04/16/08

Creole Rockfish            Yields 4 pp.

4 ea.      6 oz. rockfish fillets (or catfish, if you're brave enough)

4 oz.      crawfish tail meat, rough chop

1/2 c.     button mushrooms, quartered

1/4 c.     green bell pepper, small dice

1/4 c.     white onion, small dice

1 T.        garlic, minced

1/4 t.     lobster base

2 t.         blackening seasoning

1 c.         white wine

1 c.         heavy cream

KSPTT

Heat a fatty cast iron skillet with a bit of oil in it to almost smoking.  Season rockfish fillets with salt and pepper, place in skillet and sauté each side for about a minute or two (depending on thickness of fillets and the heat production of your stove).  Place in a warm oven (about 200 degrees F.) to hold while you build the sauce.

In the same skillet, add mushrooms, green peppers and onions.  When they start to develop a bit of color, add the garlic and sauté until the garlic just starts to golden.  Deglaze with wine, and add lobster base, crawfish meat, cream and blackening seasoning.  Reduce heat until sauce is "briskly simmering," and allow sauce to reduce by about a third.  This should take about three to five minutes.

Place one fillet on a plate and cover pretty liberally with sauce (about 4 oz.).  Serve with some red beans and rice (or dirty rice if you're REALLY in the mood) and some sautéed mustard greens on the side.  Now all you need is sweet tea!

Note from GG:  I have to admit that this recipe is shamefully ripped off from something similar I had in New Orleans at Rita's.  Rita's was famous for "Rita's Same Ol' Sauce," which had a lot of the same ingredients I have here, but I can't remember where all we cross over.  I hope it's different enough that I don't get in trouble.  Do I feel bad for ripping it off?  Yeah, but I think mine's better than theirs.

Also, as to the debate over "Creole vs. Cajun," there is no real answer to be found.  Most of the folks I've talked to seem to think that Creole food uses more tomatoes and is "more cosmopolitan" in appearance while Cajun food uses more roux and generally looks like a train wreck while still tasting wonderful.  Both are yummy, so huzzah.

Home | Roasted Pork Tenderloin Roulade | Pollo all'arrabiatta | Creole Rockfish | Chicken Cacciatore | Cocoa-dusted Snapper | Three-citrus Mahi Mahi Steaks | Spicy Lavender Cream Mussels | Autumn Harvest Pasta | Portobello Goat Cheese Pizza | Sweet Potato Gnocchi | Raspberry Mustard Fusilli | Cauliflower "Flan" | Smoked Shrimp Gallette | Ground Pork Tacos | Candied Lemon Rice Pilaf | "Spruce" Cous | Creamy lemon sage soup | Tomato Peanut Soup | Potato chili | Turkey Club Soup | Lentil Salsa | 鋼のフレンチト-スト | Chocolate Nutmeg Ice Cream | Island Banana Bread | Flavored rice pudding | Blueberry Cottage Pudding

This site was last updated 12/20/06