Louisiana Cookin' July - August 2017

I GREW UP LOVING seafood. Shellfish, finfish, frog legs, the occasional shark—I would eat just about any sea creature. How lucky are we that the Gulf and inland waters of Louisiana have such an incredible bounty? This time of year, when light, fresh, bright flavors are key, and farmers’ markets are brimming with perfect produce, I eat as much of our local seafood as I can find. In this issue, we cover a terrific variety of techniques and flavors, from a decadent panko-crusted crab cake (page 19) and gorgeous shrimp-and-watermelon salad (page 18) to a family-friendly whole grilled fish (page 44) from Chef Michael Nelson at GW Fins in New Orleans. One of the things I appreciate most about Chef Michael’s cooking is that he not only focuses on the easy-to-love cuts…

WELL, HERE WE are again, making it through another hot, sticky Louisiana summer. There’s really only one thing that can cheer us up—FOOD! We love to eat, talk about eating, reminisce about eating, dream, and even argue about it. Fortunately for us, there’s plenty of food to go around, and more often than not, we don’t have to go very far to find our heart’s desire, right? Sometimes it’s as close as our own backyard (think crawfish boils), or right in the neighborhood (think your favorite restaurant nearby). That made me start digging around to find the best local dining spots that only recently made their debut. NOLA NEWBIES I didn’t have to look very far. It seems as though the new restaurants are everywhere statewide. Consider New Orleans: the big news…

AT A RECENT planning meeting for my first restaurant, Gov’t Taco, a group of friendly folks started coming up with names for our signature tacos. The taco shop, which will reside in Baton Rouge’s White Star Market, got its name from being located on Government Street, being in Louisiana’s capital city, and is a reminder that I’m finally putting my two Louisiana State University political science degrees to use with something we can all agree on: tacos. We decided to use governmental puns in our taco names, playing off of historic phrases or parts of American government rather politicians or political parties. Our tacos will be more modern American than traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex, or Cali-Mex, so we knew it was important that the names convey that. We wanted to make them…

LIGHT & FRESH WATERMELON-SHRIMP SALAD MAKES 4 SERVINGS 4 (¾-inch-thick) watermelon wedges 4 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon lime zest 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, divided ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided 12 peeled and deveined large fresh shrimp, cooked, whole or coarsely chopped 1 cup diced seedless watermelon ¾ cup grape tomatoes, quartered ½ cup coarsely chopped avocado 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs, extra-virgin olive oil 1. In a glass baking dish, place watermelon wedges. In a small bowl, combine sugar, zest, ⅓ cup lime juice, and ⅛ teaspoon salt; pour over watermelon wedges. Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once. 2. In a medium bowl, combine cooked shrimp, diced watermelon, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, cumin, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt; gently toss. Arrange watermelon…

EVERY ONCE IN a while, you deserve a treat. Some folks will turn to beach weekends or a trip to the spa, but this time of year, we luxuriate in freshly picked, jumbo lump Louisiana blue crab. Whether it’s stuffed in a Creole tomato, perched atop a piece of crispy panéed fish (and kissed with a delicate sauce), or gently molded into a crispy crab cake, we simply can’t get enough. This crab cake is light on fillers and big on flavor. Japanese bread crumbs give it a delightful crunch, and the Dill-Cucumber Sauce gives the dish an herbaceous zing. CRISPY CRAB CAKES MAKES ABOUT 4 SERVINGS 5 tablespoons canola oil, divided 2/3 cup fresh corn kernels ¼ cup finely diced red bell pepper ½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup chopped green onion 1 tablespoon Creole mustard ½ teaspoon kosher…

CORN BREAD LEGEND HAS IT THAT A CERTAIN MADAME LANGLOIS HAD TO USE ALL HER CUNNING TO TEACH THESE HIGH-SPIRITED EUROPEANS “CREOLE” CULINARY SURVIVAL SKILLS WITH THE GREATEST CHALLENGE GETTING THEM TO ACCEPT CORN BREAD INSTEAD OF THEIR “FRENCH” WHEAT BREAD. BREADMAKERS HAD TO NOT ONLY BE CONCERNED WITH RECIPES AND TEMPERATURES, BUT INGREDIENT QUALITY. SIFTING AND REFINING FLOUR WAS THE FIRST STEP TO A BEAUTIFUL LOAF. THIS 18TH-CENTURY HANDWROUGHT FLOUR TROWEL WAS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL. SOON AFTER ARRIVING in the Louisiana territory early in the 18th century, those sweet-tempered filles à la cassette acted up. It was not over the bugs, unattractive husbands, or batten-board houses to which they had been misled—it was about food. They had been promised resettlement in a tropical Paris with grandes rues, silk dresses, and suave beaux.…