Filet mignon and shrimp is an easy gourmet meal to prepare in your own home kitchen. Tender filet mignon is seared in a cast iron pan and topped with buttery garlic shrimp.
Impress a loved one with a fancy filet mignon and garlic shrimp meal for two. It's perfect for Valentine's Day or an anniversary meal and is surprisingly easy to make at home.
Using a cast iron pan adds a beautiful sear to the outside of your steaks (I also use this method in my recipe for pan-seared ribeye). Shrimp are coated in a dreamy garlic butter sauce that's easy to prepare in just a few minutes.
Pair this main dish with a garden salad and a baked potato for a complete meal. It's impressive enough to prepare for a dinner date and easy enough to whip up for a weeknight meal.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Filet mignon - For this recipe, you'll need two 1 inch thick filet mignon. Place your steaks on the counter top to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before beginning.
- Shrimp - Large or jumbo shrimp are ideal for this recipe. Any tail on, peeled and deveined shrimp will work for this recipe. Tails can be removed, but add a restaurant quality visual appeal to your finished dish.
- Seasoning - Salt and pepper enhance the flavor of your steak and shrimp.
- Oil - Choose an oil with a high smoke point, which is ideal for searing steaks at a high temperature. Any oil with a smoke point over 400 degrees Fahrenheit will work, like avocado oil, ghee, or peanut oil.
- Garlic cloves - Adds flavor to your shrimp.
- Butter - Adds flavor to your shrimp. Unsalted or salted butter works fine in this recipe.
- Parsley - Optional, but adds a nice contrast of color and a mild, peppery flavor to the finished dish.
Tips and tricks
Best pan for searing steaks - For this recipe, you'll need a cast-iron pan or stainless steel pan. You'll need a pan that can withstand high heat, which is best for getting a nice sear on your steaks.
Use oil with a high smoke point - Oil with a high smoke point means that your oil can withstand higher temperatures without smoking/burning. I recommend avocado oil, peanut oil, ghee, or any oil with a smoke point over 400 degrees Fahrenheit for best results. Here's a great article showing the smoke points of many popular oils: Cooking Oils and Smoke Points: What to Know and How to Choose the Right Cooking Oil
Steak sticking to the pan? - If your steak is sticking to the pan, allow it to cook longer until it releases easily from the pan. This may happen if your pan is not hot enough and your steak needs more time to sear. A properly seared steak will not stick to the pan.
Cooking shrimp - Cooked shrimp form a "U" shape, feel firm, and look pink and white when done. Don't worry so much about cooking times and instead rely on visual cues.
Steak temperature
The best way to tell when your steak is done is to use an instant-read thermometer and remove your steak 5 degrees before your desired doneness below. The steak temperature will continue to rise as it rests, which is why it should be removed from the pan 5 degrees early.
- Rare: 125 ℉
- Medium-rare: 135 ℉
- Medium: 145 ℉
- Medium-well: 150 ℉
- Well done: 160 ℉
Not sure what type of steak you like? Check out this chart for a visual aid: Certified Angus Beef - Degree of Doneness
Frequently asked questions
Surf and turf is a main dish that consists of both seafood and red meat. Surf (sea) is represented by the seafood, and turf (grass) is represented by the red meat. The term first appeared in the 1960s in the Los Angeles Times. The most common surf & turf pairing is lobster and any cut of beef steak. Lobster is sometimes substituted with scallops, shrimp, or crab legs.
Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, green beans and onions, a garden salad, and parmesan asparagus make great additions to a surf and turf meal.
While I normally use olive oil and butter in my everyday cooking, I don't recommend it for this recipe. You must use an oil with a high smoke point to ensure it doesn't smoke or burn while your steak cooks over high heat.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Filet Mignon and Shrimp
Ingredients
Filet mignon
- 2 6-ounce filet mignon, 1 inch thick
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Shrimp
- 8 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Filet mignon
- Remove filet mignon from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature. **If your filet mignon is thicker than one inch, or you'd like your steak prepared to medium or medium-well, also preheat oven to 400 ℉.
- Place cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper, gently pressing seasoning into the steaks.
- Once pan is hot, add oil. When hot and rippling, add steaks to pan, making sure they do not touch each other.
- Set a timer and sear first side for 3 minutes (For a 1 inch filet at medium-rare doneness - see table below for temperatures). Flip steak and cook for 3 minutes on opposite side.
- If your steak is thicker than 1 inch and/or you'd like a medium or medium-well steak: transfer seared steaks in cast iron pan to the oven. Bake until desired doneness is achieved (using temperature chart below). A 1-inch steak will take about 5 minutes for medium doneness.
- Steak cooking times vary based on thickness, size, and shape. For best success, I recommend using a meat thermometer. Remove your steak from the pan when its temperature reaches 5 degrees below your desired doneness. The steak will continue to increase in temperature while it rests.
- Rare: 125 ℉Medium-rare: 135 ℉Medium: 145 ℉Medium-well: 150 ℉Well done: 160 ℉
- Once filet mignon is cooked to your desired temperature, remove immediately from pan and transfer to a plate. Rest steaks by covering loosely with foil for five minutes.
Shrimp
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted and hot, add shrimp and spread into a single layer. Cook for about 2 minutes, then flip.
- Add minced garlic to pan and continue to cook shrimp for another 1-2 minutes. Cooked shrimp will form a "U" shape and look pink and mostly white when done. (Cooking time will depend entirely on the size of your shrimp - look for visual cues and worry less about cooking time.)
- Remove from heat and add remaining tablespoon of butter and parsley, stirring until melted.
- Pour shrimp and garlic butter sauce over filet mignon and serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- I highly recommend using a meat thermometer if you are not familiar or comfortable with pan-searing steaks. Due to the variance in thickness, temperatures of the stove top, size, and shape of your steaks, the cooking times may vary.
- Here is a great resource to visualize the degrees of doneness for your steak: Degree of Doneness - Certified Angus Beef
- Use an oil with a high smoke point for pan-searing steaks. I recommend avocado oil, peanut oil, or ghee. I do not recommend butter or olive oil.
I made this last night and it was great! Thanks for the quick gourmet recipe