Crawfish Etouffee

I’m so proud to present this recipe; this is seriously good and better than the restaurant that I went to in New Orleans. Taste is fresh and clean.  It wasn’t hard to prepare, but it takes a little time to make and totally worth it!!! 

I changed his recipe a little bit because I’m not a fan of Old bay seasoning. I used Louisiana crawfish boil seasoning mixed with Slap ya mama cajun seasoning and I didn’t measure exactly what he called for in the recipe; I just added a little bit at a time and tasted it.  I added sugar to cut down the strong spicy flavor from Cajun seasoning and that gave it a milder taste.

Ingredients: (2-3 servings)

• 1 pound crawfish tails - or peeled shrimp. Other versions include: Crab, Scallop, Sausage or Chicken. Or combine a couple of them.
• 1 ¼ stick of butter, divided
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 stacks of celery, diced
• 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 3 green onions, sliced. (use white and light green parts)
• 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
• 3 bottles of Clam juice (8 oz) – Reserved ½ cup of clam juice to mix with cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon of Louisiana crawfish boil seasoning - optional ( I mixed with Slap ya mama Cajun seasoning)
• 2 whole bay leaves
• Louisiana hot sauce, salt, sugar and black pepper to taste - optional
• Steamed white rice, for serving

 

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, melt 1 stick of butter and sauté onions, garlic, celery, bell pepper and tomatoes for 10-12 minutes or until they are cooked down.

 

  2.    Add 2 ½ cup clam juice, crawfish and 2 bay leaves to cooked veggies.  Seasoning with hot sauce, salt, sugar and black pepper, reduce heat to a low simmer uncovered for 20- 30 minutes.

3.  Add sliced green onion and chopped parsley into the pot of veggies and crawfish.  In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and ½ cup clam juice mix well; add into the pot of veggies and crawfish, stir constantly until blend well.  Let is cook for about five more minutes over low heat.
 

 
4.  Just before serving, add ¼ stick of butter to sauce and stir until melted.  Also, discard bay leaves.

5. Sever over white rice.

 

 

Thank you Chef Tony Matassa for awesome recipe!!   Here is his link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnG_6M1EbVE&feature=player_embedded#! and here is his blog 

http://the99centchef.blogspot.com/2011/08/crawfish-etouffee-recipe-cajun-cuisine.html

 

Salmon with Seafood Stuffing

My delicious dinner, yummy!!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets - 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick fillets

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

1/2 cup imitation crab meat - small chunks or shredded pieces

1 cup cooked rice

1/4 cup light cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped red peppers

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Lemon pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1. Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery to the skillet and cook until tender. Add the imitation crab, rice, cream, lemon juice, and red pepper. Stir until heated. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Heat only until the cheese has melted and then remove from the heat.

2. Lay salmon fillets out flat and cut a pocket into the side of each fillet. Working on the thickest side, start about a quarter of an inch in from one edge, slice through the fillet horizontally and stop about a quarter of an inch from the opposite side so that a pocket is formed. Season the salmon with lemon pepper.

3. Scoop the stuffing into the pocket of each fillet.

4. Place the stuffed salmon fillets on a greased baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the stuffing reaches 145°F. Salmon should be flaky when done.

This recipe is from www.recipetips.com

Fried Tilapia with Garlic and Black Pepper Corn...ปลาทอดกระเทียมพริกไท

Thai preference would be to gut and clean the fish, but leave the head on. You may of course prefer to remove the head, or even to use fish fillets.

Ingredients:
2 whole tilapias
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper corn or 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Peel garlic and keep some skin. Put black pepper corn, garlic and salt in a mortar and pound until paste, set a side.


2. Wash the fish inside and out with vinegar to get rid of the fishy smell and then wash in cool running water. Pat the fish dry with paper towel.

3. Remove the fins by knife on both sides. Cut across the fish on both sides, 2-3 cuts to help it cook faster and crispier, rub with garlic mixture. Let stand about 15 minutes.


4. Heat oil in a wok or pan, about half a cup or at least to the side of the fish. Remove garlic mixture from the fish and keep it. Fry the fish on low heat about 10 minutes on the first side. Don't try to loosen the fish from the pan until it is done, otherwise, the fish breaks up and you end up with not so pretty fish. When the first side is cooked, flip the fish to fry the other side, about 5 minutes. Remove from oil to drain on paper plates.

5. In the same pan, use the same oil about 2 tablespoons to fry the garlic mixture until yellow. Don’t over cook it b/c it will be darker when it cold. Sprinkle garlic mixture on the top of fried fish.


Enjoy..

Grilled Salmon

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
lemon pepper, garlic powder and salt to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

3. Preheat grill for medium heat.

4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

This recipe is from www.allrecipe.com