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Seafood

Seafood

The title makes this dish sound really complicated, but it isn’t.  It is easy but elegant.  

Start with fresh catfish filets, enough for the amount of people you plan to serve, for purposes of the recipe, I am going to use 5. 

Preheat your oven to 375. Season the filets well with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and if you like a little bite, Tony Chachere’s  Cajun Seasoning.  If you use much Tony’s, leave off the original salt and pepper as Tony’s contains plenty of that. 

Next, dredge the filets well in flour. 

Catfish filets seasoned and dredged in flour

In a oven safe skillet, melt one stick butter over medium-high heat until bubbly.  Once bubbly, place the catfish filets in the skillet.

Cooking the filets in a skillet with butter.

We are not going to cook the filets completely on the cooktop.  Just cook them until starting to brown pretty nicely on one side, then flip them over and stick the skillet in the preheated oven. It will take about 15 minutes for them to finish cooking.

While the catfish finish in the oven, we will make the crawfish cream sauce to serve over them. You can use shrimp if you have no access to crawfish tails. Add 1-2 tbsp butter in a sauce pan. Add 2 tbsp diced garlic and stir in well until it just starts to cook.  Add 1-2 tbsp flour and stir until well blended, but do not brown. Add 2 cups heavy whipping cream  and stir until well blended. Add crawfish tails or shrimp. 

Crawfish Cream Sauce cooking

 

Season with creole seasoning, worcestershire and tabasco. Cook a bit, then add chopped green onion tops at the end of cooking time. Stir in 2 tbsp COLD butter until just melted.  Serve over cooked Filets. 

Yummy!
5.0 from 1 reviews
Sautéed Catfish with Crawfish Cream Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Cajun
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 5 Catfish Filets
  • 1 stick butter
  • Flour for dredging the filets
  • salt, pepper and creole seasoning to taste
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1-2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 lb crawfish tails (or shrimp)
  • 1 tsp worcestershire
  • tabasco to taste
  • ½ cup chopped green onions
  • 2 tbsp cold butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375
  2. Season filets well with salt, pepper, creole seasoning to your taste.
  3. Dredge filets well with flour
  4. Brown filets on one side in 1 stick butter in hot skillet
  5. Turn then put skillet in oven to finish the filets, it will take about 15 minutes for them to finish.
  6. Melt 1-2 tbsp butter in sauce pan
  7. Add some diced garlic and stir in well until just starts to cook.
  8. Add 1-2 tbsp flour and stir until well blended but do not brown
  9. Add 2 cups heavy cream and stir to combine well.
  10. Add crawfish tails.(or shrimp)
  11. Season with creole seasoning, worcestershire and tabasco to taste.
  12. Cook a bit, 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.
  13. Add chopped green onion tops.
  14. Stir in 2 tbsp cold butter until just melted.
  15. Serve sauce over cooked filets.
Seafood

I have never had Shrimp and Grits.  I grew up in the deep south where Grits are a religion, and not to be messed with.  

Shrimp and Grits was typically eaten by many fishermen in the Southeastern, coastal regions. It is a very popular dish during shrimping season which typically last from May to December. In 1976, grits became the official food of South Carolina. The fishermen in these regions made shrimp and grits their standard breakfast when they had no options to choose from. Shrimp and grits were both hearty and satisfying for the fishermen and so they stuck with this diet. When this dish first gained popularity with the fishermen, it included butter or bacon grease in the grits for that extra bit of flavor.

Found this recipe and decided I would give Shrimp and Grits a try

Ingredients for great shrimp and grits
Ingredients for great shrimp and grits

These shrimp get so crispy on the edges and are so good, they would be great all by themselves or in a pasta dish as well as with grits. 

Look at those crispy edges
Look at those crispy edges

The shrimp are sauteed quickly while the grits are cooking

Shrimp and grits on the stove
Shrimp and grits on the stove

Once the grits are done, stir in the gouda, oh man

Melting the gouda into the grits
Melting the gouda into the grits

All that is left is to dish it up.  I have poured some of the browned seasoned butter left in the skillet on top of my shrimp and grits in this photo

Can't wait to dig into this
Can’t wait to dig into this

The original recipe calls for sprinkling some cooked whole kernel corn on top, but I left that part out of mine. 

Thank you to How Sweet Eats food blog for this original recipe.

Smoky Brown Butter Shrimp and Gouda Grits
 
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Southern
Serves: 2-4 servings
Ingredients
Gouda Grits
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 cup Quaker 5 minute grits
  • 8 ounces gouda cheese, freshly grated
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 ears grilled sweet corn, cut from the cob
  • 2 tablespoons freshly snipped chives
Shrimp
  • 1 pound raw peeled and deveined shrimp
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
Instructions
Gouda Grits
  1. Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.
  2. Once boiling, add the grits and whisk constantly until they are fully mixed into the stock, about a minute or two.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and cover, stirring once or twice more, until the grits are thicker and creamy, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the grated cheese, salt and pepper.
  5. Taste and season more if desired
Shrimp
  1. Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels.
  2. Once it's dry, season it with the salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder and cumin.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter.
  4. Once it's melted and begins to sizzle, add the shrimp in batches (don't overcrowd it!) and cook on both sides until pink.
  5. The butter will brown as the shrimp cooks and you can whisk it occasionally to prevent it from burning.
  6. When the shrimp is finished, stir in the garlic and cook for a second then place the shrimp on a plate.
  7. To serve the grits, spoon them into a bowl and add the shrimp on top. You can drizzle any of the butter in the pan on top too. Cover with spoonfuls of grilled corn.

 

 

Seafood

crawfish-standingÉtouffée or etouffee (pronounced: [e.tu.fe] ay-too-fay) is a dish found in both Cajun and Creole cuisine typically served with shellfish over rice. The dish employs a technique known as smothering, a popular method of cooking in the Cajun areas of southwest Louisiana. Étouffée is most popular in New Orleans and in the Acadiana area of the southernmost half of Louisiana as well as a popular dish in the coastal counties of Mississippi.

In French, the word “étouffée” (borrowed into English as “stuffed” or “stifled”) means, literally, “smothered” or “suffocated”, from the verb “étouffer”.Étouffée can be made with any shellfish such as crab or shrimp, though the most popular version of the dish is made with crayfish, locally referred to as “crawfish”. A sauce is made from a light or blond roux, seasoned, and simmered with the seafood. Étouffée is typically served over rice. Depending on who is making it and where it is being made it is flavored with either Creole or Cajun seasonings. Although Creole and Cajun cuisines are distinct, there are many similarities.

Approximately in the 1950s crawfish etouffée was introduced to restaurant goers in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, however the date of invention of this dish has been shown as early as the late 1920s by some sources. Originally crawfish étouffée was a popular dish in the bayous and backwaters of Louisiana amongst Cajuns in the area. Around 1983 a waiter at the popular Bourbon Street restaurant Galatoire’s brought the crawfish étouffée dish in to his boss to try. At the time most of the food in New Orleans was French Creole but this Cajun dish was a hit.

My version of Étouffée is a relatively easy version.  If you don’t have crawfish, you can substitute shrimp but I don’t care for the flavor as much as I do when it is made with crawfish.

Ingredients for good Étouffée
Ingredients for good Étouffée

Season 2 lbs of crawfish tails with 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon paprika.  In a large skillet, heat 1 stick of butter until melted.  Add crawfish tails and saute 3 minutes

Saute Crawfish
Saute Crawfish

At the same time you are cooking the Étouffée, you can make a pot of white rice to serve it with.  After the crawfish have sauteed for 3 minutes, add 1 1/2 cups yellow onions, chopped, and 1 large clove garlic, minced.  Cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently.  Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tbsp flour and stir until flour is incorporated.  Add 1 3/4 cups water, 1/4 cup brandy, 3/4 cup chopped green onion, 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 2 tsp lemon juice, and a dash of Tabasco sauce

Yummy Étouffée
Yummy Étouffée

Simmer for 10 more minutes, then server over fluffy white rice.

It doesn't get any better than this
It doesn’t get any better than this

Crawfish Étouffée
 
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Author:
Cuisine: Cajun
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs crawfish tails
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1½ cups chopped yellow onions
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1½ tbsp flour
  • 1¾ cups water
  • ¼ cup brandy
  • ¾ cup chopped green onion
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 dash tabasco sauce
Instructions
  1. Season Crawfish tails with salt, pepper and paprika.
  2. In a large skillet heat butter; add crawfish tails and saute 3 minutes
  3. Add yellow onions and garlic, cook 10 minutes stirring frequently
  4. Sprinkle with flour and blend.
  5. Add water, brandy, green onions, parsley, lemon juice and tabasco.
  6. Simmer 10 minutes
  7. Serve over fluffy white rice.