Viet Cajun Shrimp Boil Wrapped In Banana Leaves Recipes

VIET-CAJUN SEAFOOD BOIL

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, lemongrass, cayenne, and salt. Simmer until softened and flavors combine, about 5 minutes.
• Add water, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, Cajun seasoning, and Old Bay into large stockpot. Bring to a boil and simmer until flavors combine, about 5 minutes. The broth should be flavorful and spicy, almost too salty.
• Add potatoes and sausages. Cover and boil for 8-10 minutes, until potatoes are almost done. (The potatoes and sausages take longer to cook than clams, shrimp, and corn.)
• Add clams, shrimp, and corn. Cover and boil until clams open and shrimp are pink and curled, about 4-5 minutes.
• Using a mesh strainer, transfer potatoes, sausages, clams, shrimp, and corn to a tray. Leave behind broth and aromatics (garlic, ginger, lemongrass). Cover tray loosely with foil and set aside.
• Bring broth to a boil. When the broth is furiously simmering, add lobsters. Cover and boil until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. The lobsters should be bright red. Transfer to tray with tongs, making sure to remove the foil first. Scatter with sliced green scallions.
• Serve with Spicy Garlic Butter Sauce divided evenly into 4 ramekins. Also, serve the broth in small bowls for additional dipping. Enjoy!

SHRIMP AND BANANA

Steps:

• Sear the shrimp on one side in a skillet on medium-high heat with a little bit of vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Add the shallots and garlic. Once the shrimp are partially cooked, after about 1 minute, remove from the skillet. Next, add the bananas and break up the bananas with tongs while sauteing to essentially mash. Saute for 1 minute.
• Add the water/soy mix, sambal and honey and saute another minute until heated through. Return the shrimp to the skillet and finish cooking, 2 to 3 minutes. Finish with the lime juice and cilantro, and then season again if necessary.
• Spoon the banana sauce into bowls. A small concave vessel with a large bell is best. Place 5 shrimp to a bowl on top of the sauce. Garnish with onion sprouts.

VIETNAMESE CAJUN SEAFOOD BOIL

Steps:

• Rinse the seafood. Rinse the shrimp and crab legs. Scrub and soak the clams in cold salted water for 30 minutes then rinse the clams until the water becomes clear. Set aside.
• Make the broth. In a large stockpot, fill the pot halfway (about 1 gallon) with water. Add the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, old bay, lemon, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the seafood and vegetables. Add the potatoes and return to a gentle boil. Uncover and boil on medium-high for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add clams and sausage. Cover the pot and boil on medium-high for 5 minutes. Lastly, add crab legs, shrimp, and corn. Cover pot, and let the mixture stand on low heat until the shrimp and clams are cooked through about 3-5 minutes. The seafood is cooked when the shrimp turns pink and the clams open. Using a colander, drain the seafood and discard the water. Discard the lemongrass, lemons, ginger, and garlic. Set aside.
• Make the garlic butter sauce. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the old bay, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper and sugar until combined. Next in a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter and minced garlic. Saute the garlic until fragrant. Then add the seasoning mix, lemon juice and Louisiana hot sauce. Stir until combined. Turn off heat and set aside.
• Mix together. Transfer the seafood and vegetables to a large mixing bowl and toss the seafood with the butter sauce evenly coats the seafood. Garnish with cilantro and serve with lemon and salt and pepper.

RED SNAPPER GRILLED IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Combine the cilantro, mint, chiles, ginger, scallion, coconut, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender and pulse to make a coarse paste. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, vegetable oil and fish sauce and blend to make a smooth, slightly thick sauce. Season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Make the fish: Preheat a grill to medium high. Lay the banana leaves on a work surface, overlapping each about halfway, so the leaves are large enough to wrap around the fish, with the tail and head sticking out slightly. Lightly brush the banana leaves with vegetable oil. Cut three 24-inch pieces of kitchen twine and run under water to moisten (this will prevent the twine from burning on the grill).
• Make 2 or 3 slits crosswise on each side of the fish, cutting about 1/2 inch into the flesh. Season the fish inside and out with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt total. Stuff the lime and ginger slices, chiles, and cilantro and mint sprigs into the cavity of the fish. Set the fish at one short end of the banana leaves and roll it up, leaving the head and tail sticking out, then tie together in 3 places with the kitchen twine.
• Once the grill registers 425˚ F to 450˚ F, grill the fish until the banana leaves are charred, about 12 minutes. Flip and grill until the fish is cooked through, 12 to 14 more minutes. (Because the fish is wrapped, it is difficult to test for doneness. The juices will run clear from the head and gills when poked.) Let the fish rest 5 minutes, then untie and remove the banana leaves. Lift the flesh from the bones and serve with the cilantro-mint sauce.

CITRUS SALMON WRAPPED IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Wash the banana leaves and brush them with a delicate amount of olive oil. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, a little citrus juice and any other desired aromatics. Wrap in the salmon in banana leaves and place in a 350 degree F oven until done (about 7 minutes).

5 SPICE CAJUN SHRIMP

Steps:

• Preheat grill.
• Combine equal parts of the 5 spices for the shrimp, to taste. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Grill for 2 minutes, then sprinkle with some of the lemon juice. Flip the shrimp after 5 minutes and sprinkle other side with more lemon juice. Cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, and sprinkle with the remaining lemon juice.