Blackened Redfish

We think that this is one of the best ways to cook fish, but it's a good idea to cook this outdoors due to the amount of smoke that will be produced during the process.

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Blackening Spice Seasoning
12 oz. Unsalted Butter, melted
6 1⁄2"-thick 8-oz. skinless, boneless red drum, black
drum, or red snapper filets



Steps:
1. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter into each of six small ramekins; set aside and keep warm. Put remaining butter into a wide, shallow dish. Dip each filet in melted butter and place on a parchment paper–lined sheet tray. Dust each filet generously on both sides with spice mixture, pressing spices and herbs into fish with your hands. Pour remaining butter into a small bowl.


2. Preheat oven to 200°. Turn on ventilation system and open windows.

3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until white and ashy, 8–10 minutes. Carefully place seasoned filets in pan. Stand back to avoid smoke and pour 1 tsp. of the remaining butter over each filet.

4. Cook until bottom of each filet appears charred, about 2 minutes. Turn filets over and pour 1 tsp. butter over each. Continue cooking until fish is cooked through (time will vary according to heat of pan).
5. Transfer to a sheet tray on a rack and keep warm in oven.

6. Repeat cooking process with remaining fish and butter. Serve with reserved warm melted butter.

SERVES 6

CHICKEN JAMBALAYA

Ingredients:

One 3 to 4 pound stewing chicken, cut into serving pieces

3 Cups Long Grain Rice

1/4 Cup Canola Oil

3 White Onions(Medium) - chopped fine

6 Cups Chicken Stock

1 Tablespoon Sea Salt, or to taste

4 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Cup Green Onions, Chopped

1/2 Cup Green Bell Pepper, Diced

1/2 Cup Celery - Chopped fine

1/4 teaspoon Freshly Milled Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, or to taste

2 Tablespoons Louisiana Hot Sauce



Steps:

1. Fry chicken in oil until golden brown. Remove chicken and drain the oil leaving just enough oil to cover bottom of pot. Add white onions, and fry until golden brown.

2. Return the chicken back into the pot with onions, and add Garlic, and Chicken Stock( Make sure to note the level of stock).

3. Add remaining seasoning and simmer covered until chicken is tender (If necessary, add additional stock to bring back to previous level).

4. Bring to a boil, and add rice. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes then stir rice.

5. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid, let steam for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Turn rice once more, and remove from heat.

6. Let stand for 10 minutes prior to service.



Don't forget to try out these favorites too!

http://chefdonmessina.blogspot.com/2010/08/red-beans-rice.html

http://chefdonmessina.blogspot.com/2011/01/delacroix-island-chicken-sausage-gumbo.html

http://chefdonmessina.blogspot.com/2010/01/seafood-gumbo.html

Red Beans & Rice

Generally speaking when asking a chef what their favorite meal to prepare is you're going to be told a dish comprised of exotic ingredients, and preparation methods that leave most scratching their head. After some serious thought on the subject I have concluded that my favorite dish to prepare is red beans and rice. That's not to say I don't enjoy cooking with some of the more exotic ingredients out there, but there's no other dish that puts a smile on my face in the kitchen like this one......



Ingredients


1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted
1/4 cup smoked bacon, chopped
1/2 pound andouille sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound beef smoked sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ham hock
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onions
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced green bell peppers
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 cups chicken stock, or water
1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce
4 cups cooked white rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions, optional

Directions

Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with 3 inches of water. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse and set aside.

1. In a large pot, heat the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until it just starts to crisp. Do not remove grease when done. Add ham hock and brown.

2. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers to the bacon pieces in the pot. Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes.

3. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add the beans and stock or water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours. (Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about 1/4 cup at a time.)

5. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and starting to break down. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.

6. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions, or chopped parsley

Alligator with Sauce Piquante

In my mind the Acadian people of the Bayou have fusion cuisine down to a science. I say that because I find the blend of flavors and ingredients deserve respect that shouldn’t be altered. The French-Acadians were banished by the British from Nova Scotia where they settled in the Bayous along the Gulf of Mexico. When these nomadic spirits joined forces with the Spanish, Italian, and African decedents already living in this area they invented what is today recognized as Cajun Cuisine. They found Seasonings being used by the Native American Tribes of the Choctaw, and Chickasaw Indians never before seen by Europeans so what could possibly be more “ Fusion” than that….I could go on forever about this type of cooking as one of my greatest influences in cooking, and lifestyle was watching Justin Wilson on TV as a child! Yeah for those that don’t know that was when you had to walk over to the TV to change Channels!
So today the calling went out for Alligator recipes, and this is one of my favorites…I prepare this dish most often for a crowd that has never had Alligator, and more often than not someone will squirm around in the chair making comments that include” People actually eat those things”…..Well yes they do, and they are quite tasty! If you run into this crowd I recommend that you make a batch of Grits, and spread it out in a shallow baking dish to cool in the fridge. When cooled you can then turn them out on a cutting board, and take a 2 Inch round cookie cutter to make little disks that can be grilled, or pan seared as a base for small Appetizer portions that are topped with Medallions of Gator and a little sauce.



2 Pounds Alligator meat -cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 Cup Oil
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 Cup Onions, Chopped
1/2 Cup Green Bell Peppers, Chopped
1/2 Cup Celery, Chopped
1/2 Cup Parsley, Chopped
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
16 Fluid Ounces Tomato Sauce
8 Fluid Ounces Tomato Juice
1 Pound Fresh Crab Meat
1/4 Teaspoon Creole Seasoning
1 Bay Leaf
1 Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper To taste

Louisiana Hot Sauce To Taste--- A Couple Good Shakes makes this wonderful!

1. Heat oil, and Brown alligator Meat, Remove from oil, and reserve
2. Add Flour to make a roux
Add Onion, Celery, Green Peppers and Parsley, cook until wilted
3. Add Tomato Sauce, and Juice, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes
4. Add Alligator and remaining Ingredients and continue to simmer about 30 minutes until sauce thickens, stir often to prevent sticking

Serve over steamed White Rice, or Grit Cakes

Sausage Jambalaya

The beauty of Cajun Cuisine is I doubt it was ever intended to be consumed alone. I know it is this quality that endears it to my heart above all others. I have spent many nights standing around a sack of oysters jumping on a piece of corrugated roofing tin as the flames below pop their shells, and big pots of boiled crawfish, and jambalaya await those who dare to go soft shelling come low tide. Cajun Cuisine is where the land meets the sea, and truly is the best of both worlds. Some say the holy trinity in Cajun cuisine is onions, celery, and bell peppers…..while I tend to side with the Sausage Jambalaya, Boiled Mudbugs, and Beer Crowd. It’s up to you as to the side you’ll take but since you can’t have one without the other you may as well have a cold beer.
Sausage Jambalaya
Sausage Jambalaya

3 Cups Long Grain Rice
2 Pounds Andouille, or Smoked Sausage, Cubed
1 Cup Tomato Sauce
3 Cups Yellow Onion, Diced
2 Cups Bell Pepper, Diced
½ Cup Celery, Diced
1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
¼ Cup Parsley, Chopped
¼ Cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
1 Each Bay Leaf
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cups White wine, If you wont drink it PLEASE DON’T COOK WITH IT!!!!!
Water As Needed
Sauté onions, celery and bell peppers in olive oil until translucent. Add Garlic, parsley, tomato sauce, and white wine. Add rice, sausage and enough water to make sure all the ingredients are covered by approximately 1” of fluid. Add remaining ingredients, and stir well.
Cook over medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover, reduce heat to simmer for about 40 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID to peek until it’s done.

Shrimp & Crab Etouffee

Etouffee
This is one of those recipes I received years ago from my Mother. The actual recipe was written by a friend of hers named Mrs. Luciella Gautreaux who shared a family recipe for the church cookbook. This is common practice in Bayou La Batre, Alabama where family, and friends are everything. While most people have never even heard the name of this little town on the Alabama Gulf Coast, it has impacted us all. The Movie Forest Gump was filmed in this town, and before that the Battle of Mobile Bay forever changed American History with the phrase ’”Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” being issued by Admiral David Glasgow Farragut just a couple miles off it’s coast.
In the summer of 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck Bayou La Batre, Alabama hard. I was in the Florida Keys working as the Executive Chef at Hawk’s Cay Resort when that storm entered my life. Newly married and without a care in the world we forged ahead without knowing a couple days later my Grandfather would be lost to the storm. Like so many other things from that town I don’t know if the recipe survived beyond the tattered copy in my hands. I was last there in 2009, and I regret to say it doesn’t seem like much more than just enough to get by survived Katrina so I thought for memories sake I would share the beauty Mrs. Gautreaux introduced to me in 1987 as Shrimp and Crab Etouffee.
Shrimp Etouffee
4 Cups Onion, Chopped
¼ Pound Oleo
1 Pound Shrimp
½ Pound Crab Meat
½ Cup Celery
½ Cup Chopped Green Onion
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
½ Cup Water
½ Cup Chopped Parsley
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Saute Onions in Oleo until brown; add Shrimp and cook until done. Add Crabmeat, Celery, Green Onions, Cornstarch; Mix well. Season to Taste. Cook 10 Minutes More. Garnish with Parsley. Serve over Rice. Makes 6 Servings.
Mrs. Luciella Gautreaux, Bayou La Batre, Alabama

Seafood Gumbo

With the Messina family being a part of New Orleans history since the French flew their flag above the city I have a special place in my heart for it's cuisine. Family, Food, Wine, and Music being so important to the culture makes it the perfect food for any gathering!

Seafood Gumbo
3/4 Cup Bacon drippings
3/4 Cup All-purpose flour
1 Each Yellow onion, Diced
3/4 Each Green bell pepper, Diced
1 Pound Okra, Cut 1" thick
2 Ribs Celery, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/4 Cup Parsley, Chopped
6 Each Bay leaves
1/2 Teaspoon Dried thyme
1/2 Teaspoon Dried oregano
1 Teaspoon Kosher salt
1 Teaspoon Black pepper, Freshly ground
1 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 dash Tabasco sauce, As desired
2 Quarts Shrimp broth
1 Pound Crabmeat, Picked and cleaned claw meat
3 Cups Cooked white rice
15 Fluid Ounces Tomato sauce
4 Pounds Shrimp, Peeled and deveined
File to season after removed from heat.

1.Heat the drippings in a large stockpot and gradually stir in all-purpose flour. Cook over medium to high heat, continuing to stir constantly until the mixture is the dark nut brown. This can take up to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat for a few seconds if it darkens too quickly, and reduce the heat slightly. If the flour burns and black specs appear, discard and begin the Roux again. Stir in the onions, green pepper, okra, celery, garlic, and parsley, and cook until the onions, pepper, and celery are tender, and the okra stops "roping". Add the bay leaves, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper,and hot pepper sauce, if using, and mix well.

2.Slowly pour in the warm broth and tomato sauce. Partially cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes. And the shrimp,crabmeat, and simmer five minutes more until the shrimp turn pink. Thicken as necessary with file.

3.Adjust the seasoning with additional salt, cayenne, and file. To serve, remove the bay leaves, and ladle the gumbo into deep plates or bowls over a mound of rice.