Surf and Turf with refreshing Gin and Tonics

With a whole 5 more days off work, we settled in to our grilling mode in the courtyard at home.  The sunshine and warm weather has been a real treat, but to celebrate our enormous accomplishment of riding our bikes to Fulton Market for fresh fish and meat, we grilled some really amazing surf and turf.  With all this heat, gin and tonics are the way to go.  The shrimp and lobster were purchased from Isaacson's, best spot for fresh fish in town folks, and our favorite butcher, Olympia Meats, hooked us up with the perfect New York strip steaks.  Getting the freshest meat is the hardest part of this meal, make sure it's fresh and cook it the same day you buy it.

For the steak:

kosher salt

pepper

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2T Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper the steaks, then in a small sealable container shake to emulsify the Evoo and sauce.  Drizzle over seasoned steaks and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.  Blot the steak with paper towels to avoid flare ups on the grill.  Cook over direct high heat on you grill for 2 minutes per side and then let cook an additional 4-6 minutes over in direct heat until desired doness is achieved.  Tent with foil and allow steaks to rest before serving.

For the Shrimp:

Peel and devien shrimp leaving the tails on.  In a bowl toss the shrimp with a drizzle of Evoo and salt and pepper.  Skewer the shrimp on metal skewers.  Cook over direct heat for 2-3 minutes per side.  Meanwhile,  In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup chopped capers, 1/8 cup Evoo, the juice and zest of 1 lemon, salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano.  Toss in the grilled shrimp to coat.  Serve hot.

For the Lobster

With kitchen shears, cut the top back shell of each tail down the middle, then skewer the tail from the under belly between the meat and shell.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a small dish melt 3 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper, 1 T lemon juice, and 1 T parsley- chopped.  Cook the tails cut side down for 7-8 minutes between the direct and indirect heat of the grill.  Then flip them over moving the tails closer to the direct heat.  Using tongs spread the cut sides apart and baste the butter sauce inside the tails liberally, cook an additional 2-3 minutes checking often until the meat is cooked through, opaque.  Serve with additional butter and remove skewer before eating!  Yum :)

Gin and Tonic

(makes 5 cocktails)

5 ounces Gin

5 limes, juiced

1 liter Tonic

ice to serve

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, leaving the lime rinds in the pitcher.  Fill  glasses with ice and pour the mixture in, place a lime half in glass to garnish.  Enjoy cold.

Now we are ready to enjoy some kayaking down the river... and see some fireworks!