The Beef n' Reef: A Surf n' Turf Burger
Surf n' Turf in burger form...you won't know you've needed it until the first bite.
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Equipment
- wax paper
- stovetop flat griddle
Ingredients
FOR THE LOBSTER ROLL FILLING!
- 2 lobster tails, raw & thawed
- 1 whole lemon
- 3 Tbsp mayo
- 2 Tbsp softened butter (like mega soft, but not melted!)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (not from the 1st lemon)
- 2 Tbsp celery, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp chive, finely minced
- celery salt
- black pepper
FOR THE BURGERS!
- 1 pound ground chuck or beef (80/20), divided into 4 equal portions
- 4 slices American cheese
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 brioche buns
- veg or canola oil, something with a high smoke point
Instructions
FOR THE LOBSTER ROLL FILLING!
- Fill a medium pot (large enough to house the lobster tails, duh) with salted water...less salt than if you were boiling pasta. DO NOT ADD THE LOBSTER YET! Slice the first lemon in half and juice it into the water; plop the squeezed lemon halves in there, too. Don't worry about the seeds, they shouldn't get into the lobster tails. Set over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add lobster tails and cook for 9 minutes. While they're cooking, fill a medium bowl with ice water.
- When the tails are done, remove them from the boiling water and immediately plunge them into the ice bath to stop from cooking further.
- As the lobster tails cool in the ice water, grab a medium bowl. Add mayo, softened butter, lemon juice, celery, and chive. Whisk well and season to taste with celery salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Tails should be cool enough to handle now. Cut through both sides with scissors, pull apart, and remove all meat. Be sure to check for lobster shit. Blot with paper towels to absorb all excess water. This step is so important!!!
- Roughly chop the lobster meat. You can leave the meat real chunky, but I prefer a bit smaller dice for these burgers. You do you.
- Toss lobster meat into mayo mixture and taste again, adjusting seasoning if necessary. Set in fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight, covered.
FOR THE SMASH BURGERS!
- Preheat a very large pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Make sure it's dry and nothing is in it. You don't want it on the highest setting, but it needs to be hotter than if you were gonna sauté some veggies.
- Smash ground beef into patties. Place each patty individually on squares of wax paper. Continue to flatten them as thinly as possible without starting to crumble. Using your thumb, make an indent the size of a quarter in the center of each patty. Careful not to pierce through your meat.
- Make sure your pan is ripping hot. Drop some oil on it and immediately, one by one, smash the wax paper-lined burgers onto the pan, beef-first, peeling back the wax paper like you've seen in the movies and you've been preparing for your whole fucking life. IT'S YOUR TIME TO SHINE!!!
- Cook for 2 minutes on first side, seasoning patties lightly with kosher salt and pepper.
- Flip and add a slice of American to each patty, cooking on second side for 2 minutes as well. DO NOT SEASON 2ND SIDE!!!
- Rest burgers on a flat surface while you gather lobster roll filling and toast your buns (preferably in the grease from the burgers)!
THE BUILD!
- From the bottom, up: bottom bun -> mayo -> 2 patties -> lobster roll filling -> top bun schmeared with more mayo! YOLO!!!
Notes
• If forming patties ahead of time, you can stack them on top of each other because of the wax paper in between. Cover with plastic wrap or tinfoil and store in fridge for up to 1 day.
• Brioche buns make all the difference here, as they do with plain lobster rolls. Don't skimp!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!