Cajun

Shrimp a la plancha and Grits with Creole Chutney

Posted Sun, 02/27/2011 - 20:05 by Jon

This was inspired by the Jose Andres' Gambas a la Plancha recipe, and having some fresh shrimp from Arganica. I was feeling a craving for a more cajun-y shrimp-and-grits setup, however. So, I figured there's no reason not to just do both. I left the grits simple, and focused on the shrimp and the chutney-like goop.

A ton of salt
3 whole shrimp per person
grits, plus water and butter for their preparation.

For the creole chutney:

1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 mild jalapeno
1/2 bell pepper (red preferred)
1 small tomato
1 tsp molasses

Shrimp and Grits

Posted Fri, 02/26/2010 - 20:28 by Jon

For the shrimp:
8 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 T butter, melted
1 T cajun seasoning
dash Old Bay
dash Celery Salt

For the grits:
1/2 cup grits
2 1/4 cups water
2 T unsalted butter
1 t salt
1 t minced garlic
1/2 cup grated cheese (a 50/50 mix of cheddar and jarlsberg works great)
dash paprika

Blackened Red Snapper

Posted Mon, 02/22/2010 - 22:04 by Jon

4 (6 ounce) fillets red snapper
1 cup butter, melted
4 Tablespoons cajun seasoning

Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat for 10 minutes, or until extremely hot.

Dip fish into melted butter, and crust each fillet generously with the seasoning mixture. Place the fish fillets in the hot skillet.

Cajun Seasoning

Posted Sun, 02/21/2010 - 19:33 by Jon

3 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons Hungarian paprika
1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
1/2 Tablespoon celery powder/salt
1/2 Tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

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Louisiana Dirty Rice

Posted Sun, 02/14/2010 - 20:50 by Jon

Adapted from RecipeZaar

6 oz brown rice

1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs (tops and all), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

1/16lb andouille sausage, crumbled
2 tablespoons pecans or walnuts (optional)
2 tablespoons bacon drippings

Tabasco sauce
Worcestershire sauce
salt
cayenne
black pepper

Boil rice according to package directions.
In bacon drippings, saute chopped vegetables until the mixture cooks down, 20-30 minutes.
Add sausage and sautee

Gumbo

Posted Sun, 02/14/2010 - 15:28 by Jon

Based on this Epicurious recipe.

2/3 cup vegetable oil (add in other fats for extra flavor)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 large onions, chopped (about 4 cups)
2 red bell peppers, seeded, chopped (about 2.5 cups)
3 celery stalks, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning mix

Audrey and Jon

One year and counting!