf & Turf," usually as a featured special and almost always pairing a lobster tail with beef tenderloin. The kitchen where Chef Remi presides was already in possession of frozen (and small-ish) lobster tails and 14 oz. ribeye steaks. My immediate response was that this would be a tricky fit– if the tails were just a little bigger, he could split them and give half a tail per plate; and ribeye steaks do not divide as usefully as, say, tenderloin or even NY strip. Separated by 2500 miles, a generation, and 3 time zones, we nonetheless put our heads together on this problem, just as we've done with many culinary quandaries ever since he started running kitchens fifteen years ago.
Ribeye is comprised of two distinct parts, the scrumptious "deckle" and the larger loin muscle. Yeah, no way should we separate them, we agreed. But even a small-ish full lobster tail on top of that ribeye would be too much food (and food COST.) Gotta split the tail, I finally concluded. Then I explained how I had recently halved lobster tails and then gently roasted them on parchment paper, like this–
Which, after a brief spell in a hot oven and a timely turn, yielded this–
He could place these half-tails atop the ribeye– shell side up for visual impact, or meat side up to better contain a sauce. Chef Remi would opt for the latter, he said, as he would be using one sauce on the lobster– Basil Chimichurri– and another on the ribeye, Sauce Béarnaise. (Or was it the other way around? It would be great either way. Like me, Chef Remi takes delight in the fascinating alchemy of sauce-making.)
Chef Remi excitedly texted me a photo of his prototype a few hours later–
"This special's gonna be called 'Steak Danny,'" he proclaimed. "I have officially named a dish after you!" I was deeply touched, I replied. Thanks. "No, thank YOU," said Chef Remi. "I wouldn't be the cook I am today without you. Happy Father's Day, Dad."
Or something like that... it was suddenly a little hard to read the text.
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NOTES:
I always recommend buying frozen lobster tails over live whole lobster because it is far more cost-effective.
Chimichurri Sauce is as common in steak-loving Argentina as ketchup is in America. I recommend googling and trying a few versions.