Eye fillet steak topped with garlicky chilli prawns in a creamy white wine sauce — surf-and-turf, restaurant style, on a camp BBQ. Sounds fancy. Takes 20 minutes. Hits like a celebration dinner.

The trick is timing — sear the steaks first, rest while the prawn sauce comes together. Pour the sauce over the rested steaks, plate up with vegetables, and the campsite goes silent.

Photo by mohanad karawanchy on Unsplash

Serves: 4 · Prep: 10 minutes · Cook: 15 minutes · Equipment: BBQ or large frying pan + small saucepan

Photo: Giorgio Trovato / Unsplash

For the steak:

• 4 eye fillet steaks (200-250g each, 3cm thick)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt + cracked pepper
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs OR fresh thyme + rosemary
• 1 tbsp butter (for finishing)

For the prawn sauce:

• 12-16 raw prawns, shelled + deveined (frozen + thawed is fine)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp crushed garlic (1 large clove minced)
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh red chilli (or 1 tsp chilli flakes)
• 500ml thickened cream
• 100ml dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salt + cracked pepper to taste

To serve: char-grilled vegetables, mashed potato, asparagus, roasted baby potatoes, simple green salad.

1. Bring steaks to room temperature — pull from the esky 30 minutes before cooking. Cold steak straight on hot grill = uneven cook.

2. Season the steaks. Rub all over with olive oil, then sprinkle with herbs, salt and cracked pepper. Press the seasoning into the meat.

3. Heat the BBQ or pan until smoking-hot. The single biggest steak mistake is too-low heat.

4. Cook the steaks. Lay on the grill — DON'T move them for 3 minutes. Then flip ONCE, cook another 3 minutes (medium-rare for 3cm thick). Add cooking time for thicker steaks or higher doneness:

• Rare: 2 + 2 mins
• Medium-rare: 3 + 3 mins
• Medium: 4 + 4 mins
• Well-done: 5 + 5 mins (chef's tear)

5. Rest! Pull steaks off, dot with butter, cover loosely with foil, REST 5 minutes. Resting is non-negotiable — juices redistribute, meat finishes cooking, comes out perfect.

6. While steaks rest — make the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add HALF the garlic and HALF the chilli. Cook 30 seconds (don't burn — burnt garlic is bitter).

7. Cook the prawns. Add prawns to the pan, cook 1-2 minutes until they just turn pink. Season lightly with salt + pepper. Remove prawns to a plate.

8. Build the sauce. In the same pan, reduce heat to low. Add the wine, let it bubble 30 seconds. Add HALF the cream + remaining garlic + chilli. Simmer 2-3 minutes until starting to thicken.

9. Return prawns + add remaining cream. Stir to coat. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Heat through 1 minute.

10. Plate up. Place each rested steak on a warm plate. Top with 3-4 prawns + a generous spoonful of sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately with vegetables on the side.

• Steak quality matters most. Buy the best eye fillet you can afford — grain-fed, marbled, dry-aged if possible. The cooking can't fix bad meat
• 3cm thickness is ideal — thicker = harder to cook through evenly; thinner = overcooks too fast
• Salt the steaks 40+ minutes before if you have time — the salt draws out moisture, then it's reabsorbed for better seasoning + crust
• Don't move the steak while it's searing on each side. Constant flipping = no crust
• Add other seafood: scallops, crab meat, fresh moreton bay bugs all work in the sauce. Cook them lightly + add at the end
• Without wine: use 100ml fish stock + 1 tbsp lemon juice instead
• Make it richer: 50g grated parmesan stirred in at the end
• Vegetable suggestions: char-grilled asparagus + roast cherry tomatoes + buttered new potatoes is the restaurant treatment
• Cook on a campfire: the steaks work brilliantly on a wire grill over a hot coal bed; the sauce on a small saucepan over coals or on a butane stove

The "make-the-trip" dinner. Eye fillet + creamy chilli prawns is the camp meal that everyone remembers — the surf-and-turf moment that elevates a simple weekend into a proper getaway. 20 minutes from cold to plate. Restaurant-quality without the restaurant prices.

Bring the steaks pre-seasoned in vacuum bags, the prawns in a frozen block, and you've got the makings of celebration dinner ready to go on day one.