Southern Surf & Turf Nachos are a loaded, indulgent platter that combines crispy tortilla chips with smoky steak, seasoned shrimp, melted cheese, and bold Southern-style toppings. Think steakhouse meets seafood boil meets game-day nachos.
🧀🥩🦐 Southern Surf & Turf Nachos
🧾 Ingredients
🍤 Surf (Seafood)
- ½–1 lb shrimp (peeled & deveined)
- 1 tbsp butter or oil
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- Splash of lemon juice
🥩 Turf (Steak)
- ½–1 lb steak (ribeye, sirloin, or flank)
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning or steak seasoning
- 1 tbsp oil
🧀 Nacho base
- 1 large bag tortilla chips (thick-cut works best)
- 2–3 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a mix)
🌶️ Southern toppings
- Jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
- Diced tomatoes
- Red onion (thin sliced)
- Black beans or corn (optional)
- Green onions
🥣 Sauces (optional but highly recommended)
- Ranch or spicy ranch
- Chipotle mayo
- BBQ sauce
- Queso cheese sauce
👨🍳 Instructions
1. Cook the steak
- Season steak with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.
- Heat oil in a pan or grill.
- Cook to desired doneness (about 3–5 min per side depending on thickness).
- Rest 5 minutes, then slice thin.
2. Cook the shrimp
- Melt butter in a pan.
- Add shrimp and seasoning.
- Cook 2–3 minutes per side until pink and slightly crisp.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
3. Build the nachos
- Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Spread tortilla chips on a large baking tray or cast iron skillet.
- Sprinkle half the cheese first.
- Add steak and shrimp evenly.
- Top with remaining cheese and jalapeños.
4. Bake
- Bake 8–10 minutes until cheese is fully melted and bubbling.
5. Finish & load up
- Add fresh toppings: tomatoes, onions, corn, beans.
- Drizzle with ranch, chipotle mayo, or queso.
- Sprinkle green onions on top.
🔥 Tips for maximum flavor
- Don’t overcook shrimp—it should stay juicy.
- Use a mix of cheeses for better melt and flavor depth.
- Layering cheese twice keeps nachos from getting soggy.
- Cast iron skillet gives the best “restaurant-style” crisp edges.
🍽️ Serving idea
Serve straight from the tray with extra dipping sauces on the side—perfect for sharing (or not sharing at all).
If you want, I can also make:
- 🌮 Taco-style version of this
- 🧀 Extra cheesy queso-loaded version
- 🌶️ Spicy Nashville hot surf & turf nachos
- 🍟 Sheet-pan “party size” version for a crowd
