Grilled Steak and Shrimp Scampi: Date Night Dinner for Two

Even if you’re not an experienced cook, Grilled Steak and Shrimp Scampi makes it simple to delight your sweetheart with a homemade feast.

Make reservations at your own table for an easy romantic dinner at home this Valentine’s Day or for any special date night.

Set out the linens, light the candles and serve this restaurant quality surf and turf recipe in under an hour.

We start with a thick juicy steak grilled to perfection (we show you every step) and pile scampi shrimp on top with lots of lemon-garlic-butter sauce.

If you’ve never cooked steak before, don’t worry, tenderloin is the most forgiving steak to cook—truly hard to mess up. Just follow the recipe. You’ve got this. And your sweetheart is gonna be uber impressed with your efforts!

How to Select the Best Tenderloin Steak:

Tenderloin steak (often sold as filet mignon) was selected for this recipe because it is the most forgiving cut of steak; it is tender even if overcooked. It’s also a very lean cut of beef (little marbling or fat), so it is ideally paired with the rich, buttery scampi sauce.

What to look for: A soft, uniform steak with even thickness (about 2-inches) and some marbling (the thin white marks within the muscle), if possible.

Note: Filet mignon is the trimmed, smaller end of the tenderloin. Even though the filet is from the same primal cut, it is more expensive than the tenderloin steak cut because of the added labor of trimming.

Other Quality High-End Steaks:

Ribeye, T-bone or Porterhouse (the tenderloin and strip steak in one), Kansas City or New York strip steaks are reliably tender and juicy when cooked to medium-rare.

These cuts have more fat and marbling which means more flavor and less need for rich sauces.

In fact, the ribeye is our favorite summer griller—oh how we love summer!

However, they all work with this recipe and taste great with the scampi sauce on the side so the flavor of the meat can shine.

What to look for when selecting steak for the grill:

• A well-marbled steak (lots of thin white marks within the muscle) at least 1 1/2-inches thick, preferably with only a 1/4-inch of fat on the outer edge.
• Less fat around the edges means fewer flare-ups on the grill. Simply trim the outer layer to 1/4-inch, if needed.

No grill? No problem! This Steak and Scallop Recipe shows you how to prepare steak in a skillet too.

Lesser-Known, Butcher’s Cut Steaks

Flap steak (bavette), hanger, flank, flatiron, and tri-tip steak deliver on flavor at a lower price point, depending on regional markets.

These steaks are trickier to cook for the beginner due to the unique muscle structure of each one.

Even though these cuts require “just right” doneness and careful carving for satisfying results, they are worth it!

Learn more about these worthwhile, flavorful grilling steaks in this article at Serious Eats.

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How to REALLY Know When Steak is Done:

Following the cooking time on a recipe for grilling steak is just plain risky. No two steaks are exactly alike and grilling equipment varies widely, so following time and temp is rarely spot-on.

Do you really want to take chances with those beautiful steaks you just bought?

• The only way to really know when a steak is done is to know what’s going on inside with an instant-read thermometer.
• Get the most accurate reading by inserting the probe into the center of the steak straight in from the side, not the top. This way, the entire part of the tip reading the temp (models vary) is at the same level.

ThermoPop is reliable and reasonably priced—it’s the one I use myself.

An instant-read is not the same as a leave-in meat thermometer.

• An instant–read thermometer is a multi-use gauge, providing a reading within 5 seconds. Its thin shaft makes it easy to insert in dense meats and won’t damage fine baked goods.
• A leave-in meat thermometer has a thicker, stable shaft to remain inserted during cooking when roasting meats.

How to Pair Wine with Grilled Steak and Shrimp:

Pairing a single wine to complement both grilled steak and seafood is challenging because you’re not sure whether to go with a bold Cab or a crisp Pinot Grigio.

I cook with wine often, so I have no problem opening two bottles at one time, but here’s how to choose just one for this dish.

To select just one good bottle of wine, follow these steps. 

1. Decide which is your favorite—red or white.
2. If red, go for a lighter red wine like a Pinot Noir or Zinfandel, or one of these 11 other common varieties to complement the steak without covering up delicate seafood flavor.
3. If white, reach for full-bodied, layered white wine with acidity like a Chardonnay, Viognier (“Vee-own-yay”) or Champagne that can stand up to grilled steak and rich sauces.

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Grilled Tenderloin Steak with Shrimp Scampi

Savory grilled steak tenderloin topped with a buttery, garlic-infused scampi sauce and shrimp. Cooks in under 30 minutes for an easy, date night dinner.

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian American

Servings: 2 Servings

Author: Judy Purcell

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the Steak:

• ▢ 2 (5-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks 1 1/2-inches thick
• ▢ Flaked sea salt Maldon
• ▢ Freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ Olive oil

For the Shrimp Scampi:

• ▢ 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions , white and light green part
• ▢ 3 large cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter cut into 4 pieces
• ▢ 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp (16/20 count) peeled and deveined
• ▢ 1/4 cup dry white wine
• ▢ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ Dash hot pepper sauce
• ▢ Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Prep all the ingredients before starting so the steak and shrimp will be ready to serve at the same time.

For the Steak:

• Generously season both sides of the steaks with sea salt and pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature for 40 minutes before grilling to allow the salt to penetrate the meat.

Using a Gas grill:

• Heat the grill to 450° for 10 minutes. Just before placing the steaks on the grill, drizzle with a little olive oil. Place steaks on the grill, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes with the lid closed. Steaks should sear and register dark grill marks.
• Drizzle with more olive oil and turn steaks over to cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until desired doneness is reached (130-135°F for medium-rare, 135-145°F for medium or 145-155°F for well-done).
• If the steak is browning too quickly or charring on the edges before it reaches the desired internal temperature, turn heat off on one side of the grill and transfer the steaks over to continue cooking over indirect heat until desired temperature is reached.
• Important: Insert the thermometer into the center of the steak from the side, not the top, for a more accurate reading. This way, the entire part of the tip reading the temp, which varies by model, is reading from the same area.

Using a Charcoal grill:

• Use a chimney starter to light natural lump charcoal. Once the coals are glowing hot and ready, spread them out over one side of the bottom of the grill. Just before placing the steaks on the grill, drizzle with a little olive oil. Place steaks on the grill grate directly over the coals, place the lid on the grill with the vents open and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Steaks should sear and register dark grill marks.
• Drizzle with more olive oil and turn steaks over to cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until desired doneness is reached (130-135°F for medium-rare, 135-145°F for medium or 145-155°F for well-done).
• If the steak is browning too quickly or charring on the edges before it reaches the desired internal temperature, transfer steaks to the side of the grill away from the coals and continue cooking over indirect heat until desired temperature is reached.
• Important: Insert the thermometer into the center of the steak from the side, not the top, for a more accurate reading. This way, the entire part of the tip reading the temp, which varies by model, is reading from the same area.
• => Transfer steaks to a warm platter, tent with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes while preparing the scampi.

For the Shrimp Scampi:

• In a medium skillet, sauté the chopped green onion in the olive oil over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook anotehr minute, until fragrant. Increase the heat just a little and stir in the wine and lemon juice, simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
• Reduce heat back to medium-low and add the butter. Once the butter melts, add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until pink and plump (about 3 minutes), turning as needed.
• Stir in fresh parsley, lemon zest, basil, and hot pepper sauce. Serve the shrimp and scampi sauce over the grilled steak as a garnish or on the side.

Notes

Total Time includes the time to salt steaks and light grill.

Salting the steak: It takes at least 40 minutes for the salt to draw moisture and then be reabsorbed into the meat. Either salt when you have the time to let it sit (40 minutes to 24 hours) or salt right before placing it on the grill. Like Kosher salt, flaked sea salt will dissolve more easily than ground sea salt.

Thinner steaks take less time to grill, so check temperature 1-2 minutes after turning.

Buying shrimp already peeled and deveined will save prep time or you can use a Shrimp Deveiner and Cleaner Tool to make it easier.

Make the Scampi without wine, substitute the wine with chicken stock.

Equipment

Weber Propane Grill

Weber Charcoal Grill

Charcoal Chimney Starter

Nutrition

Calories: 640kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 391mg | Sodium: 1124mg | Potassium: 380mg | Vitamin A: 920IU | Vitamin C: 14.5mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 3.8mg

Learn how to make this and all recipes even easier!Check out our Monthly Meal Prep System!

Check out our Surf & Turf Story!