Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen (20 page)

Salt and black pepper

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cup chopped fresh parsley

Just Right White Rice
, for serving

1. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is the color of a Hershey bar. (If you heat the oil first on medium heat to just short of smoking, then whisk in the flour, the roux will be ready quicker.) This should take about 20 minutes.

2. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, green onion, and garlic to the roux and cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are well coated and starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to let anything burn.

3. Stir the meat slowly into the roux and vegetables. If you are using seafood, don’t add it yet.

4. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, bay leaves, hot sauce, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes if you added the meat, 1 hour if not, and add the seafood in the last 15 minutes. (Shrimp, crab meat, and crawfish cook quickly.)

5. Add the parsley. It should now look like a thick gravy. Add more broth if needed.

6. Remove the bay leaves before serving over rice.

A Note from Phil

Sauce Piquante is always served over rice. Remember: seafood cooks quickly, so don’t add it too early. You can really use this sauce with any type of meat. Check out the recipe on the previous page to guarantee that you get your rice “just right.”

Jay’s Duck Wraps

Makes 8 to 12 servings • Outdoor grill

8 to 12 duck breasts

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

8 to 12 jalapeño slices (either from a jar or sliced fresh)

1 package (5 ounces) Duck Commander Seasoning Rub

8 to 12 thin slices of bacon

Honey (any kind will work)

1. Soak the duck breasts in salted water overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Heat the grill to medium.

3. Cut an incision down the length of each breast, along the side, without cutting through to the other side. Stuff each breast with cream cheese and one jalapeño slice. Coat each breast with the seasoning rub and wrap with one slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.

4. Cook on the open grill until the bacon is crisp and the cream cheese starts to ooze out. It’s okay for duck to be medium-rare.

5. Drizzle honey over each breast and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes to glaze. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

A Note from Miss Kay

We love adding new cooks to our family. My granddaughter Anna is a blessed wife to have a husband who loves to grill. Jay loves to cook and often grills or barbecues for our whole family.

Mustard-Fried Crappie
(We Call Them Perch)

Large deep cast-iron skillet • Deep-fry thermometer

Crappie (any number you or your fisherman have caught)

Salt and black pepper

Yellow mustard

All-purpose flour

Peanut oil, for frying

Duck Commander Cajun Seasoning (mild or zesty)

1. Fillet your crappie. This means to take the meat of the fish away from the bones, using a sharp knife. If you have never done this and don’t have a grandpa around to show you how, there are several YouTube videos with instructions. I’ve never see them, but my kids tell me this is true.

2. Sprinkle the filleted fish with salt and pepper. Coat the fish with mustard, and roll in flour (about 1 tablespoon mustard and 3 tablespoons flour for each fillet).

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

4. Fry a few fillets at a time until golden brown; this will only take a few minutes. Drain on paper towels, and while still hot, sprinkle with Cajun seasoning.

A Note from Miss Kay

In Louisiana, we love our fish, and preparing it can be a competitive activity. Fresh from the river and piping hot is the best way to serve fish!

Fried Crawfish Tails

Makes 6 servings • Large deep cast-iron skillet • Deep-fry thermometer

2 pounds crawfish tail meat (thawed if frozen)

Salt and black pepper

Duck Commander Cajun Seasoning (mild or zesty)

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil, for frying

1. Season the crawfish with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Dip the crawfish in the eggs (this is called an egg wash) then roll them in flour (this will keep the tails from sticking to each other when cooking).

2. Fill the skillet about halfway with oil and heat the oil to 350°F over medium-high heat. Add the crawfish tails a handful at a time and cook until golden brown and just done, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels and eat quickly.

A Note from Miss Kay

Crawfish dishes are practically their own food group in Louisiana. We boil, fry, steam, bake, add them to other dishes, or serve it alone. But any way we serve it, it gets eaten!

Easy Crawfish Étouffée

Makes 4 servings • Large skillet

1 stick (
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pound) butter

2 white onions, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of mushroom soup

1 soup can of water

1 to 1
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pounds crawfish tail meat, fresh or frozen

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teaspoon Duck Commander Cajun Seasoning (mild or zesty)

Salt and black pepper

Garlic powder

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Just Right White Rice
, for serving

1. In the skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, about 8 minutes.

2. Stir in the soup and water, bring to a boil, and boil for 2 to 3 minutes to reduce slightly. Add the crawfish, Cajun seasoning, and salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, to heat the crawfish through. Stir in the parsley and serve over rice.

A Note from Miss Kay