Surf and Turf: A Delicious Treat for Your Dogs

If you can’t tell by now, I enjoy meal prep. Cooking for myself and my dogs brings me joy. Preparing ahead of time means I am more likely to eat well. The same principle applies to my dogs! Busy workdays often lead to less mindful enrichment, exercise, and training for them. So when my energy is up and I have spare time, I save myself the stress. I prepare a variety of enrichment items in bulk to ensure each day is their best day, even when it isn't mine.

High-Value Treats for Your Dogs

Today’s recipe is a high-value treat: Surf and Turf! Ironically, as a vegetarian, I have never had this myself. However, according to the internet, it is a popular item at special steakhouses. If you haven’t consumed it yourself, it is what it sounds like—a combination of meat (commonly steak) and seafood. You could certainly prepare this in small quantities with leftovers from a human meal (being mindful of sauces and seasonings). But as a plant eater, I chose to source some good deals at my local grocery store and went to work. For this recipe, it was such a hit with the dogs that I tried two variations. Let’s dive in, and I’ll share some pros and cons.

Variation One - Steak and Salmon

For the first variety, I went with a direct inspiration. I used some fresh sirloin steak that was on special and some boneless, skinless frozen salmon filets. I prepared two baking sheets with aluminum foil—one for the steak and one for the salmon. I first baked the 1-inch sirloin steak at 425°F for about 10 minutes until medium-well. The steak should have an internal temperature of about 135°F-145°F and have a slightly pink center. I then dropped the oven to 375°F and baked the salmon for about 15 minutes. You will know the salmon is done when the fat has congealed, is opaque in color, and can be easily shredded with a fork.

I set the steak aside on a cutting board. I diced half to set aside for some high-value recall training treats and sliced the remaining steak into strips for the toys. I combined the kibble and salmon into a small bowl to mix and then stuffed the toys. Then I layered the steak pieces on top of the puzzles before freezing. For extra color, antioxidants, and pizzazz, you can add some frozen fruit or vegetable treats on top. I found a fun fish silicone mold and blended some fresh blueberries and blackberries from the yard.

Fun fish toppers to bring the sea theme into the enrichment!

Salmon and kibble in the bottom, sliced steak pieces to top it off!

The dogs LOVED these. They were low-odor despite having the salmon in them, very high-value, and packed with nutrients. I don’t often cook steak, and with three large dogs and how much I love to prepare enrichment in bulk, the amount of steak needed could certainly add up. So while these would be a great special occasion option for a birthday, they wouldn’t work as well for me for frequent recipes. This inspired the second variation.

Variation Two - Ground Beef and Salmon

These two flavors were such a big hit that I wanted to recreate them with a slightly more convenient and cost-effective method. Instead of the steak, for round two, I chose to add in ground beef. For the dogs, I normally opt for 80/20 or 70/30. If you have a small breed dog, one who is prone to gastrointestinal trouble, or one on a diet, consider choosing something leaner. For the seafood, I used the frozen salmon filets again.

I cooked the salmon in the oven again, shredded it with a fork, and set it aside in a bowl. While my salmon was baking, I was also preparing the ground beef in bulk. I added it to a pan on the stove over medium heat, breaking the pieces with a spatula as it browned.

Kibble and flaked salmon mixed together. Waiting on the ground beef to finish!

Next, combine the browned ground beef into the bowl with the salmon and add in some kibble. Stirring the three brings the flavors together and allows the grease and oils from the meat to coat your kibble. Then you can spoon this into puzzle toys like Toppls or Kongs. If your dog is more of an expert puzzle solver and goes through toys quickly, you can use some of the grease and fat you pulled aside and pour some into the bottom. For the lower-fat options, some broth or water will also work. The more liquid the toy has, the more uniform a freeze you will get, which increases how long it will take for your dog to work through it.

After stuffing, you can use any toppers you have on hand like chopped carrots or even a fruit or vegetable frozen treat. Then stick the stuffed toys onto a lined freezer shelf and let them sit until fully frozen.

Additional Notes

Small paw print treats made from leftover beef juices, yummy! Easy to give as treats or put on a future Toppl.

After cooking the ground beef and salmon, you may be left with some grease and fat. You can pull this aside into a glass measuring cup before using the meat in the recipe for a lower-fat option; however, most dogs love this! I chose to separate it into a measuring cup and poured it into silicone molds to freeze for treats and additional puzzle toppers. If you went with a leaner ground beef, you can even dilute this further with water to fill more treat molds.

The ratio of the kibble, beef, and salmon can vary based on if you are using dinner leftovers or prepping in bulk. Higher amounts of kibble in the mixing bowl will be easier to use as a meal replacement enrichment item, while higher meat content can be ideal for promoting relaxation in a more distracting or challenging situation.

I will say the dogs LOVED this recipe. And genuinely, despite it sounding fancy, it was pretty cost-effective and easy, especially when I exchanged the steak for ground beef. The ground beef formula didn't require a lot of prep or cleanup, which I appreciate for food prep for the dogs. One pan easily washed for the ground beef, one bowl to mix, and an easy clean-up from the fish with the foil. As an unexpected turn of events, the smell of the two meats cooking together was not something I expected. I ended up turning fans on, lighting a candle, and opening the back door. Probably just my now sensitive vegetarian sense of smell! The dogs, however, were very intrigued, and once they were frozen, they had very low odor.

If you give this a try, be sure to let us know!