Crawfish Topping For Fish Food

CRAWFISH DRESSING

Steps:

• Make the cornbread: Put a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and honey; whisk into the flour mixture until combined. Add the melted butter and whisk vigorously until combined.
• Remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour in the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely, then remove from the pan. Crumble 5 cups cornbread for the stuffing.
• Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Make the stuffing: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and cook, stirring, until the vegetables start browning, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Stir in the crawfish tails, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the cayenne. Add the stock and bring to a low simmer, then remove from the heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and stir until melted.
• Gently stir the cornbread into the stock mixture until incorporated. Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and bake until golden brown and toasted on top, about 30 minutes.

CRAWFISH CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat pan to medium heat and melt butter
• Add garlic, onion, and bell peppers. Saute until onions are translucent. This should be about 4-5 minutes.
• Pour the half and half in to the pan. Stir and allow to cook until the cream mixture thickens.
• Once the half and half thickens, add the lemon juice, crawfish tails, and stir until everything is combined.
• Cook for an additional 2 minutes and then remove from heat.
• Serve and enjoy!

CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFéE

Steps:

• Before preparing the vegetables, clarify the butter (not shown in video): Place 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup) in a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Milk solids will foam to the surface, then sink to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the simmering settles and the milk solids have separated from the butterfat, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain to remove milk solids. Measure out ½ cup of clarified butter for use in this recipe. (Cool the remaining butter and store in a lidded container in the refrigerator.) Prepare the vegetables: While the butter is clarifying, dice the onion and celery and mince the garlic. Remove stem ends from red bell pepper and jalapeño, then slice the peppers lengthwise into thin strips. Discard the seeds and white veins, then small-dice the strips.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the clarified butter and flour over high heat; whisk to combine and get rid of the lumps. This will form a paste called a roux. As soon as the lumps are gone, reduce heat to medium, switch to a wooden spoon, and cook, scraping the bottom to keep it from burning. (If you see steam or smoke, turn the temperature down further.) Keep stirring to prevent the roux from burning, up to 30 minutes. As the roux cooks, it will darken in color.
• When the roux is reddish and on its way to brown, add onion, red pepper, celery, jalapeño, and garlic; stir to combine with the roux. Allow vegetables to sweat and soften, about 2 minutes.
• Turn heat to high and slowly add the stock into the roux mixture, whisking constantly. As the sauce comes to a boil, it will rapidly thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Once the sauce is the right consistency, add the crawfish and bay leaves; stir to combine. Season to taste with several pinches of salt. Stir in the chopped scallions and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, 10-12 minutes.
• Assembly: Taste étouffée and adjust seasoning. Stir in chopped parsley and juice of one lemon and stir to combine. Serve over hot steamed rice.

STEVE'S CRAWFISH TOPPING FOR REDFISH, SPECKLED TROUT, CATFISH OR ANY FISH

Steps:

• Sauté vegetables in margarine in heavy stainless sauté pan until they're just beginning to soften. Add three good shakes Worcestershire sauce and the juice of half a lemon. Sauté 10 minutes-season.
• Add the Cajun seasoning to taste (Tony's, Slap ya Mama, etc.) along with crawfish and sauté on low heat for another 15 minutes.
• Add cream and sauté until reduced by half, season again if needed (after tasting). Spoon over (cooked) fish and enjoy!

CRAWFISH TOPPING FOR FISH

Steps:

• In a heavy saute pan, cook vegetables in butter until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add three shakes Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
• Add Cajun spices to taste and saute about 1 minute. Add crawfish and continue to saute on low heat another 15 minutes; add heavy cream. Saute until reduced by half; adjust seasonings. Spoon over (cooked) fish.

FRIED CATFISH TOPPED WITH CRAWFISH AU GRATIN SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the onions, peppers and garlic until wilted. Add the flour and stir until a blond roux is achieved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, chicken base, crab base, granulated garlic, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper and thyme. Add the milk and wine and cook over medium heat until the milk thickens, stirring constantly, about 6 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts and fully incorporates into the sauce. Add the crawfish tails and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes. Add the green onions just before serving.
• For the catfish: Sprinkle the catfish with Creole seasoning. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and add the milk. Coat the catfish in flour and dip in the milk/egg mixture, then coat with cornmeal. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a large skillet. Fry the catfish until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Serve the catfish with the crawfish au gratin sauce.

LOUISIANA CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• Combine the rice and 6 cups water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.
• While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute until transparent. Stir in the garlic, and cook for a minute. Stir in the flour until well blended. Gradually stir in the tomato sauce and remaining 1 cup water, then add the crawfish tails and bring to a simmer. Add the green onions and season with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat, until the crawfish is cooked but not tough. Serve over hot cooked rice.

CRAWFISH CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Saute shallots and garlic for 30 seconds. Add crawfish and creole seasoning. Saute an additional 1 to 2 mintues. Add cream, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer the cream until it thickens and reduces by half, about 5 mintues. Add butter, salt, pepper to taste. Fold in green onions and serve over already cooked fillets.

SALMON WITH CRAWFISH SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix the yogurt, sour cream, and garlic and allow to rest in the refrigerator over night if possible.
• Make a paste of the cornstarch and milk.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Preheat an oiled skillet to the smoke point.
• Brush or spray one side of the filet with the remaining olive oil. Coat that side with the seeds. Carefully lay the filet in the hot skillet and sear it to a golden brown crust. Do not turn the fish. Place skillet in the oven and bake for 4 minutes.
• While the fish is baking, slowly bring the yogurt mixture to a simmer, stirring continuously. If you are too aggressive the sauce will break. This is not a disaster, but it doesn't look as good. Add the cornstarch milk and stir in the crawfish tails and cook until the tails are warm.
• Plate the fish and cover with the sauce. It will need some salt. Your call as to how much.