Spicy Sausage and Seafood Gumbo

If you love New Orleans, andouille sausage and seafood, then this gumbo will be a big hit. My Spicy Sausage and Seafood gumbo consists of assorted shellfish and white fish, andouille sausage and vegetables, the holy trinity to be exact and spices. All of this blends harmoniously with Creole seasoning, pureed tomatoes and chicken stock to create the ultimate gumbo. Serve it over popcorn rice and you’ll swear your down on Bourbon street listening to a jazz band.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For the recipe, you'll need the following:

• 1 16 oz can of whole tomatoes
• 4 T olive oil, divided
• 1 lb andouille sausage
• 2-4 TB butter, divided
• 1 lb assorted seafood and shellfish (i.e. shrimp, scallops, crab, calamari, whitefish)
• 1 lemon
• ¼ - ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3 stalks of celery chopped
• 1 green bellpepper chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 TBs creole seasoning
• 1 – 1 ½ cups chopped okra (frozen works best for this recipe)
• 1 11oz can of corn, drained
• 1 cup chicken stock
• a generous dash of hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
• 4 cups cooked popcorn rice or white rice

Place the whole tomatoes in a large bowl. Using an immersion blender or your hands, break up the tomatoes to the desired consistency. If you want chucks of tomatoes leave it that way. If you want it smoother, then blend it longer. Set it aside.

In a large pot over medium high heat, begin browning 1 lb of chopped andouille sausage in 2 TB olive oil. Continue cooking the sausage until the edges begin to brown. Place it in a bowl and set it aside. Reserving the fat in the pot.

 

In another pan, over medium high heat, add 1 TB olive oil and 1 TB butter. Once its hot, add the assorted seafood and shellfish. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon over the seafood. Next, add ¼ - ½ tsp of cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you like it. Allow the seafood to cook until it becomes slightly opaque and then remove it from the heat. Do not fully cook the seafood. Drain the seafood and set it aside.
 

Now we’ll make the roux. Add ¼ cup of flour to the sausage drippings. Add 1-3 Tbs of butter such that you have equal parts of flour and fat. Cook it over medium heat, stirring constantly. This is very important because roux can burn very easily. Cook the roux until it becomes to a nice golden brown.

Once the roux is finished, add the onion, celery, bell pepper and 1 TB olive oil. Stir to combine. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, Creole seasoning, okra and drained corn. Stir it all together. Add the chicken stock and pureed tomatoes and bring it to a simmer.

Add the sausage including any drippings that have accumulated in the bowl and the drained seafood mixture. Add a generous dash of hot sauce and stir away! While stirring the gumbo, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

To serve, place 1 cup of cooked rice in a bowl. Top it with a generous ladle of gumbo and serve it with a nice crusty piece of sour dough baguette.

Enjoy!

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Seared Ahi with Asian Slaw

Tender succulent ahi spiced and barely seared topped with a little wasabi mustard. I serve it on a bed of Asian slaw. Cool, crisp and delicious, it compliments the ahi perfectly. It’s a little bit of heaven on a plate. This makes a beautiful presentation for any occasion and will impress your guests. In addition, I’ll show you how to serve it as finger food for your next party.

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• Olive oil
• 1 TB chopped fresh ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped fine
• 2 TB seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 2TB sesame oil
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1/2 red bell pepper cut into match stick size strips
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro, depending on your taste
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 TB minced red onion
• 1/2 jalapeno finely chopped
• Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 piece of sushi grade ahi
• Wasabi mustard
• Sriracha sauce (optional)

Begin by making the dressing. In a hot pan, add a little olive oil. To that, add 1 TB of chopped fresh ginger and 1 clove of garlic chopped. Lightly sauté it just to bring out the aromatics. We don’t want to brown it. After about a minute, remove it from the heat and let it cool. After the ginger garlic mixture has cooled, place it in a small jar or shaker container. To that add 2 TB of seasoned rice wine vinegar and 2 TB of sesame oil. Shake the dressing to blend.

In a medium size bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, cilantro, green onions, red onions and the jalapeno. Toss it with the dressing and set it aside.

Toast the sesame seeds in a hot pan until they're golden brown. Season your ahi with the Cajun seasoning making it as mild or as spicy as you like. Press the seasoned ahi into the sesame seeds forming a nice crust on both sides.

 Heat about 1/4 inch of vegetable in a hot pan until it's almost smoking. Carefully place the ahi in the pan and sear it for 20-30 seconds on each side. Remember, we are just searing the ahi, we are not cooking it.

To plate this dish, cut the ahi into small slices and arrange it on top of some of the Asian slaw. To spice it up a bit, top it with some wasabi mustard and a little
Sriracha sauce.

Enjoy!

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Heat Seekers Pepper Relish

This is a heat seekers delight. An assortment of chili peppers with olive oil, garlic and herbs. I love having this relish on eggs, rice, meats and sandwiches. You can adjust the heat level to your liking by the peppers you choose. For this recipe, I am using jalapeños, Serranos, Thai chili peppers and habaneras. In addition, you can use the oil to sauté your favorite meats and vegetables. Simply replace the used oil with more olive oil and it will keep in your refrigerator for a couple months.

 

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• A dozen or so of assorted chili peppers
• 1 ½ cup of olive oil
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Begin by thinly slicing all of your peppers. If you have sensitive hands, you may want to wear rubber gloves. Once you have all of the peppers sliced, add the garlic.

 

Place the pepper mixture in a hot pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Be sure to have your exhaust fan running. Otherwise, the fumes will get to you. Add the red pepper flakes. Sauté the peppers for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the peppers. You still want to have a little crunch.

 

 

Remove the pan from heat. Add a little more olive oil and stir in the herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Once the peppers have cooled, place them in a jar and top it off with the remaining olive oil. Allow it to sit for a day to let the flavors develop.

 

 

Enjoy!

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Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Fire roasted poblano peppers filled with a spicy chicken and rice mixture topped with melted pepper jack cheese and a cool dollop of sour cream. Using Sriracha sauce you can spice these up as much or as little as you want. Come and enjoy a south of the border treat!

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 4 poblano peppers
• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 ½ cup tomato sauce, divided
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ red onion, diced
• ½ green bell pepper diced
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
• 1 lime
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• Sriracha to taste
• 4 slices pepper jack cheese
• Sour Cream

Place the peppers on a baking sheet under a broiler (these can also be done on a BBQ). Char them on all sides. Close them up in a paper bag for 10 minutes. This will steam the peppers. Peel the peppers and set them aside. Do not rinse them under running water. That will remove the smoky charred flavor.

Place the rice, water, 1 cup of tomato sauce, cumin and oregano in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

In a large frying pan, sauté the onion, bell pepper and chicken until the onions are tender.

Add the juice of the lime. Stir in the cooked rice, shredded cheese, water, cilantro and Sriracha to taste. Use more Sriracha if you like it spicy! Allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Make an incision in each pepper running lengthwise. Spoon the rice mixture into each pepper, making them plump. Top each pepper with a slice of pepper jack cheese. Place them under a broiler until the cheese it melted. Top with a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!

I welcome your comments. Click here to add your thoughts.