Put extra pepper on it. Now it's Cajun! The Cajun and Creole food thread.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Put extra pepper on it. Now it's Cajun! The Cajun and Creole food thread.

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That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

pr0k posted:

Grav I want that in my face. Nice.

I'm having a hard time parsing this. It's more of a technique than a recipe, and if you have the rough proportions already, why can't you adjust it to what you want to taste? Post your recipe? I'd be interested to see if it's weird or something. It could be missing some kind of anise flavor maybe? But it's a short stock - usually used for poaching fish. Why are you focusing on what it tastes like specifically?

This is what I had worked off of before.

http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/10/29/cajun-catfish-courtbouillon-recipe/

Note in the 1st paragraph it draws the distinction between French courtboullion technique and a Louisiana courtboullion recipe which (I think) are two pretty different things. Might be part of the confusion? I've only had / tried to make the Louisiana variety so far.

# ¿ Mar 13, 2014 12:31

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 20:13

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Cheap chicken and sausage etoufee. Had to make a big batch for my fiancee's bookclub. Was going to make Shrimp and Sausage but the shrimp at my local market didn't look great that day.

Tasted good though.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2014 01:27

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

pr0k posted:

I'd eat the poo poo out of that.

Yep, that's what was confusing me. That's funny that Acadians would call it that. The "court" in courtbouillon means "short." Means a quick stock made for poaching a fish. Of course afterwards it's fish soup, and of course it wouldn't go to waste, but still calling it courtbouillon after you fortify it enough to be a real soup doesn't make sense in French.

Anyway, that's a thing with too many elements for us to guess what your neighbors' taste like. There's a million things. How did you do your roux? How dark was it? Did you use fish stock or water? DId you make the fish stock? Out of what? What creole seasoning did you use? What was different about your neighbors'?

Don't mean to be a dick but need details to work with.

Oh no worries.

Primarily I was just looking for other peoples recipes that they had used and liked just to try a different one than the singular recipe I've worked with. Mine wasn't bad per se, just not like I remembered it and I'm not really sure in what ways. This is trying to dredge up a comparison over 15 years so take that how you will.

I use a dark roux, homemade shrimp stock from shrimp heads and shells, onion tops, celery ends and 1/4 of a lemon, I use my own seasoning, just salt, black pepper and cayenne mixed in as I go. What I remember the most difference-wise is more depth among the umami flavors. I'm thinking maybe the fat they use for their roux might have been different. I tend to use peanut oil, maybe I should try butter instead and see if it improves. Or, barring that add some mushrooms to my stock. Anyway, it's not a flop of a recipe, just interested in other peoples take on it.

Louisiana courtboullion is not a recipe you come across that often but it's delicious.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2014 14:12

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

pr0k posted:

Well now that I know what we're talking about I can make a suggestion or two.

First, in french cooking especially, a little anise (black licorice) flavor is usually used in fish soups. Not enough that it tastes like licorice - but as an undertone, it's awesome. Gives depth. Usually that's added in the form of a good splash of Pernod. I use that in pretty much any french style fish soup.

Second, you could add a carrot to your stock veg. Not much - too much carrot is a bad thing and you have your own flavor base that you like. But a little carrot would add a hint of sweetness.

Third, the seasoning - I don't hear "garlic." I'd put a whole head, halved, in the stockpot. Mushrooms wouldn't hurt, but it would overpower if you use the wrong ones, like shitake. You could add some umami without 'em by using some chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, or worcestershire sauce. Or even including a bit of kombu in your stock. But all of these things should be added in limited quantities, like the pernod. Taste, taste, taste.

Fourth, I don't think using butter would help. Making a dark roux you'd be a shitton more likely to burn it unless you clarified the butter, and even then, the flavor of a dark roux comes from the flour.

Fifth, you could roast your stock ingredients until they have a little color before adding to stockpot. That gives more depth from caramelization of the veg and maillard of the shrimp shells.

Thank you! These sound like a big help. Definitely have never tried the anise in there before and I am thinking that might be one of the key things missing especially if combined with roasting the stock ingredients.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2014 12:00

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

OMGVBFLOL posted:

The local grocery store had tilapia and squid both on sale so i grabbed some and made a fish stew that ended up tasting a lot like blackened fish. It's been a long time since I had blackened fish, but I sauteed an onion, two bulbs of garlic, and a goodly amount of crushed red pepper to form the base, and that's just how it came out. Delicious.

What are the seasonings for blackened fish? Did I just stumble upon them?

It uses just a little more than garlic onion and pepper, but those are in there. Here's the Prudhomme recipe for it:

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/10177/paul-prudhommes-blackened-redfish.html

I add a little cayenne into mine.

I've made the above with catfish / basa too (when it was all I could get) and it works. Never tried tilapia as I just never really enjoy it. Also, I've found if you have ghee try that 1st. It's a tricky step to avoid burning the butter vs browning it at the high temps / short times involved. Making sure the fish is dried well with a paper towel before adding the butter helps a lot too.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2014 12:10

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

I probably made it last about 6 years ago. Doing it outdoors on a grill or likewise is vastly recommended as it will smoke up a small kitchen pretty nicely.

I used my roommates black iron skillet for it :smug:

. This was after he used my brand new knife to cut a bunch of stuff on / through aluminum foil...

# ¿ Mar 26, 2014 22:25

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Chekans 3 16 posted:

I want to try making this but have never made ham or anything close to that. How badly would this recipe from the first page suffer without the hambone? I bought some really nice sausage from a local butcher and probably want to make an attempt this weekend.

Would not suffer at all. I've made this many times vegan with no meat whatsoever and I've also used sausage instead. If you're using sausage I would either grill it separately and add on top of the completed dish or I would just slice it up and add it in the last hour or less of cooking otherwise the sausage kinda cooks down into a much less flavorful hunk of texture.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2014 13:38

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

If I don't use pickle meat I end up just adding vinegar based tobasco as a finish just before eating. To me that's enough but I prefer smoky / salty additions over pickle meat in my own red beans. Others swear by the pickle.

When I do keep mine vegan I find a little more garlic and some cumin tend to make it better. If you don't need to keep it vegan then a bit of butter melted in at the end is nice also.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2014 16:32

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Chekans 3 16 posted:

The Red Beans and Rice turned out good, unfortunately I couldn't grill the sausage so I pan fried them a bit before throwing them in the last half hour. Went a little grey but still tasted pretty good. We had to add a lot of salt though because the final result was a little bland. Any recommendations to add some heat to it for the next batch?

I pan fry mine often as well.

Usually I keep my beans pretty mild and just add in Tabasco directly at the end when it's plated. If you want more than that I'd say just give it a few shakes of cayenne as it's cooking and see how you like it.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2014 12:54

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

neogeo0823 posted:

I have a pretty jambalaya recipe that I've been using for a while, but today I figured I'd try the gumbo recipe on the first page. My only apprehension is that I followed the advice about going for a "dark chocolate" color in the roux, and stirred that poo poo for 45 minutes straight over the lowest heat my stove could give me. The end product has hints of that sort of bitter burnt taste to it. It's kind of like dark-but-not-quite-burnt toast, or maybe older coffee. I'm not a fan of the taste of either of those flavors, but my fiance insists that it's perfectly fine.

Did I burn the roux, and thus ruin the dish? The only other thing I could think of that might have done that was after getting the roux to the color it was, I turned off the heat and let it sit for ~5 minutes, then added the veggies. When I did so, the roux dried out maybe halfway, then turned a slight shade darker. Should I have waited longer or something? Is there any way to mask that bitterness? I can only taste it right when the food hits my tongue, and then it's quickly overpowered by the amazing flavors of the rest of the food. I guess I'm just paranoid about my first gumbo.

If it doesn't taste good to you then yeah it's probably a little off. I add the veggies or some stock to my roux the instant it gets to the right color and that quenches the whole thing, cooling it down so it can't burn after that. I bet if you do that next time you'll be fine. No use stressing over a burned roux, it'll happen now and then. If anything it's good to burn and taste one so you know what to avoid.

# ¿ May 5, 2014 22:01

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Mushika posted:

So it's crawfish boil time of year and I've never tried doing it myself. My wife went to the Breaux Bridge Crawfish festival recently and made me jealous with her tales of deliciousness. Is it worth investing in a rig if I'm only going to do it a few times a year? Or just stick with paying a little more per pound and getting them preboiled and not dealing with the mess of it all? When I go out to family boils, cleanup is simple: load the back of someone's truck with the refuse, drive it out to the nearby bayou and dump (watching the aquatic feeding frenzy is a bonus). I'm in Mid-City Baton Rouge, though, and it's not quite as easy for setup and cleanup. That, and I'd have to learn how to use a propane rig.

I'd say get one unless you are really strapped for cash. You'll only do it a few times a year because it's a short season anyway. To me it would be like having a backyard patio and not having a grill. Learning how to use the propane rig is dead simple, easier than using a gas grill really. Also you can use the rig to do big-scale fish frying or gumbo / jambalaya if you need to cook a bunch at once for something.

# ¿ May 8, 2014 11:43

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Mushika posted:

That's kind of what I was thinking. I love cooking outdoors (I even cook on our chiminea, hell why not, you've got a fire going, cook on it) and we like to have family from out of town come and stay with us. Sometimes a lot of family. I figured the propane rig might be good to have for that. How difficult is jambalaya as compared to the stove top? I can't imagine gumbo being any more difficult, but I could see jambalaya being tricky as far as not burning the rice and whatnot.

e: This is also the first place I've lived in a very long time with a nice backyard and accommodations for family to stay with us, hence not having much of a reason for much more than a small barbeque grill up until recently.

I started doing Jambalaya on a propane rig at tailgates for college football games. For starters, you'll never get it quite perfect compared to your own kitchen. You'll end up having either a little bit burned on the bottom every time (which is fine) or the whole thing will be a little bit mushy.

I've found getting the temperature right is a little tougher but it's manageable for sure. If you've got a big stockpot chances are the bottom is pretty thin and this is part of the problem. Maybe if you put a metal plate or something right over the burner between it and the pot it could work a little better? I've found that I can make do without it and just know that you'll always have a little bit burnt at the bottom that you take care not to stir up. Same goes for etoufee, as you said, gumbo isn't an issue and if you wanted you could make the roux for that inside beforehand.

I think I did something like 5lbs of sausage, 5lbs of chicken thighs (bone in), 5 large onions, 5 bell peppers, 1 entire package of celery, 2 small cans tomato paste, ~1 cup of chopped parsley, ~1 cup of chopped green onion and used whatever combination of stock and/or beer for the liquid. I used around 8-9 cups of rice with that, bay, thyme, salt, pepper, cayenne. You'll have to kinda determine it by eye the 1st time. We really did it by the seat of our pants but it came out well.

Brown up the chicken thighs 1st and render out all that fat, remove them then go nuts with the veggies, sausage goes in, then rice, then tomato then stock, add the chicken back in, cover and turn to low-ish and let it cook for 45 or so. Don't be afraid to pull the top off and give it a look especially if you think it's running hot. A little burn on the bottom is alright but you don't want to torch the entire thing.

# ¿ May 8, 2014 12:21

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

onemanlan posted:

Oh man guys, it's crawfish season and I found a local place that picks up fresh crawfish regularly. They'll sell them live or already boiled at great prices. I've been taking advantage of it as a huge kick of nostalgia and one of my favorite foods. The last few lbs of crawfish shells were used to make a reserve of stock to hold onto. Here lately I've been using it to make gumbo and crawfish etouffee. Currently looking for other uses for it if anybody has suggestions.

Also does anybody know how well crawfish tail meat stores in if zip bagged and frozen? I'd like to possibly do a big boil of my own to save on costs(difference of ~$2-3 a pound) to collect a ton of meat for the off season before it ends.

If you store it in ziplocks and push as much air out of it as possible it's decent for crawfish etoufee at the least or to throw in a seafood gumbo. Be sure to make some stock from the heads/shells and freeze that to go along with it.

# ¿ May 11, 2014 06:47

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Phil Moscowitz posted:

I never freeze just the tails. I usually make something (gumbo, �touff�e, Monica) and freeze that.

That's probably a better idea.

# ¿ May 11, 2014 18:03

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

When I've made redbeans for vegetarian / vegan friends I usually up the garlic, cumin and smoked paprika and it works out very well. Thanks for putting this in the thread!

# ¿ Aug 19, 2014 12:01

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Doom Rooster posted:

Awesome, thanks. Any thoughts on using butter/clarified butter instead of oil for a roux?

butter does well but is a little less forgiving of temperature. Peanut oil is also good.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2014 17:52

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Woof! Woof! posted:

Kielbasa is a good sub for andouille, or at least as good as it gets.

Otherwise spices in andouille often include onion, garlic, thyme, sage, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne, clove, allspice, mustard powder.

If you used a bit of all of those you might get close but really andouille is a flavor in and of itself so it's not like it'd make the most sense to dump all those into something and convey the same things� andouille isn't a flavor that permeates the rest of a dish as much as adding real spices. It's a fairly hearty smoked sausage that's gonna keep it's poo poo together in the pan. It's smokeyness and fattyness might leak out though - which your bacon should kind of get at.

I'd use kielbasa.

I would also give the same advice, it's right on. For me andouille is usually so freaking overpriced (and often poor quality) it's rare that it ever makes it into any of the cajun food I make anymore.

The spice profile above is right on, the ones that stand out the most to me from it are black pepper, garlic, paprika and cayenne. You could use a bit of decent smoked paprika if you weren't using a smoky sausage or bacon to help with that but I don't even stress about it.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2014 11:35

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

THE MACHO MAN posted:

I can't seem to find a store that does andouille in North Jersey. I don't wanna gently caress with some Hillschire farms knockoff. I've just gotten good smoked keilbasa and it works very well in any dishes I've done.

On the topic of throwing in your veggies into the roux, what's the logic behind that? I've seen different takes on it, and I know the Nola recipes site in the OP adovcates for it (while also throwing in some trinity later on for more texture).

On that note, I am making the catfish courtbullion recipe from that site in the op. It is still cooking a bit, and tastes very good, but it's also really similar to etouffe is it not? I've never actually hat courtbullion in a restaurant, so I don't have a good basis for comparison as I do with other dishes. I do feel like I probably should have darkened my roux a bit more. It was almost like milk chocolate in color.

e: finished product

Ingredient wise it is very similar to etoufee. Overall though it should be far more tomato and lemon flavor and the liquid should be very watery, more like gumbo than etoufee and served over rice. Typically I use a much heavier garnish of parsley and green onion than anything else and top with a few squeezes of lemon juice after. Think of it more like rice with a thin herby tomato soup instead of something really hearty like etoufee.

Made a big batch of gumbo for some friends here in Boston. Effort post tomorrow.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2014 03:12

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

I made a thing yesterday for a bunch of friends, had a nice pot of chicken and sausage gumbo. And to be topical, I used kielbasa and a pound of linguica which has a nice peppery / garlic heavy profile.

Most of the ingredients:

Browning chicken in one pot, cooking down onions, celery and peppers in the other:

Chicken went right in with the vegetables along with the linguica.

Okra added in (went with 1 lb of frozen chopped okra because the store didn't have any fresh that day, works well usually though) along with the can of diced tomatoes:

Used the leftover chicken fat from browning along with a couple more tbls of butter and 1 cup of flour for the roux:

A bit later:

Then added in a few cups of homemade chicken stock.

After this I added salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a couple mashed cloves of garlic.

Added in a little more stock after combining the roux with the vegetables, chicken and linguicia and a bit of bay leaves / thyme:

I let the above cook for about 1.5 hours on a very low boil then added the kielbasa and cooked for another 1h. Then I added in some chopped parsley and green onions (not pictured in the 1st photo) and served over rice.

It came out really well and all the company loved it. I highly recommend making your own stock for these as it gives it a nice velvety texture if you make a very rich and reduced chicken stock etc.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2014 15:46

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

This is a continental dish but I've also had it in a few kitchens growing up. This also gets converted into stuffed bell peppers and also I've had it in a slightly different derivative as stuffed merlitons (chayote).

http://poupetteinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2014/01/tomates-farcies-stuffed-tomatoes.html

More or less following that recipe. Back home we used fresh creole tomatoes. Beefsteak work especially well for here as the flesh is pretty tough and easier to scoop out and make a nice shell with.

The ingredients:

Not pictured is 3 cups of chicken stock.

You'll want to cut the tops off and scoop out and reserve the tomato innards. Then chop up the onion, garlic, parsley and add to the meat / eggs. I use a 50/50 mix of ground beef and ground pork, adding a healthy dash of salt and black pepper and mix in well by hand. You can use shallots also here. Part out the meat and add into each tomato. These are already placed in a baking dish over 2 cups of rice.

Next cut up the tomato flesh, use the nice soft bits and toss over the remaining spaces in the pan, strain the seeds and remainder, for this I got about 1 cup of juice.

Then added this and the 2 cups of stock back to the pan.

I didn't realize how lovely the pic was until I already had them in the oven.

Into a preheated oven at 400F for 1h.

Note to self: use a slightly bigger pan. I tossed the rice a bit around the tomatoes to let some of the juices mix in a bit better and let that cool for 15m or so before serving.

Came out quite well.

If you're doing these with merlitons, I'd mix in some tomato paste and rice in with the meat along with celery and probably not have the rice in the pan as they don't release as much liquid as the tomatoes will.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2014 00:00

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

TenaciousJ posted:

Is that Gaspar's Linguica in the pic? I love that stuff for making stews and I find it's a fine replacement for andouille in cajun food.

I'll check the brand next trip to the store. I think it is though. We have a lot of Brazilians / Portuguese in the area so its way easier to find than andouille. And yeah I agree its a great replacement.

# ¿ Sep 10, 2014 17:33

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

CommonShore posted:

just got my first roux finished. Looks like molasses once I dumped holy trinity in it. I was being overly cautious and it took an hour and a half (I understand why, now) - felt like dancing with the devil.

That was an obnoxious amount of fun. I put it on top of a white/wild rice mix, because I felt like adding something Canadian to my Cajun. 10/10 would do again.

Looks like it came out right! You can do them faster once you get comfortable with it. Also a lot of it depends on the quality of flour / type of oil etc.

Zaepho posted:

Quit measuring roux time by the clock. Start measuring in beers and your roux will always be amazing

This guy knows what's up.

# ¿ Sep 25, 2014 13:50

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

guppy posted:

Is that true of pretty much all beans? I did it with dry pinto beans last night -- I made the borracho beans recipe Gravity posted in the first page of the POT BEANS thread -- and they were good in about that timeframe, but I wasn't sure if I could do that for all beans. I usually use cans because I often don't have the foresight to soak, but if I can use dried straight off if I'm willing to wait an hour or two then I can use a lot more dried.

I find that you can use dry beans but you're going to be gassy as hell if you do compared to letting them soak a bit.

Also, you should make sure you bring your beans up to a boil for a few minutes no matter which way you end up cooking them:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/CausesOfIllnessBadBugBook/ucm071092.htm

# ¿ Jan 5, 2015 15:40

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

OMGVBFLOL posted:

I was taught to at least quick-soak at a minimum: bring beans & a lot of water to a boil, cover with lid, set heat to low. After 1-2h, strain and dump the gassy fartwater.

Ah yep, that was the quick soak method I was trying to remember. I've done this as well when I didn't soak overnight.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2015 18:14

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

feelz good man posted:

Just make your own y'all

One day... one day...

That looks fantastic by the way :unsmith:

# ¿ Jan 7, 2015 14:42

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Cosmic Charlie posted:

Hey guys, I made some shrimp etouffee tonight following the recipe from the op here. The next time I make it I may add in some rosemary, has anyone here tried this? I know its probably not authentic etouffee but it seems like it would be tasty, any thoughts?

I've never put it in mine but if you think it would taste good I'd go for it.

Sounds like it would.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2015 15:06

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

feelz good man posted:

Pan-crisped pecanwood smoked tasso ham with homemade remoulade. God drat this was good

You made the tasso? Mind sharing how if so?

# ¿ Feb 12, 2015 01:02

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

RedTonic posted:

A family member out of Alexandria, LA shared their etouffee recipe with me after some wheedling. The stuff is always fantastic (and was my intro to eating crawdads). The secret ingredient is loving velveeta of all things. Is this some real heresy?

holttho posted:

They say if you've tried every bottle of wine that's ever been made and your favorite is Two-Buck-Chuck, then that's what you drink.

This.

I personally probably wouldn't throw in something like that in mine, nor recommend it as a standard recipe but I like where mine is at right now.

A friend made me a pot of etoufee and a majority of the stock he added in with his roux was beer and cream of mushroom soup. Not gonna lie it tasted pretty fantastic in the end.

One thing I have found is that several of my friends parents etc end up adding cream or cream of X soup and I imagine the velveeta would be a similar thing and what you get is some flavor and some good thickening mouthfeel from the cream and/or cheese. For me using a really good scratch stock with a lot of collagen in it gives the same mouthfeel and in my opinion a nicer flavor. Many of the people using these cream-type additions are probably also using a canned stock I'd reckon. Just food for thought.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2015 14:06

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Megasabin posted:

I used 1 1/2 cups of butter to 2 cups of flour like it said in the recipe. I couldn't find lard in the grocery store. I melted all the butter 100%, then stirred the 2 cups of flour in gradually over 25 minutes. My roux looked exactly like this google search image I've attached. Should I have just kept stirring for another 10-20 min?

Yep that's a bit blonde still. You can turn up your heat a bit to speed things up but don't go overboard. You should be shooting for a hazelnut brown color in about 20 mins give or take.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2015 00:46

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

goodness posted:

Since you all seem to know about Cajun food, any advice on where/what to eat in New Orleans when i go down next weekend?

Advice will range all over the place given if you want touristy, traditional, expensive or cheap.

Overall nearly anything there will be pretty drat good, especially amongst the established places but for those a lot of times you'll be waiting in line or paying more for something that can be just as good at a smaller less well known joint.

Most of my knowledge is pre-Katrina but these are the ones that I know of that are still pretty much can't miss:

Tujagues - Open since 1856. Dressed down for lunch and fancier for dinner. Get a cheap and solid lunch of New Orleans Standards or go for dinner and add $25 to any entree to get a 5 course prix fixe dinner that is loving great. Really cool bar right on the side of it as well that you should check out before or after dinner.
http://www.tujaguesrestaurant.com/menus.html

Mother's - Great spot for just about anything. Again, New Orleans standard fare. Good spot for a PoBoy amongst other things. Not as fancy as Tujagues for the dinner crowd. Can't miss food.
http://www.mothersrestaurant.net/mothers_menu.html

Dragos - Go for the Charbroiled Oysters. Everything else is good there more or less but get the loving oysters if you go here.
http://www.dragosrestaurant.com/

Acme Oyster House - My tourist friends who have visited here seem to like it a lot. I can't vouch for it as I've never been so try at your own discretion.
http://www.acmeoyster.com/menu_fq

Port of Call - If you are winding down a night of drinking around the quarter, stop by here for a burger. The other food is OK, but really if you're up late drunk, get the burger and get an app of wine sauteed mushrooms.
http://portofcallnola.com/

Mena's Palace - This one you won't hear much about. It's not big nor flashy but it's always solid food and cheap. This is the place I always make sure to visit when I get back home.
http://menaspalace.com/

Morning Call - Two locations, one in city park and one out in Metarie. Used to be downtown but moved in the 70's because of a fire or something. In my opinion the best place for beignets and coffee compared to Cafe du Monde. Du Monde is great, but you'll wait in line for an hour in the quarter just to get the stuff and honestly I like Call's a lot more.
http://morningcallcoffeestand.com/

Cafe du Monde - Everyone who's visited will tell you to go here for breakfast. If you don't see a line, sure check it out. Otherwise check out Morning call (above) instead.
http://www.cafedumonde.com/locations

- Fancy / Formal -

Antoine's - This is one of the classics. Make reservations and be prepared to spend. Holy poo poo everything here is amazing though. Don't be surprised if you can't get in however.
http://www.antoines.com/

Galatoire's - Also another classic. Chances are you've heard about this and Antoine's. If you've got the time and money check them both out. Outstanding food. Check out the menu's for both but you'll need reservations and I think they have a dress code. Been years since I have been here.
http://www.galatoires.com/home

Commander's Palace - Another classic. 4-star, pricey and fancy same as Antoine's and Galatoire's you'll want reservations and expect to spend. Been ranked, talked about as the best as long as I have been able to remember. I think if you hit any of these three you'll be good though.
http://www.commanderspalace.com/

I hope a few other goons can chime in here as I'm more removed from NOLA now. I'm sure there's a wave of post-Katrina stuff that I am missing as well as some more hidden neighborhood spots. I'll add on their suggestions and update the OP if we get some good stuff.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2015 17:24

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

goodness posted:

Thanks for the help guys!

I love hole in the wall places with great food, spicy food and stuff that a region is well known for if that helps find some good places. Also crawfish, is it a good time of year?

Yes
Crawfish is just hitting the beginning of the season

# ¿ Mar 8, 2015 04:17

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

goodness posted:

I need to find the best place to eat as many as I can then

In the city proper is tough. I'd ask some people at your hotel to point you to a local spot. It's not really a dish that you'll find hosed up down there.

Edit:

This was a good spot:

http://www.deanies.com/

# ¿ Mar 8, 2015 05:43

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Phil Moscowitz posted:

Here's a list of crawfish spots. I'll post a more detailed restaurant guide with some newer places in a bit.

http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2015/02/crawfish_crayfish_price.html

You can actually buy boiled crawfish by the pound at the Rouse's supermarket on Tchoupitoulas Street, too. Only on the weekends though.

Thanks. I'm out of touch on the newer spots

# ¿ Mar 8, 2015 14:48

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

That all looks loving phenomenal man. Good stuff.
Was that pork shoulder what you ground up for the andouille?

This pales in comparison but is a recent batch of the same. Please excuse the dirty stovetop, had been cooking for almost 2 days straight with a bunch of different stuff when this got done.
I need to get some proper sausage to cook with. In the northeast all I can get are decent keilbasa, anything else I'm paying an arm and a leg for.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2015 16:18

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Phil Moscowitz posted:

I don't even notice the vein. But when you are paying $120 for 20 lbs might as well go ahead and pay the extra $8.

This.

I don't think I've ever tried to devein any seafood. Just grew up eating the whole thing I guess before I ever knew what it was.

# ¿ May 27, 2015 19:21

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Phil Moscowitz posted:

I want more details. Who wanted what with the spices? Did Osceola want it too spicy, or too weak? Or did he want to put fil� in okra gumbo? Are tomatoes "spices?" Was it seafood gumbo and somebody suggested Old Bay (get a rope)?

Also since we are on the subject of Cajun arguments I feel it appropriate to post this:

http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/local/lafourche-terrebonne/2015/06/09/houma-tank-top/28751943/

As my buddy from Houma put it, "Any time you start a story with 'Cookie Pierre said she was browsing the crawfish selection' you are bound to see some fireworks."

This is amazingly ridiculous. You go around anywhere back home this time of year and everyone is wearing tank tops or less right now. This would make more sense in Monroe where you legit have nothing but crazy WASP people who probably still aren't comfortable with women leaving the house unaccompanied but makes no sense in Houma.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2015 20:23

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Phil Moscowitz posted:

I just make my own but I don't really have anything against Old Bay.

Same here. I started in the beginning with Tonys and now I just use garlic, cayenne, salt, black pepper and add in thyme and bay.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2015 02:16

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

The season only runs through the spring. Changes a little bit from year to year but generally from late February through late May.

You can generally get a big back of already cooked tails frozen somewhere in chinese markets and potentially online. They are... "OK". I personally would not use them and just find good shrimp to use them in whatever dish I had in mind instead.

I'll let someone else answer about ordering places. I am not even sure on that.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2015 14:45

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

thewireguy posted:

The fat in the heads is used to flavor etoufee. Take it out with a butter knife if you don't suck it out. gently caress I am homesick. Is it crawfish season still?

Nah its over by now sadly.

# ¿ Jul 12, 2015 15:28

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 20:13

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Phil Moscowitz posted:

You can still boil shrimp!

Look at these bastards, size of small cats

Beer for scale

I love those bigass white shrimp. Those things are awesome to toss in whole into a skillet with some garlic, green onion, butter, lemon and parsley with a dash or two of white wine and eat on some toast.

# ¿ Jul 12, 2015 18:57

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Put extra pepper on it. Now it's Cajun! The Cajun and Creole food thread.

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