seafood

[blueschef]

I loved boiled Seafood as well as steamed. In New Orleans they boil Shrimp, Crab and Crawfish in a Courtbillon. They make it salty and spicey so you need lots of beer. In the Northeast they steam lots of stuff. I know they love old bay in Marryland and they put a little vinegar in the steaming liquid. In New england they use pretty much straight h2o and or layer with Seaweed. I have an insteresting way I make boiled Shrimp, it is a major pain but they do come out awesome.
I make a courtbillion with Zatarans boil bags, Tony Characies Seasoning, water, Salt and Cayene Pepper, I add some Garlic heads cut in half some onions cut in half and some lemons and oranges cut in half. Then I strain the mixture and take 1/4 of the broth and freeze it in hotel pans, and the rest I put in the walkin to cool. I take 1/2 of the cool mix add more veggies and if needed seasoning and cook the shrimp Shell on) in it just till they start to pop up to the top, never boil. The unique part is I Shock them in the chilled Courtbillion and shattered cubes and let them soak in dat, they retain lots more of the flavor and are really good. I will strain and recycle the broth several times before I toss it out and start new. I do use allmost excluseivly Bee Gee shrimp either 16/20's or larger so they still taste like Shrimp.
I have a friend down Plaquaiams Parish with a fish camp and his Grandpa use to cook fresh caught shrimp like this then take the leftovers and fry them in cornmeal breading for one of the best (and most unique) fried shrimp I ever ate!

[shroomgirl]

good idea, I love using the cooled liquid.

My boil is heavy salt, Zataran's boil bags, cayene, lemons, garlic heads.....
we put in corn, loads of potatoes (I like red B's....talk about FINE potato salad, when these cool down they are so great with green onions, red onions, celery and mayo....oh man)....I've seen andouille and artichokes but that doesn't wow me.

Nothing like a crawfish boil, unless it's a cochon de lay or a shrimp boil....I like my crabs already picked.....big pot of crawfish bisque.....

[KevinVilla]

Speaking of crawfish boils. . I had a neighbor from louisiana some time ago. He held an annual crawfish boil in his backyard. People would kill to be a guest there, it was that good.

I always wanted to know, when's the best time to order crawfish? I live in California, so the shipping and freshness thingy worries me a little.

[blueschef]

They are the fatist in Early spring. Them suckers ship pretty good as long as they are not sitting in some warehouse for days. If you get them be shur to perge them several times in fresh water, they don't call em mudbugs for nothin! I have thought several times about doing a boil here but if you do not know hot to eat em proper it is a waste of $. It took me a few 10 pounds sacks to get it right, lol. We had an awesome boiling house on the west bank called Tony's they were on Manhatan street. In season they were .99 a pound, cooked, seasoned and steamin, I spent many an evenin sittin on the levy with a 10 pound sack and some frostys!
The potato salad is awesome, an old cajun use to make it at my place and he put Mayo, Zatarans, Creole Mustard, Tony Chacaries and about 80, 000 tons of fine diced scallion greens in it, and he would put the potato salad in his seafood gumbo (lots of the other old timers would do the same thing, they said thats how they ate in in the country.
When I eat shrimp I eat the whole thing shell and all (even the head if they are not to big) I always thought most of the flavor was in the shell, and it beats peelin em!

[shroomgirl]

Chef Paul had potato salad in his gumbo. Country eatin' is the BEST!!!

Kevin you have crawfish festivals in Sacramento area....you can get crawfish in CA.....

I purge my crawfish with salt water in a clean trashcan.

It's so funny seeing #1 servings in restaurants.....northerners just don't get boiled crawfish portions, in Southern La. you start with 3-4# pp most can eat 7-10 pounds. So, the question of the day is do you crush the heads to eat the fat or just suck um? It's fun to watch cajuns eat crawfish, they've got it down to NO wasted moves....they can eat 5 and suck the fat faster than most can eat 1.
Most will show you how to peel um, but if you even scrunch up your nose just alittle they say, OK good more for me!

[blueschef]

I crush em and make sure I get all the good stuff. I ordered crawfish one time up here, they did not know how to cook them and they were bland and just spicy, no flavor. I am probably going to break down this year and do a boil at our new house this spring. I will probably just do 25 or 30 pounds and a bunch of other stuff (mostly cajun, and BBQ). I throw a prety good fee Dodo Chere'! Nobody leaves hungry and most leave wit some groceries!
We have A company in Philly (canullies (sp) house of pork, god I just love saying that name!), who will bone a whole suckling and cook it and you get it whole and ready to go. When I first moved up here you could bring in your own seasoning and dressing and they would use it, Now they do not allow that, but perhaps with a bit of persuasion......................

[panini]

have an annual bug boil and gumbo gatherin for my sons class and parents. Last year 83 people. Maybe 15-25 native cajuns. When we first started I would have to prepare two styles, the mild, and of course what I call turbo for the rest.
I believe last year(which wasn't our best year for bugs, little long and skinny) I believe we went through9-10 bags @ 35-40lbs each.
All sorts of sausage brought up from LA handled by one dad. The gumbo cooked outside on the racks in heavy pots vs the boil pots. Mrs. Bourgouis
will do those the day before.
I made a screen that is fitted to the bottom of our spa attached to our pool.
We purge the bugs in there. It's a hoot!!! The kids go crazy and of course there are games and prizes given for the longest hold of someones leg or arm down in the spa and by late nite there is always some adults head in there. Much beer, wine (catholics) and homemade rootbeer--annual class project for the 5th graders(the starting year of my sons school) last yr was 4th. bash.
gosh it's coming soon.
am I going to have any problems getting bugs?
I just had to add that you really have to add as much seasoning ofter boiling or they aint worth eatin.

[shroomgirl]

Panini, purging in the pool? and when I thought I'd heard it all!!!! out comes and at the end of the night adults stick their heads in....so that's Texas entertainment? You guys got red ants too?

If I got it, liquid boil goes in along with the bags. Salt is the key both to purging and spicing the boil....that and well copious quantities of beer.

Schnexsneiders sausages are awesome, I pulled out some of their andouille to make gumbo today. Found a # of frozen crawfish tails and will come up with some spicy creamy pasta thing too....or maybe dig through and find a crawfish pie recipe. It's 50+ degrees out and life is good!!!

[panini]

wait,wait,wait.
Shroom, I want to make sure we're on the same page. When I say purge, I'm talkin about puttin those little critters in water so that they can take a bath and swallow some clean water to get out most of the sand and mud, Right!
I thinking you are picturing me cookin mudbugs in my hot tub
Those 300 lbs of critters will fill up the spa. They are lively and fully ready to clamp on to anythig stuck inside the water. We usually hav 4-6 30gal.pots goin at all times. Throw in the spuds,some corn, almost 2 qts. of my special dry seasoning,citrus let er roll for a while and then we just get the hand pool leaf skimmer and plunge in the bugs and scope em up and into the boil. Lift the basket out pour an 1/8 onto a sheet pan, sprinkle with seasoning and repeatr till empty.
This is not an afternoon party. It gets rollin in the AM and there are still people milling about at sunrise. All the older children spend the night and a few parents. I'm very fortunite to live in a culdsac, my backyard and pool are right on the 5th hole of a golfcourse, so since the neighbors are invited and there is nothing but fairway in 2 directions , there is never any problem.
The grand prize gameboy last year was won by a 6 year old girl who actually seemed to like the idea of all the bugs pinching and hanging onto her arms and fingers. I believe her arm was in for maybe 2 min. and had about 15 hangers-oners when she lifted out.

[shroomgirl]

no no it was small children and adults dangling body parts in crawfish infested waters that amazed me......hot tubs generally don't get up to 212*.....and getting the scummy seasoning ring off would be a total bear. I was following along......

Any boil or roast in Southern Louisiana is an all day deal....that's what makes the south special.

[shroomgirl]

Crawfish gumbo today.....kinda of a default, I had fish stock but no chicken stock!!! So made a roux with oil and flour took it to almost black, added thyme, cayene, chipotle (not used alot in NO but I like it's smokiness), salt, pepper, bay leaf.....celery, garlic, red bell pepper (green are not my favs, switched over 6 years ago to colored and never looked back), onion....added to the roux and cooked until wilted. Added the stock and whisked. Added andouille cooked for 10+ minutes.....added crawfish that had been frozen, cooked about 5 minutes at a simmer don't want to overcook the crawfish.
green onions, parsley and a hit of tobasco (actually Crystal hotsauce)

This could have easily turned into bisque if I'd had fresh crawfish with their head sections.

[panini]

shroomgirl,
I knew you knew all about purgin and such.
Not much of a mess though, I'm able to seperate the spa water from the pool at the heater. Sunday, a small amount of clorine, run for 1/2 hr and drain it right out to the street. I'm runnin salt for filtering anyway.

[shroomgirl]

What a creative guy you are!!! Who woulda thunk having them in the hot tub? So, do you race um too?

[panini]

ok, I'm now going to have my wife dig out some pictures.
The children love to take turns guarding the bugs. The bugs will climb each others backs till they make a ramp and escape. My neighbor has created these rings and we install those and there is a rope drawn tight over the spa. They'll try to tightrope across.We do have spotters though, I didn't want any law suits if one actually went in.The little ones are in histerics when some jump over into the pool where the big kids are playing volleyball. By night the 'men are seperated from the boys'. You WILL get bit playing volleyball, and of course I will turn out the in-pool lites to make it interesting We have one other party for school at holloween. Just the kids, dance, etc. We died the pool red this year and threw couple of hundred pounds of dry ice in. Had a few coffins floating around. My son wants to die the water for the bugfest and actually put a bunch of bugs in and watch the volleyballers. NOT ME toes and legs are one thing but
BTW no bugs are harmed unless eaten. They all go to the pond on the course the next day. My wife says there should be enough there if we want to catch em.
There really is not that much to do here, you're right

[cinabun]

I really love Clam Chowder. When I make it I have tried putting the chopped/ or minced clams in first and cooking it along with everything and the clams are tough. I have tried adding them last and the clams are tough. What the heck am I doing wrong? I go to Red Lobster and the clams are tender.
Help me understand what I should do to get tender clams.
Cinabun