Coconut Shrimp Curry

 Alrighty, here's my 1st Thai curry, which I've been working on & tweaking for little over a year now!  Whether you love curry's, or find them a little aggressive for your taste, you should give this one a try!!  I think you'll find it smooth & creamy, with that perfect lightly sweet & savory flavor with just a little heat like a Texas chili, a heat that you don't actually feel in your mouth, but rather only makes your scalp sweat a little, if anything!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups Vidalia Onion (3/8" chop)
4 cups Celery (1/4" slice)
1 bundle Cilantro (1 loose cup/course chopped no stems)
1 medium Jalapeno (fine/mince chopped)
1 stick Butter
16oz Vanilla Yogurt
1 can Coconut milk (13.5oz)
5 cups water

Spices:
2.5 tbs curry powder
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion Powder
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1.5 tbs course salt

Prep time = 45 mins
Cook time = 45 mins
Total time = 1.5 hrs
Feeds 6 people
Requires 1 cup cooked Basmati rice/serving

(Watch my Video for the Best Healthiest way to cook Rice.)

Sloppy Josés

 This is for those that remember Del Taco, who used to make a sloppy Joe style Taco Burger that was off the chart! Everyone will love this, adults & kids both alike!  I call them my Sloppy Josés

Ingredients:
2 lbs Ground Chuck
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 packets McCormick's Cheesy Taco mix
1/3 c milk
1/3 c Ketchup
2 tbs packed brown sugar
1 c shredded Colby & Monterey jack cheese
1 small onion chopped (optional)
1 small bell pepper chopped (optional)

Instruction;

1) Using a large pan & a tbs of butter, caramelize the onion & bell pepper, then add the chuck, & sprinkle salt & pepper over meat, thoroughly mix/toss the mixture, then brown while breaking-down  any large clumps; remove from heat & then drain the fat!

2) Evenly sprinkle both packets of MC cheesy taco mix over the browned chuck, & thoroughly toss/mix together.

3) Over medium heat, add milk, ketchup & brown sugar; thoroughly mix together & bring to a nice simmer... 

4) Continue to simmer while constantly stirring until all the milk has been rendered out, then remove from heat, & sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top while still hot & thoroughly toss mixture until all cheese is completely mixed/melted & no longer visible; cheese helps bind mixture together.

5) Load a bun up with mixture & enjoy!

Sweet Bourbon Garlic Salmon

 Holy Tantalizing Taste-buds Batman!  If this one doesn't tickle your tongue, you might have covid?  But seriously, if you've experienced "Bourbon Chicken" at a Good Chinese restaurant, then you're familiar w/the flavors I've applied here in this recipe'...  Something just told me these flavors would rock a piece of Salmon,  & WoW,  boy did they!   Y'all have to try this one & let me know what you think!

Ingredients

1-2 Salmon Fillet/s

1/2 Shot Bourbon

1/2 c Dark Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Mirin sweet rice wine

Few Drops Sesame Oil

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar "Packed"

Creole seasoning/ Lightly dust Salmon

2 sm cloves Garlic/minced

2 Tbsp  Oil/EVOO

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Touch a Love!

Hope Y'all enjoy!

Blackened Salmon with a Sweet Chili Glaze

I've won Salmon hater's over with this one!  They usually say "I didn't know Salmon could be made to taste like that! or... Now I like that, I'll eat it if they cook it like that!"  lol

Creole &/or Blacken Seasoning, is the same ingredients, amount varies slightly pending who's version...  This basic mix will be used in 80% of Cajun/Creole recipe's...  Simply combine the following dry ingredients;

Blackened/Creole Seasoning/mix

1/2 Cup course Kosher Salt

1/3 Cup smoked Paprika

1/3 Cup Granulated Garlic

1/4 Cup Onion Powder

1/4 Cup course Ground Black Pepper

2 Tbs White Pepper

1 Tbs Cayenne Pepper

2 Tbs Dried Oregano

2 Tbs Dried Thyme

1 Tbs Dried Basil

makes about 2 heaped cups of seasoning...

How to remove the skin...

Removing the skin is beyond simple, it's so easy it's silly to pay an average of $2/lb more for skinless...  Especially since whatever the technique it is that they use,  removes all the fat as well; so efficiently that you can't tell which side was the inside or skin-side...  There's a subtle thin layer of fat, that's slightly more than equal in thickness to the skin, that attaches it to the flesh, so how you remove it, determines how much fat gets tossed out with it...  Believe it or not, more than half the flavor is in the fat; it actually gives the final bite, almost like a bacon (or roasted pork fat) like quality!

Shrimp Creole

The best way to describe this dish is, it's like a cajun style cacciatore', except with shrimp instead of chicken.

Shrimp Creole

(For shell allergies, pending level, try scallops, otherwise use a white fish like halibut, cod, or pollock; Get an extra piece for stock; puree & add to water & simmer to make stock...)

2-3 lbs Raw shrimp (35-40 ct) w/shells (heads if available), deveined & peeled

3 cups Seafood Stock (instructions)
2 slices Bacon chopped

3 lbs Roma Tomatoes 1/2" diced
2 cups 1/4" Diced onion
2 cups 1/4" Sliced celery
2 cups 1/2" Diced green bell pepper
1 tbsp. Minced garlic

4 tbsp. Butter
2 Bay leaves crumbled
4 tsp Course sea or kosher salt
1/2 tsp White pepper
1/2 tsp Red pepper (cayenne)
1 tsp Black pepper
2 tbsp. Smoked paprika
1/2 tsp Dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp Dried basil
1 1/2 tsp Dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp Onion powder

1 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
2 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup water
1-8oz can Tomato sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. Brown sugar (packed)
3-4 tbsp. Of caramel colored roux  (instructions)
5 cups Cooked rice

Instructions;

1) In a small pan, get your roux ingredients ready; use 3 tbs flour and 3 tbs veg. oil. then set aside. (roux instructions)

2) Peel, devein & rinse the shrimp (leave on counter/bowl to come to room temp) use shells (?& heads?) to make seafood stock.  (stock instructions)

3) Finely slice the bacon, cross length, into about 1/4" pieces.  Using a large pot, on medium heat, fry until all fat is rendered & pieces are crispy.

4) On med-high add the onions to the crisped bacon/grease & cook until lightly caramelized & just starting to turn transparent.

5) Add the following, & cook on med /m-high for 15 min.s stirring constantly.

2 tbsp. Butter
1/2 cup water
2 cups 1/8" Sliced celery
2 cups 1/2" Diced green bell pepper
1 tbsp. Minced garlic

6) Add the Roma tomatoes, reduce heat to med. & cook for 20 min.s, stirring frequently.

7) Add the following, mix thoroughly & cook on med-low for 20 min.s stirring frequently.

2 tbsp. Butter
8oz can Tomato sauce
2 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
All the dry ingredients (spices/sugar)

8) Add the 3 cups of Seafood stock & simmer for 15 mins.  

9) Make your "Caramel colored" roux last & add it to the pot while it's still super hot, & thoroughly mix in.  Now bring back to a vigorous boil.

 
10) Remember, Seafood cooks very quickly, so bring the creole back to a boil, then add all the shrimp & give it a quick stir, then cover & remove from heat.  Leave set for 15 min.s, to poach the shrimp!

Spoon a couple ladles of Shrimp Creole over 1/2 cup of steamed rice & serve with lots of French bread!

Enjoy,  Todd

Prep = 1.5 hrs
Total time = about 2.5 hrs
Feeds 6-10 people pending sides

Seafood Gumbo w/ smoked Andouille sausage

Here's my Seafood Gumbo recipe.  I put this together about 25 yrs ago, I have tweaked  it very little since then.  I had to lower the pepper content so that my Yankee friends could handle it, lol. It's very authentic & as good if not better that most you'll find.  Cajun food pushes the seasonings to the limit, ensuring to give you the most robust eating experience possible; I get a lot of compliments with this dish!  I hope you enjoy!

Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs raw shrimp (35-40 ct) w/shells (& heads if available), deveined & peeled
• 1/2 lb scallops, marble sized
• 1 can white lump crab meat (or fresh soft shell if available) 
• 5 cups Seafood Stock (instructions below)
• 1/2 lb Andouille smoked sausage (or good smoked polish) sliced & cut into 1/2 moon pieces
• 1 stick of margarine
• 2 1/2 cups diced yellow onion (vadalia if available)
• 2 cups diced green bell pepper
• 2 cups diced celery
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 3 tbs gumbo file'
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 tsp dried sweat basil
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• 1.5 tbs Garlic powder
• 1.5 tbs Onion powder
• 1-1/4 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 4 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes (canned)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 4-5 cups cooked rice 
• 6 tbs modest dark roux ( Roux instructions )

Seafood stock;

Using large pot, boil 7 cups of water with shrimp shells (? heads) & all (liquids from canned crab & scallops) for about an hr., boiling down level to about 5 cups.  Strain out shells, & if necessary, may add enough water to bring level up to the necessary 5 cups!

Instructions;

A.) Using at least a 4 qt pot, melt 1 stick of margarine, then add:

• 2 1/2 cups diced yellow onion (vidalia if available)
• 2 cups diced green bell pepper
• 2 cups diced celery
• 1 tbs minced garlic

B.) & saute' on high for 10 min.s, then add the following combined spices:

• 1/2 tsp red pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 3 tbs gumbo file'
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 tsp dried sweat basil
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• 1-1/4 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp sweet paprika

C.) & saute' on high for 10 min.s, stirring constantly, then add;

• 1 cup crushed tomatoes (canned)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 4 tsp Tabasco sauce

D) & simmer on medium for 15 min.s, stirring constantly.
E) Add 6 tbs. of a modest dark roux & 1 cup of the seafood stock, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed; then proceed to step #1 below.
( Roux instructions )

1. Add 5 cups, or the remaining seafood stock "on medium high" & slowly bring to a boil, stirring lightly. 
2. Then reduce heat to low & simmer for 30 min.s, stirring every 5-10 min.s or so. 
3. Next, in a frying pan, brown the smoked sausage, then add it to the gumbo.  
4. Seafood cooks very quickly, so bring the gumbo back to a boil, then add all the seafood & give it a quick stir, then cover & remove from heat.  Leave set for 15 min.s, to poach the seafood!
5. Spoon 1 heaping cup of gumbo over 1/2 cup of cooked rice & serve with lots of french bread! 

Feeds 6 - 8 people when served with french bread; 8 - 10 people when severed with salad, french bread & corn on the cob.  (about 45 min.s prep time, around 2 1/2 hrs total.)

Enjoy!!  Todd