Always knew it as Low Country Boil on the coats of Georgia. Throw in a few blue crabs for a bit of culinary heaven.
How nice to see an article about REAL food in the Times, instead of reading which NY restaurant is serving the best meal of the week for under $250 per person. I loved the line that "People standing around the (cooking) pot should sneeze and cough". I would also add 'sweat and their eyes tear up". Much of that can also be said of certain styles of Indian cooking, and even Chinese (when they have the guts to go all out). I remember what I thought was a pretty good Cajun restaurant on Second Ave. called "Harglo's" but stopped going to it when I noted, printed somewhat conspicuously on their menu, that their dishes had been
revamped in the heat department to acknowledge New York tastes, thereafter going to "Cajun" on 8th Avenue. Both are gone now, as are many Indian 'dives', because New Yorkers are sissies where such things are concerned. Acknowledging this to be a fact, when I order a Vindaloo dish these days at an Indian restaurant, I tell the waiter to tell the Chef to make it the hottest he's ever served it - and then to double it! Sometimes it actually works. So what do we tell a Cajun chef in NYC to get something authentic?
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I love the guidance on spice levels, as sometimes I’ve missed the mark high or low. Maybe it’s because I live in FL where fresh corn is abundant, but I’d rather have the crisp tender fresh corn texture than the fully seasoned frozen corn mush. And the finishing touch, a few sticks of melted butter on that pile of delicious food. Open beer, enjoy.
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Interesting story. Opening up the recipe it says to freeze the corn. Why? Does that enhance the flavor in some way or is it simply the traditional method?
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@Lindsay Beaman It cools the water so the shrimp can continue soaking up seasoning without over-cooking.
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@Lindsay Beaman The body of the story has your answer. Cools down the dish.
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What does Mr. Austin's race have to do with the story? Would it have been mentioned if he were white?
In South Carolina dish is called Frogmore Stew.
Looks sensational except for one thing. Nobody down south seems to devein their shrimp. So I for one would change this receipe to read: devein shrimp and leave tail on. This should do it.
Great story.
Being from Baton Rouge LA I'm pretty sure the author meant "crawfish".
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@Lillian
It's the editorial board. They one changed Molly Ivin's sentence "played like a cheap fiddle" to "inexpensive instrument".
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Nobody here calls crawfish...crayfish. Not unless they're from somewhere else. Just sayin'.
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As a proud Cajun, geographically removed from my home state, I'm concerned that a native Louisianian refers to CRAWfish as CRAYfish - that is tantamount to sacrilege! We are exquisitely entwined with our food heritage in Louisiana...it's CRAWfish, c'mon y'all!
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Am I the only one getting this? Yes, there are a lot of Cajuns living in and around New Orleans, but the cultural center of NO is Creole. I grew up with the food of NO (my first drunk was six months before I was born in NOLA) not hearing of Cajun food until the 70's, when it was popularized as southwest Louisiana's oil industry lifted the fortunes of the area. Yes, due to tourist pressure, you can get Cajun food anywhere in NOLA now, but don't let it swamp (ha) the original culture of the area.
I now live in the Houston/Galveston Bay area, which is pretty the west end of Cajun country, and love the Cajun culture to my east. But, I always look forward to the five hour drive across Cajun country to New Orleans for my fix of Creole cuisine.
Creole New Orleans, google it.
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@Portman
Correct on all of the above. Born and raised in Baton Rouge and lived near New Orleans before moving to "the west end of Cajun country" in The Woodlands after Katrina. Yep, following oil.
There's a lot of difference between "Cajun" and "Creole" cooking, but there's a huge similarity when it comes to boiling shrimp, crawfish (heard of "crayfish" but never actually met one,) and crabs. Lots of different techniques to accomplishing the boil, but whether you label it "Cajun" or "Creole" the seasonings are always there, and the seafood is NEVER overcooked. In fact, an Emeril Lagasse trick is to not boil the shrimp... boil everything else until ready, remove the pot and boiling water from the fire, add shrimp, and 9 minutes later you're ready to eat.
Enjoy!
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Ummmm. While the recipie is basically okay, there are a lot of alarm bells here. Nobody, and I mean Nobody calls crawfish "crayfish" in Louisiana. New Orleans food is Creole. Cajun cuisine is distinct, and certainly not from Nola. There are much better and more detailed recipies online.
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@AGG
Merci, meme chose! DEEPLY concerning a fellow Louisianian says CRAYfish - just.not.right. Also agreed, Creole cuisine is distinct from Cajun cuisine. Just travel about 2 hrs west of New Orleans to experience.
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@AGG: agreed about the recipes. the real fun is what to do with the leftover veggies. twice-baked potatoes, mushrooms for spicy red wine reductions and onion cups loaded with leftover tail meat then breaded and deep fried.
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