Nola Cuisine

To be quite honest, there are certain dishes that I never intended to include on this site because they have been so completely bastardized by restaurants across the country. Shrimp Creole is near the top of the list. Why would I want to include this dish? Everyone has a recipe for it. A lot of restaurants, even outside of Louisiana serve it. Why in the hell do I even want to bother? Everyone knows what Shrimp Creole is!

But then it dawned on me. You know what? Maybe because of all the hack versions out there, a lot of people, especially outside of Louisiana, don’t know how great Shrimp Creole can be! Every bad rendition of Shrimp Creole, just like Shrimp Etouffee, served in some dive restaurants across the country, have created a perception to the diner that this dish is just OK, or in the worst case scenario, absolutely horrible. For God’s sake, some restaurants even serve shrimp covered in canned Marinara sauce and pass it off as Shrimp Creole. Yikes.

There are a lot of good and bad recipes for Shrimp Creole out there, hopefully you enjoy this one as much as I do. The defining factor that I think makes this dish great, instead of just good, in addition to the use of the highest quality Louisiana or Gulf Shrimp, is using homemade Shrimp Stock in place of water during the preparation of your Creole Sauce.

All that aside, on to the dish…

As I see it, Shrimp Creole and Shrimp Sauce Piquant are pretty much the same dish, with a few differences.

First, Shrimp Creole, or as it was once known, Shrimp a la Creole, is a New Orleans dish. Shrimp Sauce Piquant is Acadian, much spicier (hence the name) and usually, but not always containing a roux. But as I said, they’re pretty darned similar, and like most dishes in New Orleans these days the two cuisines have kind of merged in a lot of different areas. Like any dish that there are a trillion recipes for, it’s all a matter of your personal taste.

Like I always say, let’s not fight, it’s only dinner after all, just make sure it tastes good.

The Recipe:

Shrimp Creole Recipe

2 lbs. Peeled and Deveined Shrimp, save shells to make Shrimp Stock
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Large Onion, finely chopped
2 Ribs Celery, finely chopped
1 small Green Pepper, finely Chopped
2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
2-1/2 Cups Very Ripe Fresh Tomatoes, Diced
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
2 Cups Shrimp Stock (recipe here)
2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
2 Bay leaves
Cayenne to taste
Kosher Salt to taste
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp White Pepper
1 bunch Fresh Thyme
2 Tbsp Tabasco
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Cup Green Onions, green tops thinly sliced, white part sliced into 1/4″ thickness
1/8 Cup Flat Leaf Parsley, minced
1 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan with the vegetable oil over medium high heat. When the butter begins to froth add 1/2 cup of the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown. Add the remaining onions, celery, and bell pepper, reduce the heat to medium and season with 1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning and a healthy pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables until soft.

Add the tomato paste mixing well, and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste begins to brown, then add the fresh tomatoes and another healthy pinch of Kosher salt, this will help the tomatoes break down. Stir well.

When the tomatoes start to break down into liquid add the white wine, and turn the heat to high until most of the alcohol burns off. Add the Shrimp Stock, remaining Creole seasoning, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne (to taste), and Thyme. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

(If necessary at this point thicken the sauce with 1 Tbsp Cornstarch/ 2Tbsp water. Bring to a boil to maximize the thickening power of the cornstarch.)

Add the hot sauce, Worcestershire, and season to taste with Kosher salt. Last chance to re-season your sauce, remember that good cooking is all about proper seasoning. Make your Boiled Rice, and season your shrimp with 1 Tbsp Kosher salt and a pinch of Cayenne.

Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to low and add the shrimp. The key is to not overcook your shrimp. Let them slowly simmer in the sauce until just cooked through.

Serve with boiled rice and garnish with the remaining green onions and parsley.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes, which provides links to all of the recipes featured on this site!

Related Posts:

Shrimp Etouffee Recipe
Shrimp Stock Recipe
Shrimp Remoulade Recipe

Hi everyone. Thanks to my brother Brad for helping me get this site back up. I’ve been having technical difficulties of late, mainly having all of my posts reversed. This is why I haven’t been posting, because no one would even notice they were there anyway. Brad upgraded me to the new version of wordpress which has a lot of great features. One of which will allow me to finally take comments out of moderation. There is a plug in which will block the 100+ per day, rat b@stard comment spammers that I’ve had to sort through for the last year or two, to be able to read your much appreciated real comments.

I am still working a few bugs out, mostly getting some of the pictures on my older posts back up.

I have a lot of great stuff on deck, including lots of pics from my recent 3 day restaurant vacation in New Orleans. My favorite was being invited into the kitchen of Cochon to take pictures, great stuff, and one of my new favorite restaurants in New Orleans.

As always I appreciate all of my readers and all of your comments, I’ve met a lot of great people through this site, via email and comments, I look forward to many more great conversations.

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! I wish I was down there today having a raucous time with the rest of the revelers, have a great one!

Mardi Gras related posts:

King Cake Recipe

I received an email from Kristen Browning-Blas, food editor for The Denver Post, the other day asking permission to use my Muffuletta recipe at the Denver Post website, I said of course. Here is the article about Serio’s Po-Boys & Deli.

As I browsed through the pics and recipes I realized I needed to have a Muffuletta as soon as possible, so Anna and I headed over to Ventimiglia’s Italian Market, here in the Detroit area, to gather the necessary ingredients.

But of course, as I’ve mentioned in the past, Muffuletta Bread is not to be found here in the Detroit area, so that had to be made as well.

I used my Muffuletta Bread recipe, Olive Salad recipe , my Muffuletta sandwich recipe, which I altered slightly by doubling the amount of meat and cheese, I figured what the hell, I’m going to all of this trouble, why not go the full 9.

By the way for a great Italian Market in the Detroit area check out:

Ventimiglia’s Italian Foods
35197 Dodge Park
Sterling Heights, MI 48312

Related Posts:

Be sure and check out Jason Perlow’s post on The Muffuletta at Off the Broiler!

Muffuletta Bread recipe
Muffuletta Sandwich Recipe
Muffuletta Olive Salad Recipe
Shrimp Po’ Boy Recipe
Roast Beef Po Boy Recipe

There is a lot of press on this topic today, Hurricane Katrina’s 2nd Anniversary; President Bush making his BS appearance, murder on the rise in New Orleans, questions of should New Orleans rebuild? (Hell Yes!) If you would like more information on where New Orleans is today, two years later visit Hurricane Katrina News.

While remembering all of the loss, and the struggles to regain what was, I would like to focus my post here on Nola Cuisine on what IS in New Orleans for tourists to enjoy. My wife and I shared a wonderful visit in mid June, blistering hot of course, but we had an absolutely fantastic time, and I would like to express the fact that you are not walking into a war zone if you visit New Orleans now, despite what CNN may tell you! In fact, in the major tourist areas, the French Quarter, Garden District, we noticed little difference from our Pre-Katrina trips. Not to say that you will not see the effects of Katrina, but the lifeblood of the city is as vibrant as ever, and they will be happy as hell to see you! Make the trip, fall in love again, or just rekindle the romance with New Orleans, she never disappoints. Here are just 18 reasons why you should go fall in love with New Orleans:

Jackson Square in all of its glory!

Rosegate a home in the Garden district, former home of Anne Rice. What a beautiful place…New Orleans that is.

Gorgeous balconies in the French Quarter.

Cities of the Dead, the fascinating above ground cemeteries of New Orleans. This picture was taken in Lafayette Cemetery, just across the wall from Commander’s Palace.

Live Oak lined roads, remnants of Plantations that once were.

Lunch or cocktails at Napoleon House.

Breakfast at Camellia Grill!

An amazing view of Bon Sejour a.k.a Oak Alley Plantation.

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. My favorite exhibit is the Jellyfish, they are hypnotic!

A Ferdi Special at Mother’s Restaurant (with Zapp’s Chips no less!) (My post forthcoming)

Live Oaks with Spanish Moss. (Photo taken at Evergreen Plantation, Edgard Louisiana.)

The “Big House” at Evergreen Plantation, Edgard Louisiana.

Twenty One totally intact slave cabins at Evergreen Plantation, a haunting sight and a feeling that you will never forget. The chills are up my spine just viewing the photos. You will stand in the midst of those cabins, beneath the “silence” of those live oaks, buzzing with bugs, and feel something as thick as mud, that you probably do not want to feel. You will leave a different person. Never since my childhood trip to Gettysburg have I “felt” history as I did here.

Dinner at Commander’s Palace, my lord they blow me away every time! My favorite place to eat on earth.

Tee-Eva’s Pralines & Pies on Magazine Street!

Oysters on the half shell or an Oyster Loaf on Pan Bread at Cassamento’s! (not open during summer months.)

A Muffuletta at Central Grocery. (My post forthcoming)

Breakfast at the Coffee Pot Restaurant in the French Quarter (714 St. Peter St). (My post forthcoming)

Beignets & Cafe Au Lait at Cafe Du Monde! (My post forthcoming)

I have many more posts to share from our trip and will share them as soon as possible! Actually, I can’t wait to get back to explore more, it drives me crazy to look at the pics because it makes me miss the place so much, just imagine how the displaced folks who call New Orleans their home must feel.

My favorite way to serve Soft-Shell Crabs is with Creole Choron Sauce. Actually, this sauce is wonderful with just about any fried seafood.

The most popular way Soft-Shells are prepared in Louisiana is fried, and for good reason, they’re damned good that way. Make sure that your batter is not too thick because the crabs will never get crispy, your batter should be like a thin pancake batter.

Here is the recipe:

Fried Soft-Shell Crabs with Creole Choron Sauce

Peanut Oil for frying
4 - Soft-Shell Crabs, cleaned
1 Recipe Creole Choron Sauce
Lemon wedges
Hot sauce

For the batter:

1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Corn Flour
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Buttermilk, enough to make a batter the consistency of a thin pancake batter.

Combine the dry ingredients, whisk in the buttermilk.

For the seasoned flour:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Cayenne

Combine all ingredients.

To fry the Soft-Shells:

Heat the peanut oil to 360 degrees F in a Dutch oven. The Dutch oven should be large enough to have the oil about 3-4 inches deep and halfway up the sides of the pot.

When the oil is hot dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess, then dipping into the batter. Be sure to completely coat the crabs and let any excess drip off.
Carefully place the crabs into the oil upside down (this will make the claws stand up a bit for presentation.). Fry only two at a time maximum until they are golden brown and they float to the surface.
Be sure to let the oil come back to temperature before frying the next batch.

Drain on paper towels and season with Kosher salt.

Caution - Soft-shells have a tendency to spit hot oil, or pop when the inside liquids heat up, so be careful.

Serve the crabs on a plate covered with the Creole Choron Sauce and with lemon wedges and hot sauce on the table.

Serves 2.

Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes which links to all recipes featured on this site!

Barbecue Sauce is just one of those things that American outdoor cooks just love to tweak and experiment with, I’m no exception. I like my sauce to be balanced with sweetness and acidity with the appropriate amount of heat, and I never use liquid smoke because it tastes like liquid smoke. I do however throw a handful of well washed wood chips into the sauce while it’s simmering for a woodsy flavor, the chips are later strained out. I achieve the smoky flavor during the cooking process.

Abita Turbo Dog is a dark beer from Abita Springs, Louisiana with flavors of chocolate, coffee and carmel, which adds a nice depth to this sauce.

Turbo Dog Barbecue Sauce recipe

1 Bottle Abita Turbo Dog
2 cups Ketchup
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (see note here for homemade)
2 Tbsp Creole Mustard
1 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
1 Tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp Basic Barbecue Rub
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
1 Jalapeno, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 handful Pecan wood chips (well washed)

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is thickly coats the back of a spoon, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Related Posts:

Baby Back Ribs with Turbo Dog Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Basic Barbecue Rub

If you’re ever in the neighborhood of Commander’s Palace in the Garden District, you can almost follow your nose to the front door by the aroma of bread pudding which wafts across the neighborhood. I always picture a looney tunes character, closing their eyes, nose to the air, flapping their hands and floating along the scent trail to the source. I always think of that when I make this recipe and my kitchen smells of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.

Bread Pudding is a combination of two things that I hold dear, great cooking spawned from frugality, and comfort food. What is more comforting than a plate of warm bread pudding covered in spiked and sweet Whiskey sauce?

I based this recipe loosely on the Commander’s Palace recipe from one of my absolute favorite books Commander’s Kitchen by Jamie Shannon and Ti Adelaide Martin, by one of my absolute favorite restaurants. I will also be featuring the Commander’s style Bread Pudding Souffle in the next few days, which is, in humble my opinion, one of the best damned desserts around. Anywhere.

The recipe:

Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce Recipe

For the Bread Pudding:

1 Cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Freshly grated Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
pinch of salt
6 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
6 Cups French Bread, cut inot 1 inch cubes (be sure it’s a light bread, meaning not too dense)
1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Butter a square cake pan with the butter.

Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl.
In a large Mixing bowl whisk the eggs, then whisk in the cream and vanilla extract. Fold in the bread cubes being sure to not break them up too much. The trick to this recipe is to make sure all of the bread soaks up the custard, and that you don’t overcook it.

Place the prepared mixture into the cake pan, cover with foil and place the cake pan into a larger pan, sufficient enough to allow for a water bath which will cover the smaller pan by half way.

Place the pans into the oven and bake for 2 hours. Remove the foil and raise the temperature to 300 degrees for 1 hour more or until the top of the pudding is golden brown.

The finished pudding should be slightly firm, while moist, but not runny.

Serve warm with Whiskey sauce, recipe below.

Makes 4 servings.

Whiskey Sauce Recipe

1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
2 tsp Cornstarch
2 Tbsp Water
a few drop of Vanilla extract
1/3 Cup Bourbon
1/3 Cup Sugar

Mix together the water and cornstarch. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. While boiling slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry, when the sauce is thickened remove from the heat and add the vanilla, bourbon and sugar. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Be sure to visit my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes! It provides a link to all recipes featured on Nola Cuisine.

This is a very old school dish, I know, but my oh, my does it ever taste great. In my book, rich and bubbly, cheesy Thermidor sauce with chunks of lobster is the stuff dreams are made of, old school or not. There is a lot of debate over this dish regarding not only it’s namesake but also it’s ingredients, country and restaurant of origin, who’s version is the best, blah, blah, blah. I say, Make lobster not war, it’s only dinner after all, just make sure it tastes good.

Here is my version:

Lobster Thermidor Recipe

For the Lobsters:

2 1-1/4 lb Lobsters
Whole lemons
4 Bay Leaves
4 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
2 Tbsp Black peppercorns
1 Bunch Thyme, tied together
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
Water, enough to cover 2 lobsters

Combine all of the ingredients except the Lobsters, bring to a rolling boil. Cook for 15 mintes. While still boiling drop the lobsters into the pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes, remove immediately to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. I like to under cook the lobsters so they will finish cooking in the sauce.

When the lobsters are cold, remove both claws from the body. Cut the body in half lengthwise. Extract all of the tail meat, and all of the meat from the claws and knuckles. Cut the meat into nice sized chunks. Totally clean out the shells and place face down on a baking sheet. Place in a 300 degree oven to dry them out, when dry, remove and set aside on a clean baking sheet.

For the Sauce:

4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
4 Tbsp Shallots, finely minced
1 Tbsp Garlic, finely minced
4 Tbsp Flour
1/4 Cup Sherry
1/2 Cup Whole milk
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of Cayenne
1/4 Cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4 Cup shredded Parmesan
1 Tbsp fresh Tarragon, minced
2 Tbsp Italian Parsley, minced
Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Sweat the shallots and garlic until translucent. Whisk in the flour and cook to make a blond roux, whisk in the Sherry. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk, then move on to the cream. Add the dijon, cayenne and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring constantly, to prevent scorching. Cook just until the raw flour taste is gone, remove from the heat. While still hot whisk in 3/4 of each cheese, stir until incorporated. Stir in the Tarragon and parsley. Season to taste with Kosher salt & white pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix the reserved lobster meat with some of the sauce (you may not need all of the sauce). The result should be very plentiful with lobster meat. Fill the reserved shells with the prepared sauce. Top with the remaining Gruyere and Parmesan. If you have a little sauce sauce with lobster leftover, bake it off in a small casserole or ramekin.

Bake until the cheese and sauce are nicely golden brown, serve on top of something green, I used Chicory.

I like to serve this with toast points.

Serves 2.

Be sure to visit my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes! It provides a link to all recipes featured on Nola Cuisine.

The smell of Etouffee, be it Crawfish or Shrimp, is one of the most heavenly aromas that I know, along with the smell of Shrimp a la Creole. The word Etouffee (Ay-2-FAY) translates roughly to smothered , stewed, or braised. To me it simply translates to happy taste buds.

I always buy shell on shrimp, why? For the same reason I buy bone in cuts of meat. Stock. The amount of shrimp you’re using for this recipe will produce just enough Shrimp Stock, plus a little extra (recipe below). Shrimp stock only needs to cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Shrimp Stock Recipe

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.

The recipe:

Shrimp Etouffee Recipe

2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup fresh Tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 Cups Shrimp Stock
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
I bundle of Fresh Thyme
2 tsp Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Hot Sauce (I like Crystal or Louisiana Gold)
1/2 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp minced Italian Parsley
2 lb Good Quality Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined, Save shells for the stock
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 Recipe Creole Boiled Rice

Season the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the Creole Seasoning.
Melt the butter in a large cast iron skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery, saute until translucent. Whisk in the flour to make a blonde roux, stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining Creole Seasoning. Add a small amount of the shrimp stock, stir well to form a paste, add the remaining stock gradually, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You may need a little more stock, but the end result should be the consistency of a gravy, not too thick, not too thin.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, Thyme, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, a little salt, black pepper, and Cayenne. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Add the shrimp, green onions, and parsley, simmer for 10 minutes more or until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the 3 Tbsp butter, and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Serve over Creole Boiled Rice.

Serves 4 as an Appetizer or 2 as a Large Entree.

Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole & Cajun Recipes, which links to all of the recipes featured on this site!

Related Posts:

Shrimp Creole Recipe
Creole Stuffed Peppers (Austin Leslie Style)
Redfish Courtbouillon Recipe
Shrimp Stock Recipe
Shrimp Stuffed Mirlitons
Shrimp Stuffed Savory Crepes with Tasso Cream Sauce