Crawfish Etouffee'

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     Months ago a local restaurant, who has a knack for themed menus, offered a Cajun night. Since that's one of my favorite cuisines, I had to go check it out. The hubby and I sampled shrimp and grits, a low country boil and red beans and rice. One of our sons who also likes to try new dishes and is a fan of Cajun flavors asked us to bring him back some crawfish etouffee'. 

     One Saturday afternoon that same son walked in from a trip to the grocery store with a big bag of raw crawfish. He announced that he wanted to try his hand at redoing the etouffee'. This or any crawfish dish would be a new adventure. 
    Our etouffee, which basically means "smothered" (like a gravy), did not fit the bill for a successful remake. It was too green, too buttery and nothing to write home about, so to speak. 

     It was way too much hassle for what you get, even more so than lobster or crab. So the moral of this story is to buy only the tails that have been prepped. Of course, the other option is to just eat out and let someone else do the crawfish for you.

Crawfish Etouffee'

Recipe courtesy of Rz's Cafe'

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup butter

2 lb. peeled crawfish tails with fat

1/4 cup water

salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup green onion tops, chopped

Sauté onions and celery in butter until onions are transparent. Add crawfish fast and simmer 20 minutes. If fat is unavailable, use 1/4 cup butter.

Add water, salt, cayenne and crawfish. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add parsley and green onion and serve over cook rice.

Serves 6-8.

Note: 2 tsp. lemon juice, 1 T. soy sauce and 2 tsp. minced garlic can be added just after the onions and celery cook for a little more kick.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

Photos the Cooking Corner.

   Shrimp are one of my favorite little creatures to eat and any food with a New Orleans flare is good in my book. I made these one night when we were splurging on a seafood dinner made at home. If you master the knack of not over cooking seafood, it can be made cheaper doing it yourself. Sometimes it's just a bit of trick on how to prepare. 
   But shrimp are very easy to cook and they pick up seasoning well. This is a nice flavorful dish that almost anyone can master and takes little time to prepare.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp 
20 large (16/20) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 oz. canola oil
2 T. green onions, chopped
2 oz. white wine
1 tsp. garlic, chopped
4 T. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/2  tsp. cayenne
1/2  tsp. paprika

8 ounces (2 sticks) salted butter

Heat a large cast iron skillet to high.  Add oil and cook shrimp until they are just done. Cook in batches if you don't have a large skillet. Remove shrimp and set aside on a plate.

Add green onions to skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add white wine and let simmer until it is reduced by half.

When the wine is reduced add chopped garlic, Worcestershire, hot sauce, cayenne pepper and paprika. Shake the pan well and cook for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low.

Cut butter into chunks and slowly add to pan, shaking the skillet to melt butter.

Continue to add butter and shake until all it's melted. Add shrimp back to pan and toss well to coat with butter and seasonings and to heat the shrimp. Eat immediately.

Serves 4.

Oyster Soup

    One weekend we stopped in to visit my sister-in-law while her hubby was cooking up a pot of oyster stew. I had a serious flashback to childhood - of oysters. Since my mother was part of such a large family (she's one of eight), their side of the family did a soup dinner a few weeks before Thanksgiving. It was vegetable soup, chili and oyster stew. As a child I tried oysters, but couldn't get past the thought of slimy little snot balls.
   Over the years I've deducted that in the Midwest, raw oysters only seem to be available during the holiday season. I've looked and could've missed them previously, but when I noticed them at the grocery store lately, it got me to thinking of trying oyster soup myself. This would prove to be a bold new adventure.
   I envisioned a milk-based, buttery soup with tender bits of oysters floating between crackers. What I got was a gritty, clumpy white soup that smelled a little fishy. The problem had to be either - 1) I didn't incorporate the flour into the milk well enough and/or 2) the milk got too hot and came to a boil thereby separating into something that resembled the beginnings of cottage cheese.
   Since my ability to replicate oyster soup is in question, I went back to the source, my brother-in-law. This oyster soup is based on an old recipe found in a Junior League cookbook and is well worth the adventure.

Oyster Soup
 Recipe courtesy of Phil Hofman
3 T. butter
3/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 T. flour
2 cups milk
2 cups Half and Half
1 pint oysters
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Over medium heat, melt butter and cook celery and onion until tender. Shake in flour, stirring constantly.  

Pour in a little milk and stir until smooth, then slowly add reminder milk and Half and Half.

Add dry seasonings and cook until boiling point is reached. Add oysters. 

Serve as soon as oysters are thoroughly hot and plump.  Serves 4-6.

 [Adapted this from a recipe in the Charleston Receipts Cookbook (America's oldest Junior League cookbook in print); the original recipe is from a Mrs. Louis T. Parker (Josephine Walker] The history of this cookbook was interesting and worth the read.

Baked Crab Legs

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

    Seafood doesn't have to be scary and difficult to prepare. We tried some crab legs and found that they were more difficult to eat than to cook. These basted in butter as the baked for only about 10 minutes. The real test was finding a way to crack through the shells. If you have a nut cracker, now is good time to find it. Once you break through, the meat is tender and butter soaked with just a hint of spice.

Baked Crab Legs
1 lb. ( 1pkg. ) Dungeness crab legs, cooked then frozen
2 sticks butter
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1-1/2 tsp. chili-lime seasoning

Preheat oven to 425.

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add seasoning and simmer for a few minutes, maybe 5.

Spray coat a 13x9x2 baking dish.

Place crab legs in baking dish. Brush melted butter over crab, reserving some butter for dipping and a final baste.

Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush crab with butter again.

Serve immediately with remaining butter as a dip.

Serves 2-3.

Grilled Garlic Sriracha Shrimp

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

   Two of my sons used their cooking talents to grill kabobs one weekend. One of them has a knack for the spicy side of food. His dish, which was my personal favorite, was very easy to make with just a few ingredients. 
   The Sriracha Garlic shrimp weren't over cooked, which would've been easy to do, but had a great flavor. They were purposely kept on separate skewers and cooked last. They weren't too hot, but had a nice little kick that said "Well hello." 
    He even brought these to a potluck at work and they went over big time with those brave souls who like it a little spicy.

Grilled Garlic Sriracha Shrimp

1 bag 30 ct. frozen cooked shrimp

soaked skewers

2-3 T. melted butter

2-3 T. Weber Garlic Sriracha seasoning

Sprinkle seasoning over shrimp until well coated. Chill about 1 hour.

On grill over medium high heat (350 degrees), cook shrimp 3-4 minutes per side. Baste with melted butter on each side every couple of minutes.

Eat immediately. Serves 5-6.

Cajun Grilled Shrimp

Photo courtesy the Cooking Corner.

   One of my treats for Mother's Day was that one of my son's made grilled shrimp for dinner. Shrimp is a favorite of mine so this was just delightful. With plenty of butter, a hint of garlic and a touch of Cajun seasoning the shrimp had great flavor. 
   Since they're grilled only 4-5 minutes, this is an easy and quick way to cook shrimp. They weren't overdone and there's plenty of butter leftover to use as a great dipping sauce. This is one I'll do again with pleasure.


Cajun Grilled Shrimp
1 bag frozen raw shrimp, medium size approx. 30 count
3 T. butter
3/4 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Remove tails and veins of shrimp, rinsing in cool water.

Place on skewers. There should be about 9 shrimp on 3 skewers.

Melt butter in small bowl or saucepan. Sprinkle seasonings in butter and stir to combine.

Spray grates with cooking spray and then heat grill to medium (about 350 degrees).

Place skewers on grill and brush with butter. Cook 2 minutes and flip. Brush with butter again. Cook 2 minutes longer and brush once again with butter.

Remove from heat, brushing with butter and serve immediately. Use any remaining butter for dipping.

Serves 3-4

Broiled Lobster Tails

Surf and Turf dinner.

    Recently on a cold winter night, the hubby and I decided to stay in and have "date night" at home. Surf and turf was on the agenda. I'd taken a couple of well-trimmed ribeye steaks out of the freezer and found a good deal on some small lobster tails. 
    This was going to be a new experience for us. Real lobster is something we've never dared to try and cook at home. After doing my research on "how to cook lobster tails" I found it's best to bring the lobster to room temperature. Advice that we got from our daughter, a trained chef, was that there's no vein, don't over cook it and use lots of butter and lemon. OK, nice to know.
     Lobster shells are much harder and sharper than shrimp or crawfish, but they aren't difficult to handle or cut. Even though this was a bit different, it wasn't hard to do and they weren't over cooked. I was quite happy but think next time I'd really like to try them on the grill.

Broiled Lobster Tails
2 small lobster tails (about 3 oz.)
3 T. butter
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 squirts of lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

Thaw lobster tails until room temperature and no longer cool to the touch.

Spray coat a baking dish with a rack. Pour just enough water in bottom of pan to cover. Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning over top water and mix.


Place butter, garlic powder and chili powder in small pan and heat until butter is melted and spices are warmed and fragrant. Set aside.
Preheat oven to broil and adjust racks if needed.


Place kitchen shears between shell and meat at the top edge, trying not to cut the meat and
cut down the center of the shell leaving fan tail attached.



Gently loosen the meat and lift out of the shell and lay on top.


Rinse lobster tails under cool water and dry with paper towel.

Set shells on baking pan rack and replace lobster tails on shells.

Brush tails with melted butter and broil 6 to 8 inches from heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until meat is no longer transparent and shells are bright. Remove from oven and squirt with lemon. Serve immediately because they cool off very fast.

Serves 2.

Lobster tails just out of oven.

Shrimp and Sausage Bites

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

    Last weekend for the "Big Game," I tried a new shrimp idea. I marinated and then skewered them with sausage slices. The flavors of garlic with a hint of Italian oregano seemed like a good combination with the sausage. This dish turned out so good that it made me want to try other flavor variations. It was also nice that this was easy to do and cooked quickly.

Shrimp and Sausage Bites
1/2 lb. medium fresh shrimp (about 30), peeled and deveined
5 links smoked sausage, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 T. sherry
1 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 T. for cooking
2 T. parsley

In plastic container with lid, combine all ingredients except parsley and reserved 2 T. olive oil. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes to marinate.

Skewer shrimp and sausage alternating so that shrimp wrap around sausage slices.

In a large skillet, heat oil. Working in batches, place 3-4 skewers in skillet and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until shrimp is cooked through (pink) and sausage is lightly browned.

Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with parsley. 

Serves 4-6.

Note - Best eaten right away. When reheated too long the shrimp get rubbery.

Shrimp Mac and Cheese

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     One of my favorite comfort foods is mac and cheese. Over the years I've found a few ways to make this (from scratch). After watching a TV show that featured lobster mac and cheese, I decided to try it with shrimp. There was some left in the freezer from another food experiment, so this was a great way to use it. The mac and cheese was rich and creamy and the crumb topping was a nice texture contrast. Of course, the little shrimp bites were the best hidden ingredient.

Shrimp Mac and Cheese
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb. raw shrimp
1 cup milk
1/8 cup flour
1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
white pepper

Shrimp mac and cheese with dinner.

salt
2-3 cups water
1 cup small shell pasta
3 T.  panko (or bread) crumbs
2 T. melted butter

Spray coat a small baking dish.

In medium pot add water until 2/3 full. Bring to boil and add pasta. Cook 5-6 minutes until a la dente (just done, but slightly firm). Drain, reserving one cup of cooking liquid.

In medium saucepan, heat butter over medium low heat. Add garlic and cook stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. Old Bay seasoning, stirring well.

Sprinkle remaining Old Bay on shrimp and add to saucepan. Cook in garlic butter about 2-3 minutes, just until shrimp begins to slightly turn pink. (Do not walk away, do not let them cook through or you'll have rubber wads.) Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Sprinkle flour over melted butter and stir until combined. Slowly add milk, stirring well until it slightly thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Add shredded cheeses, stirring constantly until well mixed.

Remove pan from heat, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in drained pasta. Add a little more of the reserved cooking liquid until desired thickness and creaminess. (I used about 1/4 cup.)

Stir in shrimp until well combined. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle with Panko and drizzle melted butter over top.

Heat broiler and cook until top is golden, about 3-4 minutes. Serves 4-6.

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Crab Roll

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     I wished we lived near a great body of water so that we could eat (and cook with) real crab. However, this is not the case. Here in the Midwest we have fresh catfish. This did not deter me from trying my hand at an East coast favorite, crab rolls. It's basically a crab or lobster salad served on a hoagie roll. This classic is as easy as it sounds, combining chunks of crab meat with mayo and Old Bay, everything else is to your tastes.

Crab Roll
3 pkg. frozen chunk crab
1 stalk celery, diced fine or 1/4 tsp. celery seed
2-3 T. each onion, red and green bell peppers, diced
3 T. (heaping) mayo
1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
squirt lemon juice
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Let crab thaw in refrigerator 24 hours prior to use. Remove from package and drain well.

Mix all ingredients together, trying not to break up the crab too much. 

When well combined, refrigerate for at least an hour or two to blend flavors and chill well. Adjust salt, pepper and Old Bay to taste. 

Serve on a sturdy bun. Makes 6 sandwiches.

Can also be used on lettuce as a salad or served on crackers.

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Cajun Crab Rolls

Cajun Crab Roll - photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

    Crab cakes are one of my favorites, but living in the Midwest doesn't always give us access to fresh seafood. I've seen lobster rolls on TV and thought that I could combine the two ideas, using imitation crab. The stores here often have it on sale, so it's an affordable sandwich. There are only a few basic ingredients, but the flavor is unique. Of course, canned lump crab can always be substituted if it's in your budget.

Cajun Crab Rolls
2 - 8 oz. pkg. imitation crab, cut in 1-inch chunks
2-3 heaping T. mayonnaise
1/ 4 cup onions, diced fine
1/ 8 cup red and/or green bell peppers, diced fine
1/8 tsp. celery seed
3/4 tsp. Cajun seafood seasoning (like Old Bay)
salt and pepper to taste
4 hoagie or sub buns (or even hot dog buns)

Mix all ingredients in small bowl.

Stir lightly so as to not break up crab meat too much.

Let chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

Spoon into buns, filling well. Serves 4.

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Old Bay Blackened Tuna Steaks

Pan seared Blackened Tuna Steaks. Courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     Towards the end of summer there is a magic sound that every person who grills knows means trouble. It's that pop . . . pop . . . pop of the gas in your grill saying good bye. The hubby and I had two tuna steaks that had soaked in marinade and were ready to go on the grill when he heard that special sound. 

    Plan B was about to go into play. I've always been partial to blackened fish, so now was the time to go for it. I grabbed the cast iron skillet, threw it in a preheating oven and cranked it up. When the oven and pan were good and hot (smoking), I carefully put the tuna in the skillet (sizzle) and popped it in the oven. I must say, the smoke was starting to fill the kitchen like some of my grilled cheese.

    This cooks really quick, so it's best done when you're almost ready to plate. The tuna was cooked just right and not over done, but it's best to watch the salt. Prepared seasonings often have a high content of salt, so go easy. You can't take it back.

Old Bay Blackened Tuna Steaks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T.  Old Bay® Seasoning
2 limes, juiced
2 teaspoons McCormick® Cilantro Leaves
2-7 oz. (1/2 inch cut)  tuna steaks
sprinkle of cracked black pepper

Directions
Marinade: In a small bowl, mix olive oil, OLD BAY, lime juice and cilantro. Place tuna in large resealable plastic bag and add marinade. Turn to coat well.

 Sprinkle with pepper.

Marinate in fridge 15 minutes (longer for extra flavor).

 

Blackened Tuna Steak and Potato Dinner.

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place coated cast iron skillet in oven to heat. When hot, remove from oven and place steaks in skillet. Return to oven and heat 3 to 5 minutes per side or until done. 

(Tuna is more moist when the center pink after cooking.) 

Tip - Substitute swordfish.

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Grilled Bourbon Glazed Salmon

Photo courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     My hubby is a fan of salmon. Me, well not so much. I like it if it's well seasoned and you take the fishy smell away. If it's marinated, blackened or glazed, I'm in for that.
    Recently one of the local market's had some bourbon glazed salmon on sale for a great deal. I knew that way, the hubby and I would both be happy. It did surprise me when he wanted to grill it. Lately, I've been cooking it in a covered dish in the microwave so that it stays moist. (The hubby tends to over cook it.)
    This time he got it right. He gave it a few minutes over indirect heat to cook it and then flipped it over direct heat for just a tad to give it some grill marks and barely sear the outside. With salmon, less cooking is often better. Remember it not a dense meat and tends to continue cooking after removing it from the heat
   
Grilled Bourbon Glazed Salmon
2 pieces ( 5 oz. each) bourbon glazed salmon
non stick cooking spray

Spray grill with cooking spray and heat to 350.

Cook over indirect heat 5 minutes. 
Flip and place directly over heat 2 minutes. Flip again. 

Remove heat to covered casserole dish and let set until ready to eat.
If it needs reheating, place covered dish in microwave 30 seconds.

Serves 2.

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