Louisiana Caviar Recipes

CAJUN CAVIAR

Steps:

• Directions: Combine thyme, parsley, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns on a large square of cheesecloth. Bring together ends of the cheesecloth and tie with a kitchen twine to secure contents. Rinse and sort beans and peas. In a Dutch oven, add beans and peas, stock, butter, onion, cheesecloth satchel, salt, and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer on low to medium-low heat and cover, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 60 to 90 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, lime juice, and remaining 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning; set aside. In a large bowl, combine beans mixture, tomato, pepper, corn, onion, cilantro, and garlic. Add oil mixture to bean mixture, tossing to combine. Cover and chill for up to 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

GULLAH CAVIAR

Steps:

• Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, oregano and hot sauce in a large bowl. Drizzle in the oil while whisking. Add the peas, pimentos, corn, garlic, onion, bell pepper and cilantro to the dressing; season with salt and pepper. Toss until everything is coated. The salad can be served immediately, but is better if it sits for a few hours or overnight.

SMOKED EEL, SMOKED STURGEON, AND CHOUPIQUE CAVIAR SALAD WITH DILLED BUTTERMILK DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat a fryer to 360 degrees F.
• Season the flour with Essence and place in a shallow dish. Dredge the eel in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
• Fry the eel until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
• In a large bowl, combine the sturgeon, onions, chives, vinegar, oil, some of the Buttermilk Dill Dressing, salt, and pepper, and toss gently.
• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, and drizzle over the lettuces. Place 1/4 head of lettuce on each of 4 large salad plates. Arrange the sturgeon mixture over the lettuce. Top with the fried eel. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Place 1 teaspoon of the caviar in the center and serve.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
• To make the dressing, combine the egg and dill in the bowl of a food processor and process on high speed for 15 seconds. With the machine running, add the oil in a thin stream and process until it forms an emulsion. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the buttermilk, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

PAN ROAST LOUISIANA BLACKFISH WITH CORN, CRAB AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine Parmesan cheese and flour. Lightly score the skin side of the fillets several times to form a cross hatch pattern without cutting into the flesh of the fish. Season the portions of the blackfish with salt and a touch of lemon juice. Dredge the seasoned fish into the Parmesan/flour mixture.
• In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Add fillets, skin side down. Cook until skin is crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip fish and cook until fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Once the fish is cooked, remove it from the pan and place on absorbent towels to rest in a warm place for a moment, while the plate is being composed.
• To serve, remove the Silver Queen Corn Pudding from molds and place into large, shallow bowls. Over the warm pudding, place a portion of fish. Over the fish, spoon on the Saute of Crab and Baby Corn. Carefully pour a small ladle of Silver Queen Foam around the fish. With 2 demitasse spoons, form the caviar into quenelle or egg shapes and place over the fish next to the bed of corn and crab. Lightly garnish the fish with chives, chive blossoms, dill and chervil.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
• In a 4 quart saucepan, bring cream and corn to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until corn is tender, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture into a blender and blend until smooth, season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl.
• In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Slowly pour the hot corn mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to avoid curdling the eggs. Pour the custard into individual custard cups or molds, preferably nonstick. Place the molds in a roasting pan and pour hot water in the pan to come halfway up the sides of the mold. Bake until custards are just set, about 20 minutes.
• In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add crab and corn, cook, stirring, until mixture is just heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, remove from heat and season with hot pepper sauce and salt.
• Cut lemongrass into 2-inch pieces and bruise with the back of a knife. Place lemongrass in a piece of cheesecloth and tie closed.
• Combine lemongrass, stock and corn in a saucepan. Gently bring to a boil, simmer 15 minutes, remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes. Remove cheesecloth, puree mixture in blender, and pour through a fine strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much flavor as possible.
• When ready to use, bring the broth to a boil, season to taste with salt, whisk in butter and froth with a hand-held immersion blender.

CAJUN CAVIAR

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients and mix well.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is best.
• Keep chilled until ready to serve with tortilla chips, corn chips or crackers.

CAVIAR EGGS

Steps:

• 1. To remove top of egg: Cup egg, point side up, in palm of hand. Place small spice bottle upside down on top of egg, holding egg and bottle stable between thumb and forefinger. With other hand, hold heavy wooden spoon above bottle and strike downward, hitting bottle and creating crack around top of egg. Remove bottle and insert sharp paring knife into crack. Cut around horizontally to form small opening in top of egg.
• 2. Pour out egg into large mixing bowl; reserve. Set aside eggshell - both bottom and cut-off top. Repeat with remaining eggs. Under hot running water, rinse eggshell bottoms and tops. Set each top and bottom next to each other upside down on paper towels to dry. When dry, arrange bottoms in egg cups with tops on the side. Place toasted side down and toast again, being careful not to burn the toast. Arrange around base of each egg cup.
• 3. Whisk reserved eggs, then strain through fine sieve into another mixing bowl. Season with white pepper.
• 4. In saucepan over low heat, or in a double boiler, cook eggs, whisking constantly, until they start to thicken, about 5 minutes. Whisk in cream and shallots. Cook, whisking constantly, 30 seconds more or until desired consistency. Immediately transfer to glass bowl to stop eggs from further cooking and add the chives.
• 5. Carefully divide egg mixture among eggshell bottoms, filling each two thirds full. Top each with chives and caviar. Partially cover each egg with eggshell top, and serve immediately.