SEAFOOD AND CRAWFISH

A great collection of Cajun and Creole Recipes
featuring seafood, crawfish and froglegs.

SHRIMP CREOLE

  • 3 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 cup each chopped celery and chopped green peppers
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 3 cups shrimp or fish stock
  • 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 4 thin lemon slices
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon each thyme and basil
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
  • 1 cup each sliced green onions, including tops, and snipped fresh parsley
  • 4 cups hot cooked rice

Sauté shrimp in butter in large skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes; remove and set aside. Add flour to remaining butter in skillet; stir over medium heat until lightly browned. Stir in onions, celery, green peppers, and garlic; cook until they begin to turn transparent. Add stock, tomato sauce, lemon slices, sugar, thyme, basil, bay leaves, salt and cayenne; simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in green onions, parsley, and reserved shrimp; cook 5 minutes longer. Serve over hot rice. Makes eight servings.

SHRIMP AND TASSO PASTA
Alex Patout's Louisiana Restaurant

1 pint heavy cream
1/2 pound tasso or other smoked cured ham, such as Smithfield, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 pound spaghetti
1 pound medium shrimp
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons fresh basil, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

Pour the cream into a large heavy skillet and place over medium heat. Stir the cream when it begins to rise to keep it from overflowing; when it comes to a boil, add the tasso, salt, peppers, and herbs and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. You can prepare the sauce ahead to this point.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and drop in the pasta. Cook just until al dente. Meanwhile, return the sauce to a simmer, stir in the shrimp, green onions and parsley and cook just until the shrimp are pink, 3-4 minutes. Drain the pasta and divide among bowls. Spoon the sauce over and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 8-10 as an appetizer.

SHRIMP CREOLE
Alex Patout's Louisiana Restaurant

3 pounds medium shrimp, heads on (or 2 pounds, heads off)
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 quart water
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 large bell peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil
5 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 teaspoon sugar
8-10 large, fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
4-5 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped

Dehead, peel, and devein the shrimp. Place the heads and peels in a small saucepan and add the water. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat and let boil slowly for 15-20 minutes. Strain and discard the heads and peels.

Place the oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot and place over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, and celery and saute, stirring often, until the vegetables are very soft, about 45 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, salt, peppers, herbs, sugar, and shrimp stock and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. This is your Creole sauce; it can be prepared 1 or 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, return the sauce to a simmer and add the shrimp. Cook until they turn pink, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the green onions and parsley and let cook 1 minute more. Serve on flat plates over beds of rice.

Serves 6 - 8.

CRAB AND ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE

By Chef John Folse

PREP TIME: 45 Minutes SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • Dry mustard to taste
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • 4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
  • 1 pound can artichoke hearts (bottoms)
  • 1 lb crab meat
  • ¼ cup or more Parmesan cheese

METHOD:

Make white sauce by melting butter, adding flour, and gradually adding milk, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, cheese, mustard, hot sauce. Add eggs, artichoke hearts, and crab meat. Pour into 1½-quart casserole. Sprinkle top with ¼ cup or more Parmesan cheese. Bake a 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6 - 6 for luncheon, 4 for dinner. Serve over pasta or toast.

CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE
From A Taste of Louisiana

  • 1 lb. cleaned crawfish tails
  • 1 Stick corn oil margarine
  • 1 lg. onion; chopped fine
  • 2 ribs celery; chopped fine
  • 1 med. bell pepper; chopped fine
  • 1 recipe golden roux (below)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. red cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 c water

GOLDEN ROUX:

  • 1/2 Stick corn oil margarine
  • 4 Tbsp. flour

Sauté‚ onions, celery and bell pepper in margarine; add salt and paprika. Add golden roux. Stir until well blended. Add crawfish tails; cook ten minutes on medium-high heat, stirring often. Add water and simmer 30 minutes. Add additional water if too thick. Serve hot over rice. Serves 4. To make golden roux: Melt margarine in a cast iron skillet over low temperature. Blend in flour; cook until golden color, stirring occasionally. Takes about 15 minutes. Yield: 4 servings

CRAWFISH EXTRAORDINAIRE

Melt butter; add flour and stir until lightly cooked. Add onion, garlic, parsley and green onion until soft. Add crawfish and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add white wine and simmer. Slowly add cream and simmer. Do not let mixture boil or it will curdle. Add seasonings. Serve over cooked noodles.

CRAWFISH SAMANTHA

Melt butter; sauté onions until soft. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes. Stir in andouille, crawfish and scallions; sauté 4 minutes. Add parsley and wine. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked rice.



MULATE'S CATFISH JAMBALAYA

8 oz. catfish Filét
4 yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 lb. margarine
1 - 10 oz. can Rotel® tomatoes
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
3 c. rice, cooked
Onion tops, chopped

Put all ingredients except catfish into saucepan and cook until mixture starts to
turn light brown. Season with salt and cayenne pepper while mixture is cooking.
Add catfish and cook 15-20 minutes longer. Mix with cooked rice and freshly
chopped onion tops. Serve hot. Serves 6-8.


SMOTHERED FROG LEGS

2-3 lbs. frog legs seasoned with salt and pepper
1 c. all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/4 c. cooking oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped, tender insides
1 small bell pepper, chopped
3-4 stalks green onions with onion bulb, chopped
2 c. water

Season frog legs to taste, like fried chicken. Coat well in seasoned flour. Brown
frog legs well, in heavy skillet, in oil. Remove meat and add onions, celery, bell
pepper and green onions and cook about 10 minutes. Add water and bring to
simmering bubbles. Reduce heat and add meat. Cover and simmer until tender.
About 30-45 minutes.


CRAWFISH BALLS

2 lbs. peeled crawfish tails
1 onion, chopped, small dice
1 bell pepper, chopped, small dice
3 jalapeños, chopped/minced
4 slices stale bread
2 TBSP crawfish fat (if avail.)
1 egg, beaten
3 TBSP chopped parsley
3 TBSP scallions
2 tsp. oregano, dry (variable and can be omitted)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (plain)

Grind crawfish tails, onions, bell pepper, jalapeños, and bread slices in
food processor.

Add seasonings, crawfish fat, egg, parsley, and scallions; mix well.

Shape into balls the size of a walnut and roll in bread crumbs.

Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

NOTE: can be frozen after rolling in bread crumbs and baked without thawing,
but due to the crawfish fat, do not keep frozen longer than one week. The
fat will turn rancid quickly.

NOTE: crawfish fat may be omitted.

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