Lobster Topped Filet Mignon

Normally when you order a lobster or crab topper to your steak. you get some chunks of seafood mixed in with some other ingredients and you get a pile of crustacean on top of your turf. Well, that’s not what we are doing here. We are topping some large filets with entire lobster tails. And these aren’t small filets or tails. The beef and lobster are 16 ounces each. This ain’t no dainty surf and turf, it’s a pound of steak topped with a pound of lobster tail. More like SURF and TURF for this lobster topped filet mignon. 

Lobster Topped Filet Mignon Ingredients:

• 4 filets mignons (or is it filet mignons?)* each at 16 ounces
• Your favorite steak seasoning
• 4 lobster tails, also 16 ounces each
• Salt to taste
• 1 stick of salted butter
• 1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

A pair of kitchen shears are also a good idea here

*The plural of filet mignon is either filets mignons or filet mignons. Both are correct.  

The recipe calls for 4 lobster tails and 4 steaks, but odd numbers look more appetizing. I have no idea who did this research, but I’m going with it. So I’m grilling 3 of each because someone decided that looks better. 

Let’s prep the steaks first because there isn’t much to that. I hit them with salt and a fantastic new steak seasoning I’ve been using almost exclusively lately. It’s the DB180 All Purpose Rub from Dead Bird BBQ. I haven’t partnered with them in any way. I just love their rubs. 

Let’s get back to those steaks. Check out the size of these monsters:

Now let’s head over to the seafood section here:

This is a little more complicated. Grab a tail and the sheas. From the fat end take the shears and cut open along the top right down the middle:

Cut that shell of the tail all the way down to the base:

Then pry it open and along the cut and pull the lobster meat out, but don’t separate it from the base of the tail. Just prop it up onto the split shell:

When I pulled this one out, the fat end of the tail wasn’t quite butterflied open so I had to grab the shears again:

And now this tail is ready for some salt and to hit the grill:

How does this look?

Hit the lobsters with some salt and go prepare the grill for two zone or indirect grilling. For a conventional grill like my multi-fuel grill here that means hot charcoal and smoke wood on one side, the steak and lobster tails on the other. On a kamado, that means the plate setter is between the coals and the protein. Target temp inside the grill is 300F. I placed a chunk of oak on the coals and the lobster on the side with no coals for a few minutes to give them a head start since we are cooking them to 145 and the steaks only to 115-125 on the cool side. Once the tails hit 60-70 degrees, go ahead and throw on the steaks:

Close the lid and let the smoke and fire work it’s magic. In the mean time, grab a small oven safe pot and the rest of the ingredients. You can see in the pic above, my small cast iron pot. I added the butter, garlic, red pepper flakes and herbs:

OK, I know some of you are nervous about this one. What if the steaks get done first or the lobsters? What if you overcook one and undercook another. This is not a problem. As long a you have a probe thermometer you will be fine. If the lobster tails get done early, move the steaks over to the coal and sear them. They will go to 125 in a heart beat. If the steaks are done early, simply remove them from the heat and close the lid and let the lobsters cook longer and then sear the steaks when the lobsters are around 145. 

Once the tails hit 100-110F brush them with the compound butter and do so again every 10 degrees or so until they are done.

So in this case, my lobster tails are not done yet:

This is a good time to give the lobster tails a little brush of that compound butter we made. Sorry, I didn’t grab a pic of that.

In another 20 degrees on my lobsters, I sear the steaks and keep the lid open so the lobster tails don’t cook any more. Feel free to give the steaks a brush of the compound butter here if you like, but be careful. There is probably going to be a flare up.

Searing the steaks is simple. Sear till grill marks appear, flip, and sear the other side. This should take 60-90 seconds or the fire is not hot enough. Then flip over, rotate 45 degrees to get the cross hatch and sear the other side. Once that side is cross hatched, flip and rotate to get cross hatch marks on the other side. At this point the steaks should be 125-135. If you want them cooked more, put them back on the side with no heat and close the lid. You may want to pull the lobster tails if they have gotten too hot. They can be warmed back up on the grill just before serving if necessary. 

If you are reading this post and thinking about going for it but don’t have a probe thermometer, I’m gonna go ahead and tell you to hit the back button. Don’t be guessing on a meal like this. Grab a thermapen and know when the steak and lobster are done. 

Give the steaks and the tails a brush of butter and then remove them from the grill. Separate the tails from the shells, and place each one across a filet, and allow to rest for a good five minutes:

And a close up:

Aaaannnndddd sliced:

And another close up:

And just one more, because, well, if you have to ask why, you just don’t get it:

OK, one last one. I promise:

And the real reason for all these pics is something my videographer said. “This is the prettiest thing you have ever cooked.” At first, I thought, “I’ve cooked prettier stuff.” And then I gave it more thought and realized she was right. I’ve cooked a ton of stuff, but most of it is not in the, ‘pretty,’ category. This is in that category and pretty close to the top of it. Not to mention how amazing this was to eat. Having the lobster on top made it simple to slice through a chunk of the surf and glide the knife right down through the surf. Then sop it around in the butter that trickled down to the plate mixing with the meat juice. This meal wouldn’t be for a random Tuesday, but for a celebration, this would be dynamite! Oh, and if you feel like a side dish is necessary, this grilled asparagus dish is perfect to throw on the grill while the entree rests. That’s what I did. 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or send me an email. 

Print Recipe

Lobster Topped Filet Mignon

Reverse seared filet mignon topped with a smoked lobster tail - both brushed with a compound butter

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Surf and Turf

Servings: 4 -8

Equipment

• kitchen shears are also a good idea here

Ingredients

• 4 filet mignon (or is it filet mignons?* each at 16 ounces)
• your favorite steak seasoning
• 4 lobster tail (also 16 ounces each)
• salt to taste
• 8 tbsp salted butter (1 stick)
• 1 tsp fresh oregano finely chopped
• ½ tsp fresh tarragon finely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Season the steaks with salt and steak rub
• With kitchen shears cut the shells to the lobster tails down the top of the middle from the fat end, stopping at the tail fins
• Pull the tail out and let it set on top of the now empty shell
• If the end needs to be split, use the shears to do the final trim
• Season the tails with salt
• Prepare the grill for indirect or two zone grilling with coals and smoke wood on one side and place the steaks and lobster tails on the other
• Target temp inside the grill is 300
• Place the lobster tails on first to get a "lead" on the filets as we are cooking them to 145 and the steak we are only cooking to 115-125
• Place the oven safe pot on the grill and put in the butter, garlic, herbs, and red pepper flakes
• After the tails hit about 60-70 degrees, place the steaks on the grill and close the lid
• When the tails hit 110 brush them with the butter
• Once the tails are around 140, stoke up the fire (if necessary), brush the steaks with butter and sear them off on both sides over the hot fire
• When the steaks reach the desired temp, brush one last time with the butter and place on a plate
• Brush the lobster tails one last time, removing the meat from the shell and placing each tail on a steak
• Let rest for 5 minutes and serve

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Scott Thomas

Scott Thomas, the Original Grillin’ Fool, was sent off to college with a suitcase and a grill where he overcooked, undercooked and burned every piece of meat he could find. After thousands of failures, and quite a few successes, nearly two decades later he started a website to show step by step, picture by picture, foolproof instructions on how to make great things out of doors so that others don’t have to repeat the mistakes he’s made on the grill.

Scott Thomas

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