Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen (19 page)

Cajun Cooking & Shrimp Mistakes

Just because you live in Louisiana doesn’t mean you automatically know how to cook Cajun food. Phil and I were both raised in north Louisiana, and Cajun cooking is a south Louisiana delicacy. But it didn’t take us long to figure out that the Cajuns had some secrets we wanted to know about.

We didn’t, and still don’t, eat out much, but when we would go to a restaurant that served Cajun food, we would pick that dish apart, looking to duplicate the recipe. One way I’ve always figured out a dish was with my nose. That’s right—I just smell it. Well, I guess I had gone too far at one restaurant when I looked up to see a surprised waiter looking at my nose covered in crawfish étouffée! Phil just looked the other way like he didn’t know me.

But this story ends well, as we were later asked to eat at NOLA, a restaurant in New Orleans owned by the famous chef Emeril Lagasse. To my delight, we were invited to see the kitchen and watch the chef prepare the meal. I can assure you—I kept my nose away from the pot!

This picture really looks like the “best of Louisiana.” I love it! Sadie with her Papaw Phil and Uncle Si enjoying one of the many rivers we fish on in northeast Louisiana.

Phil and I have shared the journey of learning new recipes and growing together as cooks. Every couple should have at least one thing they cherish together. Through cooking, Phil and I have grown to appreciate each
other’s gifts and to value each other’s opinion. That will go a long way in keeping a marriage healthy. Speaking of valuing each other’s gifts, I have another story for you.

This picture was taken in the early 1980s by the Ouachita River. I’m sure we had a feast with this big fish! The little boy is Marshall Flowers, a friend of our family’s.

Many years ago, my good friend Sherry and I decided to fry shrimp. I made the batter out of flour, eggs, and milk. It looked a little thick, but we figured it would be okay, so we started dipping the shrimp and throwing them in the hot oil. Shrimp have a distinctive shape—sort of like a comma, with a big top and small tail. But as Sherry and I spooned out the first few shrimp, they just looked like little balls of flour. The distinctive shrimp shape was nowhere to be found. But we kept on frying and eventually had a platter full, and we served them up with homemade french fries and salad. We waited for our hungry husbands to heap compliments on our efforts. Phil took one bite and declared there was no shrimp in his bite at all! Somehow we had managed to fry a few pieces of the thick batter without a shrimp being involved at all! From that day forward, Phil has been the shrimp fryer in our family. It’s fine with me—trust me, there’s plenty for me to do in the kitchen and Phil’s shrimp are the best!

Jase is showing Lily the fine art of peeling a crawfish. We teach them young so we don’t have to peel them for the kids. Every man for himself when it comes to eating crawfish!

Don’t be afraid to admit your husband is better than you at some things. Hey—sit back and let him enjoy being the best! God made us all valuable!

Crawfish Balls

Makes 8 to 10 servings • Large cast-iron skillet • Deep heavy pot • Deep-fry thermometer

²
/
₃
cup olive oil

2 large white or red onions, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Salt and black pepper

2 pounds crawfish tail meat, cut into small pieces

4 cups bread crumbs (crush dried bread in your hands or use store-bought unseasoned crumbs)

2 large eggs

Peanut oil, for frying

Duck Commander Cajun Seasoning (mild or zesty) or other Cajun seasoning

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, parsley, and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Turn off the heat and add the crawfish, 3 cups of the bread crumbs, and the eggs and mix well.

3. Shape into golf-ball-size balls, or you can form it into patties.

4. Fill the pot about halfway with peanut oil and heat on medium heat to about 350°F (don’t get your oil too hot).

5. Roll the crawfish balls/patties in the remaining bread crumbs. Fry a few at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and while still hot, sprinkle with the Cajun seasoning.

A Note from Miss Kay

It makes me happy, happy, happy that I married a man who loves to cook. This is one of the many recipes that Phil makes while I’m busy doing some other dish. Crawfish Balls make a great appetizer, but they will disappear fast!

Just Right White Rice

1 cup rice makes 2 servings • Saucepan with a lid

1 cup long-grain white rice (see Tip)

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Bring the rice, water, and salt to a boil on medium-high heat. Let the water boil down to almost level with the rice, then put the lid on it and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Allow to steam for 20 minutes.

Tip
  For every cup of rice you use, you will use twice that amount of water. So whatever the amount of rice you want to cook, just use twice that amount of water. Figure
¹
/
₂
cup of raw rice per person, so 1 cup of uncooked rice will feed two people.

A Note from Phil

Some of the best dishes are served with rice—
Jambalaya
,
Étouffée
,
Pinto Beans & Sausage
, and even
Corn Shrimp Soup
. Getting your rice right makes all the difference!

Phil’s Sauce Piquante

Makes 12 servings • Dutch oven

1 cup peanut oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced green bell pepper

¹
/
₂
cup chopped green onions or scallions

10 garlic cloves, minced

4 pounds meat of your choice, cut in 1
¹
/
₂
-inch chunks (deer or duck or seafood)

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) stewed tomatoes

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 can (14.75 ounces) chicken broth, plus more if needed

3 bay leaves

Dash of hot sauce (your choice)

Pinch of dried basil