Keto Surf 'N' Turf Skewers
⏲ ~26 min total · prep 17 · cook 9 · 4 servings
Dinner⏱ 55 min total🔥 1.3g net carbs⚡ ≈564 kcal/serving~1% of calories from carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 1 lb sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
- 12 oz large shrimp (16-20 count), peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, submerge 8 of them in water now and let them soak 30 minutes (use this window to cube the steak and peel the shrimp); metal skewers skip this.
- Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of the oil, half the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper; marinate at room temperature 20 minutes.
- Blot the shrimp with paper towel and toss with the remaining oil, garlic, and salt — a dry surface is what lets them take color in 2 minutes a side.
- Thread the beef onto 4 skewers snug but not squeezed (cubes need air between them to cook through), and the shrimp onto 4 separate skewers — shrimp finish in a quarter of the beef's time, so separate skewers are how both land done instead of one rubber and one raw.
- Heat a grill or grill pan over high and cook the beef 8-10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, for medium-rare (130°F internal).
- Add the shrimp skewers for the final 4 minutes: 2 minutes per side, until opaque and curled into a loose C — a tight O means they've gone past done.
- Melt the butter with the lemon juice in a small saucepan and brush it over both skewers off the heat, then rain the parsley over.
- Rest the beef 5 minutes before serving the pairs together.
Why this recipe works
- Separate skewers, separate timing Shrimp finish in a quarter of the beef's time, so they cook on their own skewers and join the grill for the final four minutes. One skewer for both lands with rubber shrimp or raw beef.
- A short room-temperature marinade Twenty minutes with oil, garlic, and salt seasons the beef cubes through without a long wait. Cold meat on a hot grill seizes and cooks unevenly, so this takes the chill off.
- Dry shrimp take color Blotted shrimp sear in two minutes a side. Wet ones steam gray in the same time, and gray shrimp never recover.
Tips for making this recipe well
Snug, not squeezed
Thread the cubes with a breath of air between them so heat can move through each face. Threaded tight, they raw out in the middle while the outside chars.
130°F, then a rest
Pull the beef at medium-rare and let it sit five minutes before anyone eats. The temperature climbs a few degrees on the board while the juices settle back in.
The loose C is done
A shrimp curls into a loose C when it's cooked; a tight O means it went past done. Two minutes a side is the whole window.
Soak wooden skewers now
Thirty minutes in water keeps the ends from catching fire. Use the window to cube the steak and peel the shrimp, and the timeline costs nothing.
Butter sauce off the heat
Melt the butter with the lemon juice in a small pan and brush it over the skewers after they come off the grill. Butter over live flames browns and then burns.
Serving suggestions
Serve each pair of skewers on one plate, beef beside shrimp, with the parsley still falling from where you threw it. The lemon butter doubles as the sauce, so warm extra for dipping if the table leans greedy. At 1.3g net carbs a serving, the whole plate is fair game. Rest the beef the full five minutes; that rest is the difference between juicy and good intentions. Grilled lemon halves on the side are a courtesy, not a requirement.
Storage and meal prep
Skewers are built for the night they're grilled, and leftovers should be treated as a bonus. Strip the meat off the sticks and keep it 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, though the shrimp is at its best within a day. Eat the beef cold over greens the next afternoon. Skip the freezer; shrimp turns rubbery when it thaws, and no amount of lemon butter fixes that.
Variations worth trying
- All steak, all shrimp Eight skewers of one protein work the same way. Shrimp alone need about four minutes total; beef alone follow the original timing.
- Chimichurri instead Swap the lemon butter for a spoonful of chimichurri on each plate. The parsley in this recipe already points that direction.
- Scallops for shrimp Large sea scallops thread and cook on the same two-minutes-a-side schedule. Pat them very dry first.
Frequently asked questions
Can I marinate the shrimp too?
Keep it to the quick toss they get here. Shrimp held long in garlic and salt turn soft and cured-tasting, so thread them close to grilling time.
Metal or wooden skewers?
Either works. Wooden ones need thirty minutes in water so the ends don't char, while metal go straight to the grill; remember the handles stay hot.
No grill. Now what?
A cast-iron grill pan over high heat does the same job. Open a window; the butter at the end will smoke a little.
How do I keep the shrimp from overcooking?
They only need the final four minutes on the grill, two per side, and they're done at the loose C. Pull them a touch early, since carryover heat finishes the job.
Can I prep these ahead?
Cube the beef and peel the shrimp in the morning, keeping them separate in the fridge. Thread and season close to grilling; the beef still gets its twenty minutes at room temperature.
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