On the Menu: Serving Seafood

Sautéed American Red Snapper With Crawfish, Spoonbread and Corn Butter Sauce

Spoonbread

2 cups water
3/4 Tablespoons salt
1 cup cornmeal
2 ears of yellow corn, shaved and scraped
(cut the kernels off the cob with a very
shallow cut and then use the back of the
knife to scrape the cob)
6 Tablespoons half and half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, separated

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, add salt and whisk in the meal. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes – the mixture will thicken rapidly. If you have an immersion blender add the corn, cream and pepper while blending; if not, transfer to a mixer and mix on high. Cool to room temperature and blend in the yolks, also mixing on high. Beat the egg whites to a soft peak and fold them in rapidly by hand. Pour the batter into a buttered 10-by-12-inch baking pan and bake at 325 for about 25 minutes. The bread should be pulled away from the sides of the pan and set in the middle, but somewhat soft. Reserve warm.

Green Bean and Crawfish Succotash

2 Tablespoons butter
1 medium shallot diced, about 2 tablespoons
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 ears corn, shaved and scraped
1 cup fresh green beans, preferably baby beans, cooked al dente and diced
2 teaspoons Shrimp Magic seasoning
(or more to taste)
1 pound fresh Louisiana crawfish tails
1 teaspoon diced poblano or jalapeño,
seeds and membrane removed
1 Tablespoon finely diced fresh chives
(parsley can be substituted)

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan and cook the diced shallots and garlic on medium heat, stirring often and being careful not to brown. Add the peppers and the corn and continue to cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the crawfish tails including the fat and any liquid in the bag and the Shrimp Magic seasoning and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the cooked diced green beans and reserve. This can be made slightly ahead of time and refrigerated if desired. Add the chopped fresh herbs at the last minute before service at any rate.

Corn Butter Sauce

4 Tablespoons diced white or yellow onion
1 small red pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
2 each ears of corn, shaved and scraped
1 stick plus 1 Tablespoon butter
2 ounces boiling water

Sweat diced onion covered in the butter. When the onions are soft, add the corn and cover, lowering the heat and cooking for about 5 minutes until corn is done.

Place the water into a large, heavy coffee mug and microwave on high until the water is boiling. Add the stick of butter cut up small and immediately blend it with an immersion blender or transfer it to a regular blender and blend on high. (If using a regular blender, don’t cover tightly, just drape a clean napkin over the top.) When the butter and water are creamy and emulsified, add half of the cooked corn and onion mixture and continue blending until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 of the corn and the diced red peppers for a chunky garnish.
Reserve warm – this sauce will break if allowed to cool. Place in a metal container in a hot water bath.

Snapper

One 6-8 ounce scaled, skin-on red snapper filet per person, scored on the skin side
All purpose flour
Salt and pepper
Canola or olive oil
Butter

Preheat a large thick-bottomed sauté pan on medium high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon oil and 1 Tablespoon butter. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper, dust with flour and place skin side down in the pan. Cook on medium to high heat for about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

To plate

Place a scoop of spoonbread in the center of a large preheated plate. Top with the hot crawfish mixture and pour a couple of Tablespoons of the corn butter close in around the center. Using a spatula, pick up each fish filet and flatten the spoonbread out slightly so it sits level. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6

GW Fins
808 Bienville St. | 581-3467
GWFins.com

 

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