Podcast: Seafood Summer

Simple Summer Seafood

The Podcast

Sauteed Shrimp with Creole Mustard Sauce

2 pounds fresh frozen shrimp (30-count, head-off) or 4-5 pounds head-on raw shrimp
3-4 tbsp olive oil
creole seasoning

Rinse off the shrimp and peel them. Butterfly the shrimp by slicing them lengthwise, 1/2 to 2/3 the length of the shrimp. Saute in a medium-hot pan with the olive oil, 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle creole seasoning on the shrimp while sauteeing. Serve with Creole Mustard Sauce.

Creole Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Creole mustard
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 lemon

Whisk all of the ingredients together until thoroughly blended. Serve as a sauce for fried soft-shell crabs or crawfish, or any fried shellfish.

Cajun Risotto Cakes With Bayou Sauce

1 package Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix
1 lb Andouille sausage, diced
½ lb crabmeat
½ cup onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 egg
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
4 cans chicken broth
½ stick butter
Flour
Peanut oil

Sauté sausage, onion, celery, green pepper for about 8 minutes over medium heat. Add chicken broth and Jambalaya Mix and cook for 25 minutes. Add crabmeat and continue to cook and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir butter into mixture and remove from heat. Store mixture in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Add egg and mayonnaise to mixture. The mixture should be thick by now. Sprinkle flour about ¼ inch thick on a cutting board. Spoon about a tablespoon of the mixture onto the flour to make one cake. Flatten the cake with a spatula, and flip it to dredge the other side in the flour. Heat nonstick skillet and add about ¼ inch of the peanut oil over medium heat. If the oil starts to smoke, it's too hot! Fry the cake until golden brown, about 4 minutes for the first side and 3 minutes for the second. Mix sauce ingredients and serve over cakes.

Serve with Creole Mustard Sauce

Crawfish and Artichoke Risotto with Crispy Eggplant

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup chopped onions
* 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
* 2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 5 to 6 cups shrimp or chicken stock, simmering in a saucepan
* Juice of half a lemon
* 2 teaspoons salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 2 cups artichoke hearts, cooked, trimmed and quartered
* 1/2 pound cooked crawfish tails, with fat if possible
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup chopped parsley
* 1/2 cup flour
* 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
* 1 large egg
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 cup yellow cornmeal
* 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch batons
* 1/2 cup olive oil

In a large saucepan heat oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add butter and then onions, bell pepper and garlic and cook until vegetables are wilted. Add rice and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until grains begin to look opaque. Add wine and cook until evaporated, stirring constantly. Add 3/4 cup of the stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Continue to stir constantly, adding additional stock in half-cup increments as liquid is absorbed by rice. After rice has cooked for 10 minutes, add green onions and artichoke hearts and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add crawfish tails, heavy cream, half of the parmesan cheese and parsley, and stir well to combine. Remove from heat, let sit for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with CRISPY EGGPLANT and remaining parmesan cheese.

In a bowl, combine the flour with 1 tablespoon of the Creole seasoning. In another bowl, whisk egg together with the milk. In a third bowl, combine cornmeal with remaining tablespoon of Creole seasoning.

Dredge eggplant batons in the seasoned flour. Transfer to the eggwash, then to the seasoned cornmeal, shaking off any excess.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until very hot. Add eggplant and fry, turning occasionally, until golden-brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove eggplant to absorbent towels, and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately on top of CRAWFISH-ARTICHOKE RISOTTO, garnished with remaining grated parmesan cheese.

Yield: 4 servings