Sauteed Louisiana Seafood with Fine Herbs,Crab Emulsion and Local Squash

Main Course

Recipe courtesy of Chef Anthony Spizale, New Orleans, LA

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

For the Meuniere Sauce

  • 1 cup white wine
  • ¾ cup veal demi glace
  • 4 tablespoons chopped shallots
  • 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
  • 2 ounces beurre manié (equal mixture flour and butter, blended  into a paste)
  • 1 pound unsalted butter (4 sticks) cut into 8 cubes
  • ½ cup lemon juice

For the Crab Reduction

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 shallots, very finely sliced
  • 1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
  • 1 pound gumbo crabs
  • 4 ounces Jazzmen rice flour
  • 2 tablespoons Cognac
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups fish stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 2 teaspoon tomato paste
  • pinch paprika
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • ½ cups heavy cream
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Squash Sauté

  • 2 small to medium local zucchini
  • 2 small to medium  yellow squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

To Finish the Dish

  • Jazzmen rice flour, for dredging
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 8 ounces chopped chives, in all
  • 8 ounces chopped parsley, in all
  • 8 ounces chopped garlic, in all
  • 8 ounces clarified butter, in all
  • 4 4-ounce portions puppy drum
  • 8 10/15 count Louisiana shrimp, peeled and butterflied
  • 6 ounces  Meunière Sauce (recipe follows)
  • 6 ounces Crab Reduction (recipe follows)
  • 8 ounces jumbo lump Louisiana crab meat, picked over for shells and cartilage
  • Squash Saute (recipe follows)
  • micro greens for garnish (optional)
  • edible flowers for garnish (optional)

 

 

RECIPE NAME 

 

Method: 

 

For the Meuniere Sauce:

Put the wine, demi glace and shallots in a sauce pot and reduce the mixture over moderate heat until liquid is completely gone and only the shallots remain. Add the cream and whisk thoroughly. Add the beurre manié and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until cream is thickened. Add the butter 1 cube at a time, whisking thoroughly and constantly until all the butter is absorbed into the sauce.  Strain through a fine strainer into a clean saucepot, pressing the shallots to extract their flavors.  Finish the sauce with lemon juice. 

 

For the Crab Reduction
Heat the butter over medium low heat.
Add the shallots and carrots and saute for two minutes.
Add the gumbo crabs, increase the heat to medium high and cook until they turn bright red, about three minutes.
Add the rice flour and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until a blond roux is achieved.
Flame with the Cognac, add the wine, reduce the heat to medium and cook until reduced by half.
Add the stock, bring to the boil, and reduce to a simmer.
Add the bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste, paprika, and cayenne, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
Stir in the cream and cook 10 minutes.
Strain through a fine strainer into a clean saucepot, pressing the crabs with a wooden spoon to extract their flavors.
Bring sauce back to boil in a saucepan, and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon.

For the Squash Sautee
Cut the stems and bottom tips off the zucchini and yellow squash and slice them on a mandoline or other vegetable slicer into long spaghetti-like strips, about 1/8 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick.
Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the oil and the zucchini and squash.
Toss with tongs just until heated through, about 1 minute.
Season with salt and pepper.

To finish the dish
Put the rice flour in a shallow pan and season with salt and pepper.
Mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

In a wide bowl, beat the eggs, 2 ounces each of the chives, parsley and garlic with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash.
Heat 6 ounces of clarified butter over medium-high flame in a large skillet.
Dredge both sides of the fish and shrimp in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off.
When the oil is nice and hot, add the seafood and sauté for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once.

Remove the seafood to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Combine the Meuniere and Crab Reduction sauces together and puree with a hand held emulsion blender for 2 minutes to incorporate air into the sauce.
Add the remaining 2 ounces of clarified butter to a pan set over medium heat.
Add the crab and 2 ounces each of chives, parsley and garlic.
Carefully add the sautéed crabmeat to the blended sauce.
Add the remaining 2 ounces of each herb.

To serve, set the sautéed zucchini and yellow squash in a 3-inch ring mold.
Unmold the vegetables upon a large dinner plate.
Top with the drum fillet, then the sautéed shrimp.
Spoon the crab sauce evenly over each portion and garnish with micro greens and flowers.

Louisiana Recipes Weekly



 

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