Creole Spiced Seafood Gazpacho

BASIC CREOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in celery, onion, green bell pepper, carrot, and garlic; cook and stir until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir tomatoes with their juice, water, chicken bouillon cubes, and bay leaves into the vegetable mixture.
• Stir in red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, saffron, oregano, basil, thyme, orange zest, clam juice, and white wine.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the flavors have blended, at least 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Allow the sauce to cool completely.
• To store, pour into pint glass canning jars, cover with lids and rings, and place into freezer. Sauce can be frozen up to 3 months before using.

CREOLE SPICED SEAFOOD GAZPACHO

Steps:

• In a food processor with a metal blade, combine the chopped vegetables, shallots, garlic, horseradish, and cilantro. Puree the mixture until slightly smooth. Add the V-8 juice, Absolute Pepper Vodka, Worcestershire sauce, juice from 2 lemons and the liquid crab boil. Puree until the mixture is smooth. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper. Remove the mixture from the food processor and refrigerate for 6 hours, so the flavors can marry. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the vegetables and blanch for 1 minute. Remove and shock the vegetables in a bowl of ice water. Remove the vegetables and pat dry. In a mixing bowl, whisk the extra virgin olive oil and remaining lemon juice together. Add the herbs and whisk well. Season with salt and pepper. In a mixing bowl, toss the brunoise vegetables with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Toss each of the seafood with the remaining vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble, place a pile of each seafood in the bowls. Ladle the gazpacho into each bowl. Spoon the vegetable relish in the center of each bowl. Garnish with the herb salad.

SEAFOOD CREOLE

Steps:

• Mix together oregano, salt, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, and basil in a small bowl; set aside.
• Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; stir in tomato, onion, celery, green bell pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in chicken stock, tomato sauce, sugar, hot pepper sauce, and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low and bring sauce to a simmer. Stir in seasoning mix and simmer until the flavors have blended, about 20 minutes.
• Gently stir in rock shrimp, bay scallops, and haddock; bring sauce back to a simmer and cook until the shellfish and fish are opaque, about 20 more minutes. Remove bay leaves to serve.

SHRIMP GAZPACHO

Steps:

• In a large nonreactive bowl, mix first 6 ingredients. Gently stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour before serving.

CAJUN GAZPACHO

Steps:

• In a food processor, process the first eight ingredients in batches until finely chopped., In a large bowl, combine the tomato juice, lemon juice, vinegar, pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, garlic, seasonings and chopped vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight., Just before serving, stir in oil. Garnish servings with shrimp, crabmeat and/or crawfish.