Pan Seared Steak Fillet and Blackened Shrimp with Strawberry Nut Salad

So Mandi and I were trying to think about a good combination while at the store earlier. We were back and forth between chicken, pork, beef, and sea food for our protein. Most of the time we get inspired to cook something while at the store. I do want to try harder in the future to make a plan and then get the ingredients and stick to it. Spontaneous is oh so fun though. Anyways, we wanted to do something delicious and not normally what people would cook. This is what we came up with. Also we have been married for 4 years now and in that time Mandi has inspired my cooking exponentially and I so very grateful for that and for all she does.

Ingredients and how to make tonight's inspiration will follow shortly but for now take a look at the final dish!

The salad was completely Mandi's idea and it turned out awesome.

Main Dish Ingredients:
2x 1/2 lb Top Sirloin Steak Fillet
1/2lb prepared shrimp
About 1 Tbsp Blackening Seasoning (See entry on proper blackening method) I used a home made mixture of Paprika, Black pepper, White Pepper, Oregano, Thyme, and Cayenne pepper.
Smart balance butter spread
About 2 tbsp per fillet Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea Salt

Salad Ingredients:
Fresh spinach
Fresh sliced strawberries
Chopped walnuts
Croutons
Yogurt fruit dip
Balsamic vinegar

The Steak and Shrimp
Step 1:
The steaks I got were a thick cut so I took a meat hammer and flattened them out a bit while tenderizing them as well. Take a knife and place shallow cuts along the grain on both sides. This is so the meat will soak up more seasoning. Rub about a Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce on each fillet evenly on both sides, sprinkle sea salt, and coat with black pepper to taste and rub all this into the meat, place on a plate and let sit until you are ready to cook them.

Step 2:
Prepare your shrimp or buy already shelled and deveined shrimp from your grocery store. Coat shrimp with about 1.5 Tbsp of melted Smart Balance. Put your blackening seasoning in and mix well. Make sure the seasoning coats the shrimp evenly. Now while you were doing all this your cast iron skillet should be on high and smoking hot. Place about 1/2 tbsp Smart Balance in skillet, make sure your fans are turned on as this will produce a big plume of smoke. Add shrimp and sear both sides evenly, flip shrimp often, reduce heat to medium and let shrimp finish cooking. Shrimp cooks pretty quick so be careful not to burn the seasoning or the shrimp. Scrap the skillet clean of anything burnt looking but do not rinse it out. You want the leftover flavor from cooking the shrimp for when you sear the steak. Get the skillet smoking hot again and then sear your steak on both sides evenly, reduce heat to medium and finish cooking the steak to your tastes flipping often. What you should have is a perfectly seared steak that is juicy and tender. Do not over cook the steak. Finish by placing the blackened shrimp on top.

The Salad:
Coming Soon