Blackstone Griddle Shrimp Boil

 Shrimp Boil on a griddle- why not?

What you need: (quantities depend on how big your pan is)

2 Aluminum baking pans same size
New potatoes cut up
Onion cut up

small corn cobs

Shrimp/Crab/Other shellfish

Smoked Sausage Links

Butter (optional)

1.Poke holes in 1 aluminum pan and put the same size pan underneath it

2. Put red potatoes and onion in the pan. Add water to just the top of the potatoes. Season with Zatarain's pro-boil or similar.

3. Bring to a boil on the griddle and boil for 20-25min

4. Add corn to the pan and boil/steam for another 10-15 min

5. While it's boiling, cook the shrimp and sausage on the other side of the griddle. When cooked, add it to the boiling pan with the rest. Stir it all up so the flavors meld and let it sit for a few minutes.

6. Lift the top pan and let the water all drain out the holes.

7. Melt the butter, pour it over the boil and toss (Optional)

Vrazel’s Crab Au Gratin

Vrazel’s Crabmeat Au Gratin Fish and Seafood

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups medium diced onions 1 1/2 cups butter, divided

3/4 cup flour

1 qt. half-and-half

1 egg yolk

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. crabmeat

3/4 cup (6 oz.) Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Sauté onions until clear in 3/4 cup of the butter. Melt remaining 3/4 cup of butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 5 minutes, but do not brown. Add half-and-half and bring to just a simmer. Turn off heat. Place egg yolk into a bowl and add 3 to 4 ounces of hot cream sauce; mix well. Repeat with 3 to 4 more ounces of cream sauce. Add remaining sauce and blend well. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in sautéed onions and crabmeat. Pour into a casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake at 375 F until lightly browned and bubbly. Serves 4.

Miscellaneous

From "Zonta Cookz," Zonta Club of Pascagoula

Site designed by M

Great Crab Cakes

These crab cakes are awesome and easy. No vegetable chopping and very little filler. We used it after we had boiled 6 dozen crabs and had leftover meat. Source : 

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/maryland-crab-cakes/

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup (60g) mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning(up to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons for a spicier kick)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound fresh lump crab meat*
• 2/3 cup Saltine cracker crumbs(about 14 crackers)
• optional: 2 Tablespoons (30g) melted salted or unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Whisk the egg, mayonnaise, parsley, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, and salt together in a large bowl. 
2. Place the crab meat on top, followed by the cracker crumbs. With a rubber spatula or large spoon, very gently and carefully fold together. You don’t want to break up that crab meat!
3. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
4. Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Generously grease a rimmed baking sheet with butter or nonstick spray or line with a silicone baking mat.
5. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, portion the crab cake mixture into 6 mounds on the baking sheet. (Don’t flatten!) Use your hands or a spoon to compact each individual mound so there aren’t any lumps sticking out or falling apart. For extra flavor, brush each with melted butter. This is optional but recommended!
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and on top. Drizzle each with fresh lemon juice and serve warm.

Ocean Springs Seafood Crabmeat Stuffed Potatoes

Ocean Springs Seafood Crabmeat Stuffed Potatoes (BULK)



My mom, Linda Fayard, developed this recipe that is often credited to my grandma, Ruby Fayard. In reality, Maw Maw probably cooked thousands of the amazing little things over the course of her years selling them in the Ocean Springs Seafood Market before Katrina; but, the credit lies with Mom :) I have two personal additions that were not included in the original recipe as noted with (*).

16 medium Idaho potatoes
1-5 pound white crab meat
3/4 pound butter
1 pound shredded cheddar
1 pound sour cream
Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic Seasoning
Salt to Taste (There is salt in the vegetable magic so don't overdo it...)
Red cayenne pepper to taste
Paprika garnish
*Old Bay Seasoning garnish
*Pad of butter per potato garnish

Bake potatoes until done. About 1.5 hours for 16. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the meat. Reserve the skins for later. Place the meat in a large pot and add butter, cheese, sour cream, and seasonings (all to taste). Mix well until there are no large chunks of potato left. Add the crab and mix it again. Fill the skins back up with potato mixture (it will mound above the skin line.) Sprinkle with paprika and bake or freeze.

*Personally, when I bake them, I sprinkle with Old Bay and stick a pad of butter in the top*

Shrimp Creole

Ingredients

2-3# of peeled & deveined shrimp
2 chopped onions

3 chopped bell peppers

1 bunch chopped celery 

1 stick butter

2 cans fire roasted diced tomato untrained 

1 can c/o mushroom garlic soup

Old Bay Season

Cajun Season

Garlic Salt

Garlic powder

2 bay leaves

Cup white wine

Cooked rice

In a large pot, saute veggies w/ butter and seasonings. Add the wine and shrimp and cook until shrimp are cooked through - should be about 5-6 minutes. Serve over rice.

John's Italian Gumbo

John's Italian-Southern Seafood Gumbo 

Get the stock cooking first in a pressure cooker

·         Fish carcass(This will give your gumbo a definite fishy taste. Leave out the carcass if you don’t want that)

·         2 quartered onion w/skin

·         4 cloves smashed garlic

·         1 Bunch parsley w/stems

·         2 stalks of celery w/leaves cut up coarsely

·         2 peeled carrots cut up coarsely

·         Shrimp heads from 2# of shrimp

·         16 black peppercorns

·         2 bay leaves

·         3 sprigs thyme

·         2 cups white wine

·         2 Quarts of water

While that’s cooking (maybe 30-45 min) prep the Gumbo

·         2 Chopped onions

·         ½ bunch chopped green onions

·         1 red pepper chopped

·         1 green pepper chopped

·         4 celery stalks chopped coarsely

·         2 cloves of garlic chopped

Make the roux

·         ¼ Cup flour to ¼ cup oil

·         Stir up. Microwave 1 min then stir.

·         Microwave and stir every 30 sec until as dark as you want (brown paper bag)

Gumbo Pot

·         Cook down 2 bags of okra in ¾ cup oil

·         When no longer stringy add the following, cooking a bit in between

·         Onions + 2 tsb salt

·         Peppers & Celery

·         Garlic

·         (2) 1#/12oz cans Cento tomatoes (cut a bit in the can and squash as you put them in by hand)

·         Strained stock

·         2 bay leaves

·         Leaves from 6 sprigs of thyme + handful of parsley + green onion

·         1 tsp sea salt + cracked pepper

·         ½ tsp crab boil

·         Roux

·         Seafood (1-2# Crab Meat, 2-3 # peeled shrimp)

·         Add extra seasoning as needed (s&p, hot sauce, etc)

·         Let simmer at least 30 min to an hour

·         Eat w/rice & potato salad. Use chicken bouillon in the water to boil the rice 

Shrimp and Grits Dressing

My Sister-In-Law requested this one for Thanksgiving 2016. It didn't replace the actual dressing but was a nice side dish.It was really very good. Southern living called it "dressing" but I'd define it more as a Shrimp & Grits casserole. It was originally posted on Good Housekeeping and has made the rounds on social media this year!

Shrimp and Grits Dressing

1 pound peeled, medium-size raw shrimp

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1 cup uncooked regular grits

1/2 cup butter

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (I use gluten free)

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Devein shrimp, if desired.

Bring broth and next two ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in grits, and return to a boil; reduce heat to low, and stir in butter. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Stir together eggs and next four ingredients in a large bowl. Gradually stir about one-fourth of hot grits mixture into egg mixture; add egg mixture to remaining hot grits mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp until well blended. Pour grits mixture into a lightly greased 11-x 7-inch baking dish.

Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until mixture is set. Let stand 10 minutes.

Broiled Fish

I made a really basic broiled fish for dinner that everyone seemed to enjoy. It can be made with virtually any white fish and only take s a few minutes.

Ingredients

6 boneless white fish fillets (catfish, swai, tilipia, etc.)
1 stick of butter (melted)
1/8 cup of flour (I used cup 4 cup gluten free)
paprika
1 lemon
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1. Spray cooking pan with non-stick spray. I use a lasagna pan so there is plenty of room for all of the liquids to gather.

2. Lay the fillets down on the pan and drizzle half the melted butter over them. Sprinkle a light dusting of flour over the butter and then sprinkle with Paprika

3. Broil on top rack for 5-6 minutes

4. Add the juice from the lemon and the Worcestershire sauce to the remaining butter.

5, Remove the pan and pour the butter sauce over the fillets

6. Broil for another 5-6 min until crisp and brown on top

7. Drizzle the butter from the pan over the tops of the fillets when you serve them.

The "Whole Shebang" Seafood, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

The "Whole Shebang" Seafood, Sausage, & Chicken Gumbo

My grandmother, Ruby Fayard, always had a huge pot of Gumbo cooking on the stove-top in the Ocean Springs Seafood Market. I helped her many times and ,over the years, I picked up many of her methods. While no one can duplicate her exact Gumbo, this one that my family came up with is close. The primary difference is that Maw Maw didn't use chicken at all. Her Gumbo was exclusively seafood and sausage. I've added the chicken because, unlike 10 years ago, I don't have an entire seafood market at my disposal anymore and neither do most people!  Making Gumbo is a very imprecise process but I've tried my best to lay out the important steps. You can add more or less of anything listed. You can make a small pot or a 20 gallon pot. This recipe assumes somewhere between 5-15 gallons. Once you are at the simmering stage, it's a good time to assess if the gumbo needs anything else. If you're staring at a pot of brown broth then you should add more meats. If your Gumbo isn't dark enough, you can add more roux. If it's too thick or dark, add more water or chicken broth. The only way you can ruin your Gumbo is to burn the roux or over salt it. It really is a much more pleasurable experience if you do the prep work a day or two ahead but you'll still need a good day at home to make the final product due to the hours of simmering necessary for it to come together. Have fun and enjoy!

“The Whole Shebang Gumbo” (chicken, sausage & seafood) 

Steps that can be completed up to 2 days ahead of time:

1.Make a roux

Ingredients: 1 cup Flour & 1 cup Oil – re: Gluten free flour. I successfully made a roux with “cup for cup” flour from Williams Sonoma but cut the oil to 3/4 cup.

A. Add 1 cup of oil to a seasoned cast iron skillet at medium-low heat. Heat on low if your stove runs hot.

B. Once the oil is warm, slowly stir in the cup of flour.

C. From this point until the roux is the color you want it, your job is to stand over the pan and constantly (without a 30 second break) stir and scrape the mixture. Use a wooden scraper  for this task.

D. When the roux is almost to the dark brown that you’re looking for, take it off the burner and continue to stir for 15 minutes.

E. Remove roux from hot pan to a jar for storage or a bowl. It should taste nutty/roasted but not burnt. If it’s burnt …start over. Better too light than burnt. The color you’re seeking is anywhere from the color of a brown paper bag to a dark espresso color.

2. Boil a chicken or two (unless you want a Seafood & Sausage gumbo)

Ingredients: 1-2 whole chickens, coarsely cut celery, quartered onions, chicken bouillon, poultry seasoning, bay leaves, salt & pepper, & garlic

A. Depending on how much Gumbo you’re wanting you’ll need to boil 1 or 2 whole chickens.

B. Add all ingredients but the chicken plus enough water to completely cover your chicken when submerged in an appropriate sized pot and bring to a boil.

C. Place chicken in the pot and reduce heat to a low boil. Cover and let it cook for 90 min or until chicken is falling off the bone.

D. Remove chicken to cool. Strain the stock, throw away the solids and reserve the liquid for use in the gumbo.

E. Pick the chicken off the bones and save for the gumbo. Discard bones, fat & skin. You don’t have to worry about shredding the meat too fine. Most of it will fall apart when it is cooking in the gumbo.

3. Brown the sausage  & sauté your veggies

Ingredients: 5-6 large onions, 1 bag of celery, 3-5 bell peppers (garlic & okra in a different step), 5# smoked sausage

A. Chop all veggies (not too tiny or they will completely disappear) and slice the sausage

B. Slightly brown the sausage. Use some of the oil to sauté the veggies.

C. Set aside cooked veggies (in their juices & butter) and the browned sausage to be used in the gumbo.

Making the Gumbo: Previous steps must be complete at this point (and they’re the hardest!) 

1. Brown your Okra

Ingredients: 1 large bag of chopped frozen okra (frozen or thawed) , butter, Gumbo pot, scraper or spoon, masher

* Note* This is not the okra that you see floating in the finished gumbo. If you want floating okra you can add it in later. This okra will be completely cooked down & slightly burnt. It’s purpose is to flavor and thicken your gumbo.

A. With the heat on high, cook down the okra until it is quite literally browning to the bottom of the pot and you have to keep scraping it off. You should have a a slimy greenish brown burnt (but not too burnt) mess in the bottom of your pot. Don’t worry about the layer of burnt okra concoction on the bottom of your pan because you will deglaze with chicken broth in the next step. Have at least 2 quarts of broth on hand because you’ll need it quickly as soon as the okra is done.

2. Make your Gumbo base

Ingredients: Roux (pour off as much oil from the top as you can), 2 quarts of chicken broth, and your gumbo paddle (see below) or long handled spoon.

A. This step begins with your burner still on high and your okra mess at the bottom of the pot.

                  B. Add your Roux to the Okra and stir it in VERY QUICKLY but thoroughly. It would be bad if you burnt your roux at this point.

                  C. The second you see your roux is blended with the okra, dump in at least 2 quarts of your chicken broth. (either from when you boiled the chickens OR store bought if you didn’t want chicken in your gumbo)

D. Stir through the steam! The okra mess should’ve come loose but just in case, immediately start stirring the broth and scraping the bottom of the pot for any residual roux/okra mixture. Once the steam goes away, continue stirring until all is smooth. You can turn the heat down to medium now.

3. Adding meats & veggies to the pot

Ingredients: browned sausages, sautéed veggies, shredded chicken, 2 garlic cloves, medium bag chopped okra, fresh parsley bunch, remaining chicken stock, gumbo crabs (optional), 5-15# P&D shrimp, 5# white crabmeat.

A. Dump in: browned sausages, sautéed veggies, shredded chicken, & gumbo crabs (optional)

B. Chop the leaves of a parsley bunch and add to pot

C. Mince a few more garlic cloves and add to pot

D. If you want floating chopped okra, add to pot

E. If all ingredients are not covered, cover them with chicken broth at this time. (Also adding an extra 1-2 inches of broth for the seafood yet to come.) If you run out of broth you can use water or store bought broth. I use water when I run out but I make 2 chickens so I have allot of broth on hand.

F. Bring to a boil

G. Once at a roaring boil, add seafood. I recommend 5-15# of peeled & deveined shrimp (size 40/50 or smaller) & 5# of white crab meat.

H. Once the gumbo reaches a boil again, turn it down to low.

4. Season It– Wait until it cools down to a simmer.

All to taste! I use: Salt & pepper, Louisiana hot sauce, Cajun power garlic sauce, tiger sauce, old bay, tony’s seasoning, seafood magic, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, 3 bay leaves

5. Simmer & add more veggies, meat, seafood, roux etc if the gumbo looks like it needs more of anything. Simmer for as long as you can. Discard leaves, crabs., & skim oil.  Add gumbo filet to the pot or sprinkle on top of served up bowls. Best the next day!

Roux

Roux

My grandmother, Ruby Fayard, taught me how to make a proper Roux when I was a young girl. I'd stand at the stove in our seafood market and stir until I thought my arm would fall off! I saw this article posted on a Cajun blog and it is pretty much the same way I was taught. I thought I'd share for anyone who dares...


http://acadianatable.com/first-you-make-a-roux/

Recipe by: George Graham - AcadianaTable.com

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups oil

Instructions

1. A Cajun roux starts out in a large cast iron pot on medium heat. With no distractions and approximately one hour of time at your disposal, begin by adding the flour and oil.
2. With a long-handled wooden spoon, begin to stir. Constant stirring and moving the flour around the bottom of the pot is the key to browning the flour evenly to prevent burning. This early stage will go slowly as you begin to see the white flour take on a beige and then a tan color.
3. Continue stirring slowly and evenly, scraping the bottom and the circular crevices of the pot to move the flour around in the hot oil.
4. At about the half-hour mark, you will begin to see a brown color developing and smell the first hints of toasted flour. This is where the stirring becomes even more crucial.
5. At this point, you begin to enter the quickly developing phase where the least bit of inattention could result in burnt flecks of flour appearing – a sure sign you’ve ruined the roux. Watch your heat and lower it if cooking too fast.
6. Constant stirring to keep the flour from staying in one place too long prevents burning. You will begin to smell an even nuttier aroma as you see the color turn darker mahogany. Most stop here, but you will keep going until you achieve a deeper, darker chocolatey consistency and color.
7. Forget time at this point since you are now cooking by instinct, sight and smell. The utmost attention is needed to your stirring, and when you see that Hershey chocolate darkness, you will know you have arrived.
8. Turn off the heat, but continue stirring until it begins to cool down and quits cooking.
9. Spoon the roux into a bowl and let cool.

Notes

I like the neutral taste of canola oil, but vegetable or peanut oil work fine as well. Refrigerate your roux in a glass jar for up to a week and place in the freezer for longer storage.

Unnatural Exposure Crab Cakes

My favorite literary heroin, Kay Scarpetta, was slipped this recipe in Patricia Cornwell's Unnatural Exposure. Got to try it! 

1 lb crabmeat

1 egg slightly beaten

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1-2 dashed lea & persons

4 crushed unsalted soda crackers

1 chopped Vidalia

1 chopped green pepper

1-2 tsp parsley

Salt and pepper

Mic and form into patties. Saute in oil over med heat until brown.

Cajun Dip for Boiled Crawfish or Shrimp

Seafood Dip

I used to travel to Louisiana a lot for work and my favorite thing to do was go eat crawfish! At all "good" crawfish places (usually waaaay out in the middle of nowhere) you are served a bowl of mayonnaise well prior to your crawdads. This seemed odd to me until I watched the locals go to work on it. One tables they didn't just have the standard salt and pepper. They had a plethora of other seasonings for you to make your dip! The best combo I managed to concoct consists of the below ingredients. I don't know the amounts- it's all to taste! Serve with any type of seafood- boiled or fried. I've even put it on pizza :-)

1. Start off with a bowl of mayo (Hellmans is the best)

2. Stir in ketchup until the mixture is a creamy orange

3. Stir in a liberal amount of "cajun power garlic sauce"

4. Stir in some L&P

5. Stir in a dash of Tabasco (or more if you want it spicy hot)

6. Sprinkle a small amount of cajun seasoning (Tony's or something similar)

7. Just keep tasting it until you like it and add more or less of something. If you "over do" it, add more mayo and ketchup to dilute your seasonings.

Marinated Shrimp Salad

Marinated Shrimp Salad

This is so easy to put together and you can add any number of things to it. It has been a hit at every party I've brought it to. The key to this recipe is that you HAVE to use WISHBONE Italian dressing. No off brands or other brands.

1. Boil a few pounds of shrimp with seafood boil seasoning. I like the powdered kind because it is pre-salted. We did 50 pounds for the wedding!

2. Cool the shrimp

3. Add any(pick at least 3) or all of the following:

baby carrots

grape tomatoes

button mushrooms

sliced bell peppers (ad the red or yellow ones for color)

Baby corn

Artichoke hearts

pearl onions

finely sliced red onions

Any type of veggie you want....

4. I recommend putting the shrimp and veggies in gallon size ziplock bags. Add enough wishbone italian dressing to cover the contents of the bag.

5.Sprinkle some lemon pepper on the sop of the mixture

6. Seal the bag and shake it gently to distribute the lemon pepper

7. Let the bags marinate in the refrigerator for up to two days

8. Dump bag in serving dish and wait for the ooohs and aaahs

Miss Mawthas Jambalay

This is a family recipe from my friend Martha Clement who stole it from a cajun ancestor, Gail Clement. I have to say...this is the best Jambalaya I've ever had!!!! And coming from a family of shrimp processors, I've had LOTS of Jambalaya! ENJOY!!!


Preheat Oven 350

1 Whole Chicken (Boiled & Picked with Broth on reserve)
2 Pounds boneless fatless pork chops - cubed
5 cups white rice
2 1/2 lbs of smoked sausage- sliced
1 lb smoked andouille- sliced
3-4 yellow onions - chopped
1 small bunch green onions - chopped
1 green pepper -diced
Handful of fresh parsley - chopped
3 Tsp fresh garlic - minced
Red & Black Pepper to Taste
Salt to taste
1 can golden cream of mushroom soup
1 can rotel

In a BIG pot, Brown pork in oil. Add veggies and cook about 10 minutes. Add sausage & smoked andouille. Cook for about 20 min. Add soup and rotel. MIX WELL add cooked chicken and rice. Add 10 cups of liquid- this can be the water from when you boiled the chicken. You can also use a combination of stock, canned stock or water. Bring pot to boil. Once boiling, transfer from pot to a large aluminum pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 min-1 hour.

Shrimp Scampi

This was a huge hit with guests and the family! Mom was drinking the sauce out of the bowl with a spoon. Even better the next day!

5 garlic cloves
1 stick butter
4 green onions
1 lemon
3 Tbs Olive Oil
Shredded Parm
Half pack cream cheese- cubed
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
Fresh Parsley
Linguini or other pasta

Melt butter in a large pan. Saute garlic and green onion. Add Shrimp. Saute a few minutes and ad the juice from the lemon. Saute a few more minutes and cubes of cream cheese. Saute till melted. Ad up to 3 tbs of olive oil to make the sauce a good consistancy. When Shrimp are cooked ( 5-6 minutes of total saute') sprinkle shredded parm across the top and toss one more time in the pan. Serve shrimp with a scoop of the sauce over your favorite pasta and add more cheese on top and some fresh parsley if desired.

Grilled Oysters?

It can be done! We spent a long weekend in Florida recently and found a fabulous way to fix up a spare gallon of oysters.

1. Build a spectacular fire in the pit and let it die down to red hot coals

2. Get yourself a few muffin tins

3.Put a slice of butter in each tin

4.Place 2-3 oysters in each tin

5. Season with whatever you want! Our favorite included boiled garlic, l&p, s&p, lemon juice, and a Parmesan topping. Another great option was wrapping the oyster in a half piece of bacon.

6. Top with another slice of butter

7. Place the muffin tins directly on the hot coals of the fire (no flames!) Cover it if possible (we used a metal garbage can lid- but a broiler pan would probably work.

8. Cook about 7-10 minutes until oysters start to curl and look "done"