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Now that we're finally seeing some cooler weather, I made my first gumbo of the year for the LSU-Ole Miss game. I tried something a little different this time - normally I brown my chicken in sausage in a skillet while I make my roux in the pot, then deglaze and dump the skillet into the pot later. This time I browned my chicken and sausage in the gumbo pot, then added the flour to the rendered fat (plus a bit of oil for volume). I don't think I will do it again because 1) the spices I put on the chicken, particularly the paprika, were starting to burn under the roux, meaning I had to bail out to the trinity earlier (and a little lighter) than intended, and 2) I think there was still some moisture in the oil, causing some (though not nearly all) of the flour to turn into tiny micro-dumplings that floated to the top of the gumbo rather than incorporate. Still turned out tasty and will not go to waste. Shame the Saints game wasn't showing locally today. I had to watch the Texans get trampled instead    Y'all are gonna have to deal with the utensils, the pacifier should give you some idea how much time I have for dicking around with a camera while my food's getting cold 
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Nov 18, 2019 02:45
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I like okra (and tomatoes, fight me) in a seafood gumbo. For chicken and sausage, which is what I made, I prefer filé. Never both. That's probably because I mentally associate seafood gumbo with New Orleans and Creole food, and chicken/duck with Cajun. My assumption is that you will not have had filé unless you have been to a seriously legit Cajun place. Even then it may have been in a shaker on the table or with the communal hot sauces, not in the gumbo itself. You don't generally add it to the pot while cooking.
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Nov 18, 2019 05:41
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For poultry gumbos, I like to get my roux dark but not too dark - pretty similar to what Phil Moscowitz posted above. For seafood gumbo, I like a lighter roux - somewhere past peanut butter but not all the way to milk chocolate. I was a bit confused by the grocery store jambalaya though. I grew up near New Orleans eating "red" jambalaya and can't recall ever seeing a roux-based jambalaya. Is that a Cajun thing?
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Nov 18, 2019 18:30
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That Works posted:I'm glad it's not just me then. I feel pretty experienced here otherwise and this was throwing me for a loop.  I was not expecting this to kick up such a debate. I've had jambalaya that is both wetter and dryer than how I make it, but was never aware of any sort of roux or gravy. Could be that most of the Cajun jambalaya I've had has been restaurant/festival fare and ease of preparation came into play. But for a second there I thought everyone was going to think I grew up in the suburbs eating jambalaya from a Zatarain's box. I mean, I did, but I'd rather it not be so obvious 
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Nov 19, 2019 20:04
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I liked Ambrosia's king cakes alright when we lived in BR. We paid to have one shipped to TX after we moved and it did not fare well. Same with one from Baum's. Shipping a king cake is too expensive for what you get. Lilah's in Shreveport is really good, we usually pick one up when visiting family there.
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Dec 28, 2019 01:36
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Meatless gumbo: gumbo z'herbes if you're trying to stay "authentic" You could make a bean soup following gumbo technique and it would probably be pretty good! Imitation andouille is a thing (Google says Tofurkey makes some and there are seitan versions apparently) but I have never tried it and cannot vouch. As for jambalaya, kind of depends on how you want to adhere to the spirit of "less meat." If meat substitutes are fine, see above. If not, you're basically making what I would call Spanish Rice (but I am not the jambalaya police!).
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Sep 2, 2020 16:26
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I'm not sure I've ever had fish of any sort in jambalaya. Shellfish (ok crustaceans), sure, but is like redfish jambalaya a thing?
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Sep 7, 2020 02:16
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Klyith posted:Seafood paella with mackerel is a thing in spain. So you could. Dunno how often it was done historically, seems more likely in a creole jambalaya. Yeah I am much more familiar with the Creole variety from growing up in the NO metro, but I learned about Cajun jambalaya with roux in this very thread, so I clearly don't know everything  Klyith posted:You want a fish with stronger flavor that holds up to the rest of the jambalaya, so probably not redfish. I don't know which gulf fish would be best for that. Amberjack or kingfish maybe? Idk, not gonna overthink Star Trek jambalaya
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Sep 7, 2020 03:46
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I'll be honest, the pickling spices were the first hint of a food horror and I never even made it down to seeing the cod. Love me some cloves and dill in my jambalaya
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Sep 7, 2020 11:11
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If they're not thick enough to stuff you can smother them.
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Sep 7, 2020 22:19
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No Cajun or Creole tomorrow, but I'm trying to clear out what I can from my freezer by New Years, so etouffee will probably happen soon. https://youtu.be/_pxVVsRHu48 Joyeux Noël you dirty animals
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Dec 24, 2020 20:07
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Covid has more or less cut me off from crawfish  but god drat those oysters look amazing
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Mar 29, 2021 22:52
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I've been gone from BR long enough that the restaurant scene is pretty unrecognizable from when I lived there, but here are a few thoughts. Parrain's is a standby for seafood. I liked Sammy's on Highland for crawfish. Tsunami is all about the view, but if you're downtown it's worth at least grabbing a drink on the rooftop. On a more recent visit we ate at City Pork which I thought was pretty good. Bistro Byronz is another good option. I can't speak too much for fine dining because I was a broke as poo poo twenty-something, but Juban's is good and Nino's Italian on Bluebonnet is owned and operated by some friends of ours. I guess you could go to the original Raising Cane's location if you want the experience of "eating Cane's in a place that doesn't look like a Cane's" Although if I wanted to go eat somewhere with a campus vibe it would probably be The Chimes (get the blackened alligator and boudain balls).Is the little hole-in-the-wall Thai place under the Perkins Road overpass still there? I remember that being really good. If you just wanted to drive and see what catches your eye, Perkins Road heading east from the I-10 overpass is a decent bet. Also Government Street heading east out of downtown.
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Mar 31, 2021 12:20
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The_Doctor posted:If you're talking about Rama, unfortunately they shut down less than a year ago. Rats! That's the one. First place I ever had duck. I figured that might be the case because something else showed up there on Google Maps (this is exactly how I learned of Chelsea's demise as well). Zippy's is a big nostalgia thing for me too. Lots of memories, mostly boozy.
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Mar 31, 2021 14:15
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Ha they have Schlitz n Giggles for $$ too, they must have gone upscale because that was the place to go for a drunk slice and, well, Schlitz for basically no money. e: and I don't remember fried catfish topped with anything being a thing. Grilled or blackened, sure. Discussion Quorum fucked around with this message at 15:36 on Mar 31, 2021 |
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Mar 31, 2021 15:33
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Honestly I'm having trouble coming up with a Cajun/Creole whole fish recipe that doesn't start with "fillet the fucker" as step 0. Someone will probably be along to take my Louisiana card shortly but the best I could suggest is to make something Southern Italian. That aside, Redfish Pontchartrain is about as classic as you can get. Most of those other fish (except maybe the Spanish mackerels?) would work well in that dish. https://www.arnaudsrestaurant.com/2012/08/recipe-of-the-week-gulf-fish-pontchartrain/
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Jun 9, 2021 19:10
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I rode out Gustav in BR and it sucked. All the indications were that this was going to be worse so I would have GTFO too if I was still there. One of our friends evacuated her 90-something year old grandmother from Bourg to her apartment in BR. Kinda worried about what they might find when they go back.
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Aug 30, 2021 01:15
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TheKingslayer posted:Someone is likely more qualified to answer most of your questions, but you should really get The Crawfish App How did I not know about this? 
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Jan 23, 2022 19:12
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This is my way: 1) Twist the tail off between the first and second joint (rather than the base) 2) Pinch down hard on the very tip of the meaty section of the tail 3) Bite and pull If the meat consistently tears in step 1 I will do it Phil's way because it's a little more tolerant of overcooked meat. If it's really overcooked though you will have problems regardless of technique. Unfortunately that's really common.
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Jan 28, 2022 06:07
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I'm not sure I would make shellfish stock (or shellfish anything) out of something from "the other day." That poo poo goes south fast. The worst food poisoning I ever had was some crawfish my brother brought home from a boil. Same day. That's a mistake you only make once. Ever send vomit flying clear across a room?
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Feb 19, 2022 03:37
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Ragin' Cajun in Houston has disappointing crawfish (did Adam Ragusa make a video about seasoning your crawfish but not your boil?) but their in-house hot sauce is pretty good. It's got strong black pepper notes which is neat. Only tangentially thread related because it's not very "Cajun" and is made in Texas, but the alligator dick brought it to mind. 
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Feb 21, 2022 17:35
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I'vee been gone too long to be much good on dining recommendations. I was going to say you should get a muffaletta from Central Grocery, but they're closed for repairs. Get a Parkway Tavern poboy if you've never had a proper one (or if you really like poboys). Catch a show at Preservation Hall. For museums, check out the Cabildo, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Ogden, and the National WWII Museum. Not sure about visiting Mardi Gras world this time of year. The zoo and aquarium are both pretty great, if you're into that kind of thing. Maybe it's just nostalgia from all the times I visited them growing up, but I've visited much "bigger name" zoos/aquariums and been less impressed. Both have lots of local wildlife.
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Feb 28, 2022 05:38
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One of my friends in BR added a bunch of halved oranges to their crawfish boil and it was pretty good but this is a bit much. On a related note, I had crawfish at BB's in Houston last week. They were pretty good. They at least got the basics right, more than I can say for Ragin' Cajun. Phil Moscowitz posted:I have yet to try it but I recently was given a cookbook that uses smothered okra for its gumbo.  I've had my eye on that one for a while. Good buy?The smothered okra sounds really good but I like the parmesan topping idea more than the thought of putting it in gumbo.
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Apr 21, 2022 01:46
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Yeah the Viet-Cajun style is good but sometimes I crave the regular old Louisiana style. Most of the recommendations I get on that are farther away than I want to drive after a big meal and a few beers. I'll have to see if I can get my wife to give LA Crawfish another chance, she got a funky poboy from the one near us and declared them dead to her
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Apr 21, 2022 01:57
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Rabideaux was always my goto for sausage on my return trips from Houston to BR. A lot of times I'd pick some up for my parents on the way in, too. Google says it's in Iowa, LA but I remember it being in the middle of nowhere just past Lake Charles. (Insert joke about how Iowa, LA is the middle of nowhere )
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Aug 15, 2022 02:27
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The_Doctor posted:Red Stick Spice Co. does some great stuff, highly recommend. Whoa, I thought that sounded familiar. I used to live across the street from their old store and went in there all the time. It was a cool little shop and the owner (I assumed) was really proud of her selection. I was disappointed to see they were gone last time I was in BR but apparently they just moved up the road.
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Mar 26, 2023 17:26
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Full disclosure, I haven't been to Jazz Fest since uhhh 2007-ish? Mostly due to not living there anymore. But yes. Not for the big name acts though. Congo Square and the WWOZ Jazz Tent were my jams. The blues tent is cool too. Don't miss Kermit Ruffins or the brass bands.
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May 5, 2023 14:52
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Sunday's lineup looks sick. Treme Brass Band, Trombone Shorty, The Radiators, Tom Jones, Delfeayo Maralis, and HERBIE loving HANCOCK AHHHHH Just stop dithering and go, I'm so jealous now. Half the fun of Jazzfest is wandering around and hearing new poo poo.
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May 5, 2023 18:22
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Yeah, my first instinct with frozen crawfish is etoufee. That said, I think crawfish go great in empanadas and dumplings, too.
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Jul 10, 2023 18:55
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I actually think we are talking about very similar things. Pictures online are hard to convey true color. Just google “colors of roux” to see how wildly different the colors look depending on the photographer. Hugely important point. The one "Justin Wilson roux" I have a mental image of, I put down to bad 80s video quality and/or him being distracted with his patter. My immediate reaction when I saw it was "gently caress me that's liquid charcoal." There is also a bit of machismo and gatekeeping involved with super dark rouxs (not in this thread but *waves arms* out there). Personally I go for the trinity somewhere around gingerbread or penny on that scale, with a final target of walnut-ish.
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Aug 24, 2023 17:33
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Nooooooooo it doesn't count unless you spend the first quarter of the Saints game handcuffed to the stove! handcuffed to the stove might be less painful than watching the game
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Aug 24, 2023 22:06
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Treebeard's in Houston does this. Every now and again, I forget this and order it, only to be disappointed. It's not even roux-based, but just... wet. I do not know if it's a legit variation, but it's not what I grew up with. e: their gumbo and red beans and rice are pretty good so it's not rank incompetence, either Discussion Quorum fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Aug 24, 2023 |
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Aug 24, 2023 23:35
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I remember we talked about that in this thread before at some point. I’ve never seen it but apparently quite a few people do it. Yeah I asked that question after seeing the Isaac Toups video lol Jambalaya for me (NOLA area) was always pretty dry and jolloff-like, and I remained ignorant of the Cajun variety. I was also flabbergasted to learn about potato salad in gumbo as an adult, so I've learned not to make any sweeping statements about authenticity on account of being a dumb city boy.
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Aug 25, 2023 19:40
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Great effortpost! For serving, like to have filé powder alongside hot sauce on the table for folks to season to individual taste if I am serving a group. That said, I don't make gumbo enough at home and I typically don't have filé on hand.Phil Moscowitz posted:I know Justin Wilson uses it in some of his videos but his gumbo looks like poo poo and I've never heard of anyone else ever doing this. Don't bother. Oh thank God it's not just me I think I said this just upthread, but the one gumbo I've seen him make looked like stuff floating in squid ink. It was so bad I thought maybe it was just a bad VHS scan.
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Sep 3, 2023 22:08
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Savoie's is my go-to, but Zummos is good, too. Those are the legit brands I see most often outside LA. Andouille and tasso freeze really well, and it looks like Savoie's will ship it to you, so if you're able to stock up... This place local to me will also ship, as well as Rabideaux's (I think - mobile site isn't working right for me), where I used to stop when driving from Houston back to BR.
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Sep 4, 2023 03:33
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I would not try to replicate shrimp and grits without shrimp. It's like trying to make shrimp etouffee without shrimp... you don't. You make some other kind of etouffee. If you wanted to keep it "Cajun" you could use tasso ham (or some other sort of smoked ham), can't vouch for this recipe specifically but smoky and cheesy plus grits is a classic combo https://www.dartagnan.com/grits-with-tasso-ham-recipe.html
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Sep 17, 2023 04:41
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Okra snot helps thicken the gumbo, don't be a weenie 
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Oct 28, 2023 00:33
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Honestly, that sounds like the kind of thing that Brennan's could put on the menu for $20 as a starter
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Oct 28, 2023 04:53
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If Popeye's fried chicken and red beans and rice can be a classic combo, then so can fried chicken and gumbo. Maybe not fried chicken in the gumbo, though. I usually brown the chicken a bit (as well as the sausage) and I've heard of people flouring the chicken before browning, but never what I think of when I hear "fried chicken."
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Nov 1, 2023 12:56
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I settled on boudin balls, cracklins, and a shrimp egg roll. Some of those boudin balls were for the family I didn’t eat them all for lunch lol. this is a safe space, you don't need to justify this
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Dec 13, 2023 13:41
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