Fried Crawfish Po'Boys and a Po'Boy Cookbook Review

Po'Boys are one of my favorite foods.  Nothing beats a good, dressed* Po'Boy for supper on a Saturday night.

Roast Beef Po'Boys dripping with debris gravy* are my favorite.  But other classics like fried shrimp, catfish, oyster, or crawfish are ok with me too.

   

I tend to pick straight on classics then quirk things up with a flavored mayo, mustard, or some other sauce.

This time around I made a garlicky, lemony mayo with lemon juice and my son's favorite thing to put on everything:  Cajun Power Garlic Sauce.

served with a side of Creole Oven Fries

The foundation of a really great Po'Boy is the bread--a crisp crust and soft, cottony inside.   After that, pretty much anything can be made into a Po'Boy.

And that's where this book comes in.

The Southern Po'Boy Cookbook: Mouthwatering Sandwich Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans 

by Todd-Michael St. Pierre

This isn't a new cookbook; it was published in 2013.
But it does have some new po'boy ideas like a Pain Perdu (French Toast) Po'Boy for breakfast and a Cheesy Pepperoni Po'Boy to make the kids happy.

There are also twisty takes on standards.
The old carb lovers dream--the french fry po'boy (yes, there is such a thing) becomes a Poutine Po' Boy.  The classic fried catfish po'boy is sexed up into a Pecan-Crusted Trout Meunière Po' Boy.

There are roughly 52 po'boy recipes.
One po'boy per week for a year.

I have work to do.  I've only tried two so far.

The Ultimate BLT
aka The Slidell

This po'boy is made with basil mayo, mozzarella, bacon, and arugula (I used lettuce), and tomatoes that are slowly roasted with a garlic-herb dressing.  Two slices of bacon per po'boy just seemed skimpy so I doubled it.  The author likes to make the joke that he doesn't like a heavily dressed po'boy--he prefers a scantily clad one.  But one cup of mayo split between two po'boys was really a bit much.  Overall, this was a good po'boy and one I'd make again.  The tomatoes were my favorite part and the basil mayo was a nice touch.

Eggplant Parmesan Po'Boy

aka The Bywater

I thought this was a clever idea for a meatless po'boy that doesn't involve seafood or frying (the eggplant is baked).  This is also a clever idea for using up leftover eggplant parmesan...which is what I would suggest.  The author makes these eggplant parm po'boys right from scratch.

This is something I noticed throughout the book.  The Plaquemines (Turkey & Stuffing Thanksgiving Po'Boy) uses Thanksgiving leftovers.  I find that many of the recipes in this book would be fun ways to serve leftovers.  I'm sure the author doesn't want to assume that you have leftover glazed ham and mac & cheese to make The Mama's Boy, leftover red beans and andouille sausage to make The Metairie, or leftover crawfish etouffee to make The Atchafalaya.  But I don't think I'll be soaking red beans overnight or baking a glazed ham to make a po'boy--no matter how much I love po'boys.

For the record, the only po'boy I'd spend hours on would be a roast beef.

At first glance, the names of the po'boys seem fun and slick.  Most of the po'boys are named after areas in and around New Orleans (The Garden District, The Marigny, The Harahan, The Treme) or are NOLA related (The Jazz Fest, The Satchmo, The Snug Harbor).

Some of the names make sense.  The St. Charles Avenue is a fried lobster po'boy with remoulade sauce.  Upscale like it's namesake.  The Havana features cuban style pork.  The Lafayette is a po'boy filled with boudin, a Cajun sausage popular in the Lafayette area.

Most of the names are just out of left field though.  And that bugs me.
Why is The Metairie called the Metairie?  Red beans are eaten all over New Orleans.  Why is The Pontchartrain--a huge source of seafood for the New Orleans area--a breakfast French toast po'boy?  Why was the name not given to a po'boy featuring seafood?  Similarly, why is the classic roast beef po'boy called The Lakeside?  And on a personal level, why is The Algiers a po'boy featuring fried scallops and chipotle sauce?  I'm not saying fried scallops with chipotle sauce wouldn't be good.  But I grew up in Algiers and can assure you that we did not eat scallops.  Or chipotle.  This not standard Algiers fare.  Like I said, it just bugs me.

Summing it up:
I found the book to be interesting because of my passion for po'boys.  The food pictures and artwork, showing New Orleans scenes, make me want to eat po'boys all day and spend some time in my hometown.  I don't know that I'll really follow many of the recipes as they are written, but the book did give me a lot of jumping off points for branching out when it comes to the good ole po'boy.



Print It

Fried Crawfish Po'Boys w/ Cajun Power Mayo

for the mayo:
1/2 cup Blue Plate Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Cajun Power Garlic Sauce

Mix together in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

for the po'boys:
1 12" French Bread
oil for frying
1 lb crawfish tails
3/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
10 oz of your favorite fish fry (I use LA NOLA style fish fry)
shredded lettuce
sliced tomato
pickle slices (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the bread in half lengthwise, leaving a "hinge" on one side.  Cut the bread into two equal pieces to make two po'boys.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes to warm and crisp the bread.  Remove and set aside.

Heat oil to 350 degrees.  While oil is heating, dust the crawfish with flour and shake off the excess.  Combine the egg and milk.  Dunk the crawfish in the mixture, then coat with fish fry.  Shake of the excess and carefully add to hot oil.  Fry until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

Spread the bottom side of each po'boy with the mayo.  Pile on the crawfish.  Top with lettuce, tomato, and pickle (if using).

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*FYI:
Dressed means to order a Po'Boy with mayo, lettuce, tomato, etc.
Debris Gravy is a rich roast beef gravy, filled with little bits of beef (the debris).  It's the best part of a roast beef Po'Boy.

Products and sources:
(note: these are NOT affiliate links)
Louisiana Fish Fry: New Orleans Style w/ Lemon
Cajun Power Garlic Sauce
Louisiana crawfish tail meat
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More Crawfish...

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Mediterranean Magic {Nigel Slater's Pepper, Tomato, and Basil Pasta}

It's been so long since I've participated with I Heart Cooking Clubs.  Just can't seem to keep a regular schedule these days.  With anything.

This week, I'm prepared though.  No way I was going to miss this theme: Mediterranean Magic.
Mediterranean food covers a lot of ground.  My favorite type is Greek.

But our current chef, Nigel Slater, makes this pasta that is straight out of the garden.

While I can't resist Greek food, going out to the garden and picking dinner appeals to me even more.

The red pepper boats, stuffed with tomato, garlic, basil dressing, and capers (my addition) could be great on their own.  Maybe as an appetizer?  Served over pasta, they became a filling but summery meal.

HERE is the original recipe.  I took liberties based on what I had and personal taste.

My cherry tomato plant was empty when it came time to cook, so I chopped a couple of Creole tomatoes.  Capers seemed like a nice add-in, so I went with it.  I'm glad I did because they gave just the right amount of...something...not sure what.  After adding the oil and juices from the peppers to the pasta, it was still kind of bland, so more capers and some of the caper liquid was tossed into the pasta too.  I think it would be a good idea to make extra basil dressing and add some directly to the pasta.

Would make again...really liked it.  Thought it was a perfect summer meal.

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A Little Cheese Please {Rice with Cheese}

The title of this recipe makes me laugh.
Yes, this is rice with cheese.

But it's also rice, in the form of risotto, with herbs...parsley, dill, basil, green onion.
And cheese, in the form of mozzarella, topped with breadcrumbs.

The title is an understatement, to say the least.

Review:
Nigel Slater's Rice with Cheese could work as a meatless main dish as well as a side.  The flavors can easily be changed by using different combinations of herbs.  I think baby spinach would also be a good addition.

The real stand-out part of this dish is the cheese topping.  Sprinkling breadcrumbs (I used panko) over the cheese before baking (I also drizzled with a little olive oil for browning) is the thing that takes this from a reserved dish to a bold one.

The recipe can be found at The Guardian.

Linking with I Heart Cooking Clubs.

Check out some more Cheesy dishes.

Fit for a Brit {Nigel Slater's Sausages and Mustard}

I Heart Cooking Clubs is featuring the recipes of Nigel Slater for the next 6 months.  This week our theme is "Fit for a Brit."

I'm not on the up and up with British cuisine, but sausages (think bangers and mash) and mustard (think Coleman's) seem to be on the list.

So when I found Nigel Slater's Sausages & Mustard on the BBC website (click for recipe), I said "well, why not?"

It didn't hurt that this is a pasta dish.  With a creamy sauce.  And that I could use one of my favorite things on earth...Zatarain's Creole Mustard.

See...this creamy sauce has not one, but TWO types of mustard.  Dijon and grainy mustard.

I used the hell out of both because I love mustard.

Notes:  This dish was ok.  I made a huge mistake overdoing things because I couldn't control my mustard greed.  Then I tried to tighten my sauce by adding a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan.  Result = salt city.

I will try this again the right way.  I'm sure it will be very good.

Visit I Heart Cooking Clubs to see what other Fit for a Brit dishes were made this week.

A Welcome 'Toast' to Nigel Slater {Spatchcocked Chicken with Spinach Couscous}

This week I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) toasts a new chef: Nigel Slater.

Since I know nothing about Nigel Slater, I decided to follow my latest obsession (thanks to IHCC and Donna Hay)...Spatchcocked Chicken.

Last week (was that just last week?  Seems like months...) I tried Donna Hay's Flat-roasted Chicken with Almond and Mint.  It was the first time I prepared chicken his way.  We loved it.  Raved about it.  It made my Donna Hay Top Five list.

I couldn't wait to make it again.
And you should know that I truly dislike roasting chicken.

So it turns out that Nigel Slater spatchcocks (I'm totally giggling) chicken too.

Donna Hay's chicken was roasted pretty plain--just some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Dress up time came at serving.  In the form of a mint/almond sauce.

Nigel Slater makes a sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, and thyme and pours it over the chicken before roasting.  The chicken roasts in this sauce along with more thyme, a whole head of garlic, and lemon halves.

Slater's chicken was good, but, well, two things.
1. I got greedy.  Because I liked my first try at spatchcocking so much, I bought a super duper giant chicken.  I've come to the conclusion that spatchcocking should not be performed on big chickens.  The smaller ones roast more evenly.

2. One of the great things about Donna Hay's chicken was that the skin gets very crispy while the inside stays juicy.  Since Slater's chicken is roasted with a sauce poured over the top, the skin never got as crispy as I'd liked.

But let's talk about the second part of this recipe.
Spinach Couscous.

It doesn't hurt that spinach is my all time favorite vegetable.  Ever.
And always.
The genius of this recipe, though, is cooking the couscous in all of the drippings from the roasting pan.

So much genius.
And more flavor than you can spatchcock a chicken with.

Nigel Slater's Spatchcocked Chicken with Spinach Couscous (which was supposed to be Rocket Couscous) can be found at the Guardian's website.

IHCC's Nigel Slater welcome posts can be found here.

Catch Ya Later Donna Hay {Top Five Round-up}

I Heart Cooking Clubs wraps up with Donna Hay this week.
Donna Hay is another chef IHCC introduced me to.  I found her recipes to be easy, simple, and straightforward.  No special techniques or equipment needed.  This doesn't mean that her recipes lacked inspiration.  She creates exciting dishes out of simplicity.

Our next chef will be Nigel Slater, starting March 31st.
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I would liked to have made more Donna Hay recipes, but Mardi Gras and other things got in the way.  So to make up for lost time, I have two Donna Hay recipes this week.  I served them together for dinner with a salad.

Zucchini and Chickpea Fritters

My son loves chickpeas.  I love crispy on the outside/soft on the inside food.  I really thought these would be a hit, but they weren't.  They were bland and the texture was very dry.  The recipe can be found on Donna Hay's website.

Flat-roasted Chicken with Almond and Mint

This recipe can be found in Donna Hay's Seasons and also on her website.  I need to confess a couple of things.  First, I don't like handling raw chicken so flattened (or spatchcock) chicken never appealed to me since it means extra time touching raw chicken.  Second, even though my mom roasted chickens often, I am not a chicken roaster.  I can't do it.  It never turns out right...raw in places yet overdone in others.  A hot mess.  Grocery store rotisseries for me.

After making this recipe, I will gladly flatten any and all chickens, throw them in the oven, and roast away.

Yep.  That good.  We were amazed by the even cooking, by how tender and juicy the meat was, and how perfectly crispy the skin was.  My son said that the chicken was "as juicy as Popeye's."
(Which is a compliment.)

Then there's this concoction of almonds, lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and mint that is drizzled on the chicken, taking it over the top.

Try it and see.

My Top Five Donna Hay Recipes

#5: Pine Nut Brown Butter Pasta

#4: Apple and Dark Chocolate Wonton Parcels

#3: Chilli Cashew Chicken Noodles

#2: Flat-Roasted Chicken w/ Almond & Mint

#1: Beef & Chorizo Burgers

More good-byes to Donna Hay:

March Potluck at I Heart Cooking Clubs {Chicken with Mustard and Brandy Gravy}

So, I love gravy.  And sauce.  I'll selflessly serve others the bulk of the meat and hoard suffer through the gravy myself.

How could I pass up something called Mustard and Brandy Gravy?

The gravy recipe is from Donna Hay's website (link above).  She suggests serving it with chicken, turkey, or pork.  I sauteed some chicken breasts, placed them over spinach, and poured on the mustardy, boozy gravy.

After thinking about grainy mustard, bay leaf, and brandy, my expectations were way too high.  While this was good, it wasn't as fantastic as I thought it would be.

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Potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs means recipes from any of nine chefs can make an appearance.  It's always fun to see what gets cooked up.

Crab Bruschetta and Gulf Coast Seafood: Top Seafood Blog

How many of you check your stats?  Number of pageviews?  Top viewed pages?  Traffic sources?
It all makes my head spin and I try not to get caught up in it since this is a hobby for me and not a source of income.

But, honestly, it is way too easy to get sucked in.

Sometimes it can be discouraging.
Sometimes it can be surprising.

Recently, I noticed a lot of visits to my list of seafood recipes.
I figured Lent was the reason.  Until I looked into where the the views were coming from.

It turns out that last April, Gulf Coast Seafood listed me as a Top 100 Seafood Blogger.  Number 18 on the list.

Even though it happened almost a year ago and I'm only realizing it now, I am beyond excited and honored.  (The night I discovered this, I couldn't go to sleep afterwards!)

Sure, it's a big deal for me as a blogger.  But if you read any (or all!) of my series on Louisiana's Disappearing Coast, you can probably imagine that this honor is a bigger deal to me for other reasons.  I am passionate about my state's culture, food, and especially it's waterways.

Thank you Gulf Coast Seafood for this privilege!

~*~*~*~

It's been a while since I've cooked with my pals at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  This week, it's "The Eating of the Green" in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

I really wanted something with seafood.  Of course, green seafood is probably not the best idea.

But seafood garnished with green and bathed in lime was pretty darn good!

Donna Hay's Crab Bruschetta is an easy, light crab salad on toasted sourdough bread with a little bit of bite from the jalapeno and green onion on top.  I've never had crab with lime before (it's always lemon for me).  I'd do it again.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe, adding chopped cherry tomatoes for another layer of color and some parsley for even more green.

Visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs for more recipes.


Print It!

Crab Bruschetta
adapted from Donna Hay

6 thinly sliced pieces of sourdough bread
olive oil
1 heaping TBSP Blue Plate Mayo
3 tsp lime juice
2 tsp grated lime zest
salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked crab
handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 medium fresh jalapeno, sliced in rings
2-3 TBSP chopped green onion
1-2 TBSP chopped parsley
additional lime, cut in wedges (optional)

Heat oven to 350 F.  Place bread on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake until golden.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the mayo, lime juice, lime zest, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.  Gently fold in the crab and tomato.

Top the bread with the crab salad.  Garnish with sliced jalapeno, green onion, and parsley.  Serve with lime wedges (optional).

Need more CRAB?

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