Red Snapper Stew

A while back, before Fat Tuesday, I happened to visit New Orleans, Louisiana for work.  My trip happened to coincide with Tabasco Week.  The week-long event featured "restaurant week."  Restaurants across The Big Easy featured special menus with dishes that included the eponymous hot sauce.  While my business trip allowed me to visit some of the notable New Orleans restaurants, like Gallatoire's and and Antoine's, I did not have a chance to try any of the  Tabasco week menus.  That missed opportunity got me to thinking once I returned home from that work trip.  

Mardi Gras was about a week away, and, I needed a recipe  to make a special dish for my beautiful Angel.  The Tabasco Week got me to thinking about a small Tabasco Cookbook that has been sitting on the bookshelf.  I pulled out the cookbook, paged through the recipes and came across a recipe for Red Snapper Stew.

This Red Snapper Stew recipe was just right, because, in the back of my mind, I was looking to makes something different for Mardi Gras.  I wanted to do something different than a gumbo, creole or etoufee. Don't get me wrong, I love all of those dishes.  But, I have made them before.  I wanted to make something new, and, perhaps, learn something along the way. 

Image from Pew Trusts

That something was not what I expected.  As it turns out, red snapper happens to be quite the controversial fish in the Gulf of Mexico.  Fishermen have been hauling in red snapper from the Gulf of Mexico since the 1840s, originally around Pensacola, Florida.  By the end of the century, fishermen and scientists began to notice that the stocks of red snapper were being depleted in the areas where they were fishing.  So, the fishermen moved to other parts of the Gulf. The stocks eventually depleted there as well.  Meanwhile, as shrimping increased in the Gulf, the shrimpers began to catch red snapper fry in the shrimp trawls.  The double whammy made itself present in the overall stock of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.  Simply put, red snapper were being overfished.   

As a result, the federal government imposed restrictions on the fishing of red snapper in federally controlled waters.  Those restrictions set the Red Snapper season for both recreational anglers and federally permitted for hire "components."  That season was only 3 days for the former but 42 days for the latter.  That 3 day season for recreational anglers is where the controversy began.  Where it went next is quite the story.

The man who tries to change the law by breaking it.

As it turns out, in 2017, the Commerce Department's Director of Policy and Strategic Planning -- Earl Comstock -- advised the Secretary of the Commerce Department -- Wilbur Ross -- that the latter should extend the red snapper season for recreational anglers by thirty-nine days.  The new, forty-two day fishing season would, in Director Comstock's opinion, result in overfishing of red snapper and maybe even a lawsuit.  But all of that would be okay, at least in Comstock's view, because it would lead to a "significant achievement," namely, action by Congress to change the rules for the red snapper season.  In other words, Director Comstock counseled Secretary Ross to violate the law in order to get Congress to change that law.  And, in what could only happen in the current administration, Secretary Ross violated the law and extended the season, thereby prompting a lawsuit by two environmental groups.  Those groups wanted decisions to be made based upon sustainability and accountability, not just on fisherman having a longer period to snag a snapper.

Picture from Caller-Times

The lawsuit worked its way through the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to a settlement.  The settlement provided that the extension of the red snapper season was a "one-time action."  This suggests that recreational anglers will not see such a long season again, at least in federal waters.  Given the state of the red snapper stocks, hat may be a good thing. The preliminary estimates show that, after the extended season in 2017, recreational anglers exceeded the catch limits by fifty percent.  Additional extended seasons could simply further deplete the stocks further.  And, the proposed action by Congress could -- just like any action by Congress -- simply make things worse.

One would think that the settlement would allow red snapper to breathe easier.  However, the current administration has now proposed exempted fishing permits that would allow each of the five states bordering the Gulf of Mexico (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas) to regulate the state and federal seasons.  Only time will tell if that is a good idea (but I have my own opinion on that point).

Back to the recipe, I bought some red snapper from my local grocery store along with some fish for this stew.  In the end, the Red Snapper Stew is not what I would have expected. It was not very stew-like.  But, it was very delicious.  The spices worked extremely well together and -- with that Tabasco Sauce -- there was a good kick to the dish.  This is definitely a dish for Mardi Gras.

RED SNAPPER STEW

Recipe from Tabasco's Cookbook (pg. 70)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/4 pound red snapper or white fish fillets

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/8 teaspoon powdered saffron

2 16 ounce cans whole tomatoes, undrained, chopped

1 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce

3/4 pound okra, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

Cooked rice

Ingredients:

1.  Prepare the fish.  In a medium bowl, mash together the garlic, parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, thyme, bay leaf, allspice and oil, forming a paste.  Spread the mixture on the fish and set aside. 

2.  Prepare the stew.  In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion, pepper and saffron and cook over 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and liquid, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the Tabasco sauce and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.   Add the fish, okra, and shrimp.  Simmer the stew, uncovered, for 6 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when pierced with a fork  Serve hot over rice. 

ENJOY!

Gumbo aux Poissons, Huitres et Chevrettes

I asked my beautiful Angel, Clare, "what would you like for dinner on New Year's Eve?"  Her answer, "seafood gumbo."  So, I decided that I would try to make the best damn gumbo ever.  I did my research, reviewing not only modern day gumbo recipes, but also historic gumbo recipes, including a couple of recipes that date back to the late nineteenth century. I studied the difference between Cajun gumbo and Creole gumbo. I contemplated the ingredients, particularly the seafood, that I would use in the gumbo.  And, after all this research, I felt ready to cook.

However, I planned on making my own gumbo. I was not going to simply follow a recipe ... or any recipe.  I decided that for this "Gombo" (the name that I saw used to describe the dish in some old Cajun recipes), it would be a Chef Bolek Original, inspired by the gumbos of the Cajun bayous.  There was one twist ... Clare is a pescatarian, who does not eat meat but does eat seafood.  So, with andouille sausage, chicken and other meats off the menu, I still endeavored to be as Cajun as someone from the Midwest could try to be, choosing to make my Gombo with what the Cajun would call "poissons" (fish), "huitres" (oysters) and "chevrettes" (shrimp). 

With the selection of seafood, I turned my attention to the roux.  Perhaps the most important aspect of this dish is the roux.  My prior experience with roux has generally been successful; however, I always left thinking that I could have gotten the roux darker.  This time I worked to get the roux as dark as I thought I could get it ... or at least as dark as I could before I began to worry about burning it.  I saw the color go from light brown, to brown, to chocolate brown, to dark chocolate.  Although I did not reach mahogany, which was my goal, I did manage to get the darkest roux that I have ever achieved.

After getting the roux to the desired color, the key to cooking the rest of the gumbo is timing.  I tried to cut the fish pieces in even sized pieces that would cook in a few minutes.  I also made a change that is usually not done in cooking seafood.  Generally speaking, one almost always puts in shrimp last, because they cook fast and can overcook fast.  So, typically, one would follow the fish with the oysters and finish with the shrimp.  I bucked convention by putting the shrimp in next and then turning off the heat after the shrimp cooked for a couple of minutes on each side.  I then placed the oysters in the gumbo.  The residual heat would finish cooking the shrimp and cook the oysters just enough so that they were cooked on the outside and a little soft on the inside.  This resulted in the perfect oysters. 

In the end, I have to say that I surprised myself.  I think I made a pretty good gumbo, especially considering that there is not a drop of Cajun blood in me.  Clare also loved the gumbo so I can say that I made the best damn gumbo that I could for my beautiful Angel! 

GUMBO AUX POISSONS, HUITRES ET CHEVRETTES

A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 whole fish (catfish, snapper, bass), scaled, filleted,

     and reserving the head and backbone

1/2 pint of oysters, liqueur reserved

1/2 pound of 26-30 count shrimp, shells reserved 

     and deveined

1/4 cup of canola oil

1/4 cup of flour

4 stalks of celery

2 carrots

1 1/2 onions

1/2 green pepper

4 bay leaves

Several dashes of Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon of ground red chile peppers

1 teaspoon of dried thyme or 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 cups of fish stock

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Make the fish stock.  Place the head and backbone of the fish, along with the shrimp shells into a small stock pot.  Cut 1 onion into quarters and add it to the pot.  Cut two carrots and three celery stalks into quarters and add them to the pot.  Add 3 bay leaves, the dashes of Tabasco sauce, thyme and 10 cups of water.  Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a strong simmer.  Let the stock cook for 1 hour.  

2.  Strain and reduce the fish stock.  Strain the fish stock.  Carefully pick through the backbone and the head for all the little pieces of fish meat.  After you have picked the bones and head, discard the parts and the vegetables.  You could get as much as a quarter of a cup of additional fish meat. Return the stock to a clean pot, add the oyster liqueur, and bring it back to a boil.  Reduce down until you have two cups of liquid.

3.  Make the roux.  Heat the canola oil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Add the flour slowly, whisking the flour with the oil.  Continue to whisk the flour into the oil until completely incorporated.  Continue to cook the flour and oil until it reaches a dark chocolate to mahogany brown.

4.  Add the vegetables.  Add the onions, celery, bell pepper and okra, stirring continuously.  Cook the vegetables for about ten minutes or until tender.  

5.  Add the fish stock.  Add 2 cups of fish stock in a steady stream or slowly to the roux over medium heat, stirring constantly to make sure the roux does not break up.  Once all of the fish stock has been added, add the ground chile pepper.  Reduce the heat to low and let the gumbo simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally.

6.  Prepare the rice.  Prepare 1 cup of rice according to the instructions on the package or box.

7.  Add the seafood.  Cut the fish fillet into even bite size pieces.  Add the fish to the gumbo first and cook for about three minutes or until the fish is opaque.  Add the shrimp and cook for another three minutes until they are opaque.  Turn off the heat  Finally, add the oysters and cook until they just become opaque, which should take a couple of minutes.  If the oysters do not seem like they are cooking, turn the heat back on low for a couple of minutes.

8.  Plate the Gumbo.  Spoon the gumbo into a bowl.  Spoon a cup of rice in the middle of the bowl or serve it on the side.

PAIRING THIS DISH

When it comes to pairing, gumbo has a surprising flexibility that makes it possible to pair both beers and wines with this dish.  When it comes to a beer, a pilsner or lager beer would work best, particularly if the gumbo is really spicy.  One such beer that would pair well with this dish is the following:

Abita Brewery -- S.O.S.
Weizen Pils
Louisiana, USA
Malt and slight hop flavors

When it comes to pairing this dish with a wine, red wines can be ruled out.  Red wines would only underscore the heavy nature of the gumbo.  A white wine or, even better, a rosé would be a better pairing for a gumbo.  One such wine is the following:

Famille Bougrier -- Rosé d'Anjou (2010).
100% Cabernet Franc
D'Anjou AOC, Loire Valley, France
Strawberry and raspberry flavors, with a little sweetness.

ENJOY!

Chef Bolek's Catfish Stew

Recently, I had the urge to make a Creole dish.  I ran through the options in my head ... étouffée, jambalaya, gumbo.  I stood in front of the seafood counter, phone in hand and googling creole recipes.  Ultimately, I decided to do a catfish stew.  The other recipes remained in the back of the mind.  I decided that I would borrow from recipes like étouffée and gumbo by starting the stew with a roux. 

The catfish stew incorporates vegetables such as onions, okra, corn, bell peppers, and celery.  The spices include mustard, oregano, thyme and cayenne pepper.  After all is mixed well, I added some crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock.  The combination of the roux, crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock gave this dish a deep, earthy color that actually looks really good.  Although I consulted a recipe before designing this dish, the end product departed substantially from the recipe.

Overall, I think this recipe worked out very well.  The texture of the catfish worked well in the thick, herb-spiked tomato sauce.  The recipe still needs a little refinement and tweaking, but it is definitely a good start at a catfish stew.

CHEF BOLEK'S CATFISH STEW

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup flour
1 pound of catfish, cut into even sized pieces
1 stalk of celery, sliced
1/2 onion
1 cup okra, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 teaspoon of ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoons of dried thyme
1 teaspoons of Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup of wine
1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 can of crushed tomatoes

Directions:

1.  Make the roux.  Make a roux by heating the canola oil in a large cast iron or heavy bottomed pot over high heat.  Whisk the flour into the hot oil.  It will immediately begin to sizzle.  Reduce the heat to moderate and continue whisking until the roux takes on a deep brown color, about five to seven minutes. 

2.  Saute the onions.  Add the onions and continue to stir with a wooden spoon, incorporating the onions into the roux.  Reduce the heat and continue to stir for another five to seven minutes, until the roux is a rich dark brown.

3.  Add the vegetables.  Add the celery, bell peppers, garlic, and okra.  Increase the heat to moderate and continue to cook and stir for a couple of minutes.

4.  Add spices, tomatoes and liquid.  Add the mustard, thyme and oregano.  Add the white wine and continue to cook until the wine is mostly evaporated.  At that point, add the stock and the tomatoes.  Simmer for a few minutes and add the corn.  Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper. 

5.  Add the fish.  Add the catfish and continue to simmer, which should take no more than five minutes.

6.  Plate the dish.  Spoon some of the catfish, vegetables and broth over rice.

ENJOY!