Surf & Turf Pasta

This surf and turf pasta has got to be one of the best meals I have had in a while. I used shrimp as my choice of “surf” but you can use any other type of seafood you like. The pasta sauce is gochujang based which is an extremely flavorful Korean red chili paste. This dinner will be ready in under 40 minutes and uses very minimal amount of dishes.

Keys to the perfect steak

1. Start with a hot pan: In order to get a perfect sear on a steak, you will NEED a hot pan.
2. Baste with butter: Once that sear has been achieved, I will add butter, turn the heat to medium then continuously baste until it reaches my desired doneness.
3. Let it REST: It is absolutely essential to rest your steaks before cutting in to them, otherwise you will lose all the flavorful juices you worked so hard to achieve. I usually let it rest around 15 minutes.

Milk vs cream for surf & turf pasta

It is really personal preference whether you end up using milk or cream for the sauce base. The cream will definitely be slightly thicker and creamier, however, I actually enjoy using a mix of both cream and milk.

What is gochujang?

Gochujang is the most important ingredient for the pasta part of the recipe. It brings all the flavor, color, and heat to the dish. If you don’t already know, gochujang is a sweet and spicy fermented red chili paste. Bright red in color and it is a very versatile Korean ingredient used for sauces, soup bases, and much more.

Getting the perfect consistency in surf & turf pasta

After making this dish multiple times, I know the sauce base takes only 5-8 minutes to make at the most. That’s why I always start by boiling my pasta in salted water first since that takes at least 10 minutes. IF you finish making the sauce much earlier than your pasta is done, keep it on low heat until your pasta is done. The hot, starchy pasta water will thin out the sauce and you will be able to adjust the consistency afterwards.

Surf & Turf Pasta

This surf and turf pasta is one of the most flavorful easy meals that you can make.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, asian, fusion, Korean

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

Steak

• 12 oz steak
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic crushed

Shrimp

• 6 shrimp (U12)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp oil

Pasta

• 250 g linguine
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 tbsp gochujang
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup pasta water
• parmesan

Instructions

 

• Generously season your steak with salt.
  12 oz steak, 1 tbsp kosher salt
  
• Heat up a hot pan with oil and sear the steak for 2 minutes on each side.
  1 tbsp oil
• Add butter and crushed garlic into the pan, turn the heat down to medium and baste until it reaches your desired doneness. I like medium rare so I basted for about 5 more minutes.
  3 tbsp butter, 3 cloves garlic
• Set the steak aside to rest while you prepare the rest. Clean off the pan.
• Season your peeled shrimp with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
  6 shrimp, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp paprika
• Bring pot of water up to a boil and add 2 tbsp of salt into the water. Begin to cook your linguine noodles
  250 g linguine
• Add 1 tbsp of oil into a hot pan and cook shrimp for 1 minute on each side. Set aside with steak.
  1 tbsp oil
• Into the same pan, add butter, chopped onions, and garlic. Stir for 1 minute.
  2 tbsp butter, 4 cloves garlic, 1 small yellow onion
• Add gochujang, stir 30 seconds then add cream, milk, and pasta water. Stir to combine then grate in some parmesan cheese.
  3 tbsp gochujang, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup milk, ½ cup pasta water, parmesan
• The linguine should be about 85% cooked through now, add the noodles into the pan with the sauce and continue stirring until the sauce is your desired consistency.
• Cut steak and place on top of the pasta along with the shrimp and garnish with parsley.

Keyword creamy, gochujang, pasta, seafood, shrimp, steak

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