Surf and Turf Bloody Marys

Every time I make a Bloody Mary I use it as an opportunity to let my imagination run wild. I put a slightly different spin on each one to see how much I can change the flavor while still remaining true to the classic. And of course you can’t forget about the garnish! I’ve seen everything from an entire slice of pizza, to a slider, to crab legs.. which is what inspired my ‘surf and turf’ take on the drink. I decided to use tomato juice straight from my juicer to get the freshest boldest flavors that I could and keeping with my sea theme, added Sailor Jerry Rum instead of vodka.

I know it may seem like a lot of work to make your own tomato juice versus just using store bought, but I definitely noticed a big difference between the two. Store bought seems to be very heavy and high in sodium, whereas the fresh tomato juice was very light, both in consistency and flavor. It’s a great way to use up extra tomatoes from your garden and you can pass off your happy hour treat as a healthy one! You’ll still have a delicious tasting Bloody Mary regardless of which route you go, but give fresh tomato juice a try some time to see for yourself!

No juicer? No problem! I’ve included a few links to my other Bloody Mary recipes as well!

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(makes 4 servings)

For tomato juice:

4-5 medium sized tomatoes

2 stalks of celery, leaves removed

1 lemon

Half of a lime

1 jalapeño pepper (I used two little guys from my garden)

Half of a cucumber, peeled

1 inch hunk of fresh ginger root

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

½ tsp kosher salt

Taste test the tomato juice to see if it’s spicy enough for you. Add another juiced jalapeño or throw a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce in if it needs more heat. Too spicy? Add another tomato!

For garnishes:

8 strips of thick cut bacon

4 jumbo shrimp

4 medium sized scallops

Lemon pepper seasoning

4 crab legs (king or snow crab)

Lemon wedges and celery sticks (optional)

If just making these for two people you can cut the garnish ingredients in half like I did.

*For those without a juicer, check out my Spicy Sailor Bloody Mary recipe or for larger groups, try my Loaded Bloody Mary Bowl!

Prepare tomato juice ingredients according to your juicers instructions and juice everything but the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper into a large pitcher or container.

Stir in remaining ingredients, cover, and refrigerate while you prep your garnishes. The juice will separate which is completely natural. Just stir well before using.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly crisped on the edges but still bendable. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to slightly cool.

When cool enough to touch, wrap bacon strips around shrimp and scallops and pierce with a metal or wood skewer (soak wood skewers in water for 20 minutes before using so they don’t burn). Preheat grill to low-medium heat setting. You can also cook them in the oven if you don’t have a grill. Preheat your broiler to 500 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil. Season shrimp and scallops with a few pinches of lemon pepper. When grill is hot, place skewers on.

Use tongs or a nonflammable pot holder to turn skewers every few minutes to evenly cook, about 7-10 minutes. For broiler, cook 4-5 minutes on one side, flip, and cook another 4-5 minutes or until scallops are seared on the edges and shrimp is pink.

While waiting on the skewers to cook, bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large steamer pot. Arrange crab legs in a single layer and place in the steamer basket inside of the pot. Make sure water cannot reach the crab legs. Place a lid on top and cook for 5-7 minutes. You’ll know the crab legs are done when you can smell them.

Remove from the pot and place on a plate to slightly cool. When cool enough to touch, remove the ends (the joint where the legs connect to the crab) from the crab legs.

For Surf & Turf Bloody Marys:

Sea salt for the rim

4 cups tomato juice mix

4oz Sailor Jerry Rum

4 cooked crab legs

4 skewers with 1 bacon wrapped shrimp and 1 bacon wrapped scallop

4 lemon wedges

4 celery stalks

Now to put it all together!

 Run a lemon wedge around the rim of each glass and dip into a shallow dish filled with sea salt to coat the rims. Add ice and distribute tomato juice evenly between glasses. Add an ounce of Sailor Jerry Rum to each glass and lightly stir. Add garnishes and serve!

Enjoy responsibly!

For the best juicers, be sure to check out the selection available at Williams-Sonoma!