Louisiana Deviled Crab Cakes

Louisiana Deviled Crab Cakes

In sourcing the crab for this recipe, Kirk and I found several brands of canned and jarred lump crab meat at Ranch 99. We picked a few jarred ones that consisted of mostly leg meat. The price wasn’t too bad this way. I had heard that buying crab meat from Whole Foods was expensive.

To start, Kirk cooked the onions, bell peppers, and celery in butter. Meanwhile, Ei-lun was whisking the egg, sour cream, mustard, and other ingredients together. We didn’t have Saltine crumbs, so we used breadcrumbs. Kirk then added in the crab meat from the jar.

I was excited at this point because I had just purchased some round cutters, and I used them to form the crab cakes. They look evenly round. I tried a few mini ones with the smaller round cutters. Ei-Lun then breaded the cakes, and then Kirk fried them in the remaining butter.

Lee had prepped up the tartar sauce, and we topped the cakes off.

I thought these tasted really good, and I thought I would make them again. Lee and I did, in fact, make them for Lee’s family as an appetizer at a later date. The tartar sauce really went well with the cakes and I suggest having it with the crab cakes so they aren’t too dry. One thing I learned on this round of cooking was that it was really fun to cook in a “team” atmosphere. It kind of felt like a pro-kitchen where we each had different tasks, and that allowed us to really move fast while we were cooking. Also, I think canned or jarred crab meat is just as good as fresh crab meat when making crab cakes. It really saves a lot of time and money; and I thought it tasted great. I like the spice in this dish as well.

The initial fry of the first set of ingredients.

Adding in the crab meat.

Final mixture.

Using the round cutters to mold the cakes into consistent sizes.

Ei-Lun breads the cakes.

Ei-Lun places the cakes into the pan.

Frying.

Crab cakes almost done frying.

At rest.

Topping the cakes with tartar sauce.

Dat's some good 'ole crab cake with tartar sauce.

Shrimp Etouffee

Shrimp Etouffee on rice.

The night before, Lee made the shrimp stock by peeling the shells and tails off of the shrimp and putting them with the onion, garlic, and other herbs listed in the recipe. We refrigerated the stock and let the ingredients chill overnight.

The next night, my parents, my brother and his wife and their baby, Bethany, came over for dinner; and we made the etouffee as the main entrée. Instead of crawfish, we used shrimp.

To start, Lee made the white roux by sweating the onions, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, and herbs in butter. Then she added the flour to finalize the roux. Then we added the shrimp. Both of us thought that adding the shrimp in at this stage might dry it out. But we followed the recipe to see how the it would turn out. At this point the roux was of a pasty consistency. But after adding the rest of the ingredients and the stock, the etouffee resembled a soupy gumbo. As it cooked it thickened up somewhat and we added in more stock to thin it out. It stewed while the rice was cooking.

Once the rice was ready, we attempted to plate our dishes, but we didn’t really know what would look good. After a few tries, we found that it was just easiest to put the rice on the plate and pour the etouffee over.

We did find the shrimp to be a little overdone, but the flavor of the “stew” was pretty good. In the future, we thought we’d put the shrimp in near the end to keep it from being overdone. Everyone, however, enjoyed the etouffee, and overall we found it to be a pretty simple dish to make.

Sweating the veggies in butter.

Peeled shrimp, ready for warm bath in roux.

The second set of vegetables prepped to go.

Adding the second batch of ingredients to the make the roux.

Adding flour to finalize the roux.

White roux in the making.

We have our white roux.

Adding in the shrimp stock.

Shrimp stock married to the roux.

Seasoning, parsley, etc. added in.

Shrimp Etouffee!

P&J's Oysters Rockefeller

"As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans."

— Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

P&J Oyster Company was present at the creation of many legendary dishes of New Orleans' Creole cuisine. One such is the most famous oyster dish of them all – Oysters Rockefeller, invented in the 1880s at Antoine's by the restaurant's proprietor, Jules Alciatore. The appetizer was considered so rich that it had to be named after the richest man of the day, John D. Rockefeller. Al Sunseri of P&J has his own way with Oysters Rockefeller. While his grandfather, Alfred, was a close friend of the Alciatore family, the secret recipe was never divulged.

Suggested Pairing: Blanc de blanc Champagne

...and this is for lagniappe, because we can't very well have a New Orleans night without the official cocktail of NOLA – the Sazerac. We'll be preparing it as a bonus, paired with raw oysters as an accompaniment.

Serving Size: 12 appetizers / 6 main-course servings

• 48 shucked fresh oysters, with bottom shells reserved
• The juices ("liquor") from the oysters
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed
  
• 1 bunch green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/4 head iceberg lettuce, cut into medium chunks
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup anisette liqueur, such as Herbsaint or Pernod
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation Notes:

• The most practical approach to preparing oysters on the half-shell, whether they're to be served cold or hot, is to assemble a "tray" in advance that can be used to cook them or serve them – or both. Spread a 3/4-inch bed of rock salt evenly onto a large rimmed platter or baking pan. Firmly set the shells into the salt. This not only stabilizes the shells so that they won't tip, but the salt also helps retain both heat and cold. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and store at room temperature; or, if the oysters are to be served cold, chill the tray in the refrigerator before serving.
• Create both mixes in advance in separate bags, and place them in the refrigerator until ready to bake. On serving day, go to the fishmonger, get him to shuck some oysters for you (or master the art yourself!) and hook you up with crushed ice or rock salt. At home, distribute the two mixes on top and bake.
  

Preparation:
Prepare a sufficient number of half-shell trays to hold 48 oyster bottom shells, as described above, using oven-proof baking pans or rimmed baking sheets. Set aside.

Strain the oysters over a bowl to remove grit and to separate them from the liquor. Set the oysters and the liquor aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Squeeze as much water as possible from the thawed spinach and chop it finely.

In a food processor, pulse the green onions, celery, and lettuce until finely chopped.

In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add and sauté the chopped vegetables and spinach for about 10 minutes, stirring. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. (The mixture will be very thick.)

In a separate saucepan, poach the oysters in their liquor over medium-low heat until their edges just begin to curl, 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the oysters from the saucepan to a bowl and discard the poaching liquid.

Place one oyster on each of the bottom shells on the prepared half-shell tray(s) and cover each with a spoonful of the sauce. Bake until the oysters are bubbly and the topping begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the oysters from the oven and sprinkle a dash of Herbsaint and a few drops of lemon juice on top of each. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source:
The P&J Oyster Cookbook, by Kit Wohl and the Sunseri Family

Recommended Reading:

• Oyster Selection & Storage Tips (About.com)
• Oyster Cooking Tips (About.com)
  
• What was really in the originally recipe...? (Lindaraxa's Garden)
• Suggested Wine Pairings with Regional Oyster Varietals (Novus Vinum)

Crawfish Etouffee -- A Louisianna Classic

Recipe serves 8-12 people

Ingredients:
2 lbs crawfish tail meat
(Group 1)
1 stick of butter (1/4 cup)
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell peppers, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (more, if you like)

2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup flour
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 oz. sherry
1 cup green onions, sliced
8 cups seafood/shrimp stock [can substitute 4 cups of chicken broth with 4 cups of water]
Salt
Pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation:
Melt butter in pan over medium heat, without browning.

Add Group 1 to butter and sautee for 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat.

Add flour to create white rue. Mix until well-combined and cooks away rawness of flour (approximately 1 minute). Then, add crawfish meat and tomato paste, stirring constantly over medium-high heat. Slowly add stock, about 1 cup at a time, stirring between each pour. Stir until you have a thick, sauce-like consistency. (You might not use all the stock.) Then, bring to a boil and let simmer. Add stock, as necessary to maintain consistency (similar to thick clam chowder) and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.

Add sherry, parsley and green onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Serve with rice and Tobasco sauce.

Recipe by ScooterSMcGee on YouTube video

Tip: As with most Cajun/Creole food, etouffee is better cooked, cooled and reheated so flavors can merry.

Note: About half of the recipes we read include some Worcestshire Sauce, thyme, and/or lemon juice. We will experiment with the original recipe and may add these for round 2.
If you REALLY want wonderful flavor and make more of this dish from scratch, here is a shrimp stock recipe that sounds like it will add more complexity to the dish.

Shrimp Stock Recipe (provided by nolacuisine.com)
The Shells and tails from 2 lb. of Shrimp
1/2 Cup chopped Onion
1/4 Cup chopped Celery
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Lemon sliced
2 Fresh Bay Leaves
3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 tsp. Black Peppercorns




Add all ingredients to a 2 qt. saucepan. Cover this with cold water, it should be about 6-8 Cups Cups. You’ll need 1 1/2 Cups for the Etouffee. Bring almost to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. Strain.

Tip: When adding fresh Thyme to a simmered dish like this, I always bundle the Thyme tightly with butchers twine. The leaves will remove themselves while cooking, and you will get all of the flavor from the stems. When ready to serve just remove the bundle of stems along with your bay leaves.