Nachos With Chicken and Beef and Shrimp Nachos

Put a comfort food spin on a classic restaurant favorite.  These Surf and Turf Nachos are topped with juicy steak and flavorful shrimp – whip up a batch for dinner this weekend!

I've never been one for a big night out on the town.  Don't get me wrong.  I really enjoy a trip to our local steakhouse.  However, given a choice, I would much rather make that steak at home and curl up on the couch in the basement for a movie night.  That's how these Surf and Turf Nachos came about.

Surf and turf is a classic 'fancy' menu item.  Steak + seafood combined together as a main course.  The 'surf' part is often lobster or shrimp while the 'turf' part is typically a beef steak – often a filet mignon.  With Valentine's Day coming up in a couple of weeks, I'm sure a bunch of restaurants will be advertising surf and turf dishes.  After all, what better way to say 'I love you' than combining two of the most expensive menu items together into one?  j/k.

While a classic steak topped with seafood would be tasty, I personally had more fun using those flavors combined with a favorite comfort food – nachos!  At their most basic form, nachos are just chips and melted cheese.  I have no issue with tortilla chips covered with melted cheese.  I'll gladly make a plate of cheesy chips disappear!  But if you top those nachos with juicy steak and tender shrimp, too?  Game on!

Surf and Turf Nachos

I don't typically pull out my cast iron skillet for shrimp.  Whenever I sauté shrimp, I normally use a non-stick skillet.  However, I had the cast iron skillet out for cooking the steak so I used it for the shrimp.  I'll never go back!  From here on out, shrimp will be cooked in a cast iron skillet.  (To be fair, I did leave the juices from the steak in the skillet when I cooked the shrimp…so I'm sure that helped.)  Laura said that these shrimp reminded her of shrimp you get when you order fajitas in a restaurant.

A quick note about marinating the steak for these Surf and Turf Nachos.  I highly recommend it!  Marinating steak does require a bit of advance planning, but it makes such a difference in terms of flavor.  For this recipe, I used a simplified version of the marinade that I use when making steak fajitas.  It's delicious!

Aside from the obvious steak and seafood, these Surf and Turf Nachos also feature a number of other layers of flavor.  Two types of shredded cheese.  Tomatoes.  Tamed jalapenos.  Green onions.  Avocado.  And of course chips.  Speaking of chips, I randomly stumbled on Chi Chi's tortilla chips.  I remember Chi Chi's restaurants as a kid, but I'm pretty sure those have gone out of business here in the States.  But apparently they still make chips…and those chips are insanely addicting.  Of course, these nachos will be tasty with any sort of tortilla chip!

I hope you enjoy these Surf and Turf Nachos as much as we did here.  We made a big plate of nachos and curled up on the couch with a Netflix movie – I'll take that any night of the week!  Cheers!

Did you make these nachos at home?  Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I'd love to see your version!

For the Steaks

• ¼ cup lime juice
• ¼ cup water
• 2½ Tbsp vegetable oil divided
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 2 8-oz. New York strip steaks

For the Shrimp

• 16 oz. shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning

For the Nachos

• 1 15-oz. bag tortilla chips
• 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese I used Cabot's Vermont Sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese I used Cabot's Pepper Jack cheese
• 2 medium tomatoes diced
• ⅓ cup sliced tamed jalapenos
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onions
• {optional toppings} sour cream limes, diced avocados

For the Steaks

• Using a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, water, 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil, vinegar, soy sauce and chili powder.

• Place the steaks in a glass baking dish and add liquid mixture; flip steaks several times to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for 1-6 hours.

• Using a cast iron skillet, add remaining ½ Tbsp of vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add steaks and cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for 2-4 more minutes, or until steaks reach desired level of doneness. (Note: Leave skillet on stove as it will be used to cook shrimp while the steaks are resting.)

• Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

For the Shrimp

• Rinse and drain shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Place shrimp in a bowl and add Cajun seasoning; toss until well coated.

• Place shrimp into skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp are pink in color and fully cooked. Remove skillet from heat.

For the Nachos

• Preheat oven to 400ׄ°F.

• Layer half of the tortilla chips in cast iron skillet or on sheet pan. Using a small bowl, combine the cheddar and Pepper Jack cheeses. Sprinkle half of cheese mixture on top of the chips.

• Sprinkle half of the diced tomatoes and jalapenos on top of cheese.

• Repeat using remaining ingredients.

• Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until cheeses have fully melted.

• After removing the nachos from the oven, top with sliced steak and shrimp.

• Before serving, sprinkle green onions on top. {Optional} Garnish with sour cream, a squeeze of lime and/or diced avocados.

Looking for more nacho recipes?  Check out these other favorites, too:

Irish Nachos

Ground Beef Nachos

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

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Source: https://spicedblog.com/surf-and-turf-nachos/

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