SAUCE MAGAZINE
Posted On: 01/01/2012
While cows and crustaceans never tango in nature, they perform a beautiful pas de deux on the plate. Surf-n-turf is possibly the best friend of the indecisive glutton. Why choose when you can have a little bit of both? At Sage in Soulard, this traditional duo is jazzed up with a little south-of-the-border flare. Three cheeses, two sauces and a crispy tortilla later – you have the ultimate wonder: a shrimp and steak quesadilla worth swooning over.
Surf-n-Turf Quesadillas
Courtesy of Sage Urban American Grill’s
Jeff Schaffer
Makes 4 10-inch quesadillas
4 Tbsp. toasted ground cumin
4 Tbsp. toasted ground coriander seeds
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Zest of 3 limes
Zest of 2 lemons
4 Tbsp. ground dried chile
2 Tbsp. dried chipotle
3 Tbsp. kosher salt
½ lb. flank steak
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 limes
½ lb. fresh rock shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ lb. unsalted butter, plus additional for sautéing
¼ cup white wine
½ cup diced red pepper
½ cup diced yellow onion
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Chihuahua cheese
4 10-inch flour tortillas
Neutral-flavored oil for sautéing
1 DAY AHEAD:
• First make the dry rub: Combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub half of the mixture on the steak. Cover the steak and bowl of seasoning and place both in the fridge. Marinate the steak overnight.
• Prepare the marinade for the shrimp: Add the lemon and lime juices to the remaining seasoning mixture. Combine in a bowl with the shrimp. Cover and marinate up to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Poach the shrimp in ¼ pound of butter and the white wine over medium heat until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove from the pan and immediately chill.
• Grill the flank steak until medium-rare. Remove from heat and cut into 1/8-inch slices.
• In a separate pan over high heat, flash-sauté the red pepper, onion and garlic in butter for no more than 45 seconds.
• In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses.
• To assemble the quesadillas: Evenly disburse 2/3 of the cheese mixture among the tortillas.
• Top each tortilla half with: 4 slices of the flank steak; 2 tablespoons of the pepper, onion and garlic mixture; and 6 pieces of rock shrimp.
• Top with the remaining cheese mixture. Fold the tortillas in half.
• Working in batches, place the quesadillas in a medium-hot skillet lightly coated with oil and cook until golden brown on both sides.
• Bake the quesadillas in the oven for no more than 5 minutes.
• Slice and serve with chipotle aioli (recipe left) and lime sour cream (recipe left).
