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Shrimp Boulettes

April 9, 2021 by Carine Clary 2 Comments

Shrimp BoulettesWhat happens when you combine a little potato, a lot of shrimp, and spices, cover it with saltine cracker crumbs and do a quick fry? Shrimp Boulettes.

It’s a close cousin to my Vietnamese Shrimp Toast, with the cracker crumbs subbing for the toast. and it’s just as delicious although with a completely different flavor profile dominated by thyme, paprika, and parsley among others.

Traditional Boulette Recipe Fails

In doing research on the recipes of others I came across a common complaint and cause of failure. That was consistency. If it’s too loose the boulette will fall apart in the oil and you don’t want that. The problem arises because many of these recipes call for “one boiled russet potato.” and this can be the size of a tennis ball or the prize winner at the Iowa state fair. So my MO is to buy a medium-sized potato, boil it, mash it and use half a cup. If your final mixture is too stiff add a tablespoon or so but be careful not to add in too much. You should be able to roll a ball in your hand easily.

The Prep

To start at the start peel two pounds of any sized shrimp; peel, boil and mash your potato, add both to a food processor along with the egg and the herbs, spices, and lemon (or lime) juice. Pulse a few times then put into a bowl and fold in the chopped bell pepper, onion, and chili. Now put your shrimp boulette mixture in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up.

The breading

While firming is happening, crush the saltines. You may do this by squashing the sleeve with your hands or in a food processor, or you can use panko. Do not use the fine-ground Progresso-style bread crumbs. They’re too fine and have a slightly sweet taste.

Frying

Next heat the oil to 350. If you don’t have a thermometer just stick a chopstick or spoon in the oil. If bubbles form around the edge it’s good. Form balls, roll them in the cracker crumbs and drop in the oil. I like to flatten them a little bit but golf ball size & shape is traditional if that’s how you like them. Cook till brown about a minute per side.
After frying lay on a wire rack to cool as that will keep both sides crisp. You’re unlikely to have leftovers but if you do they can be frozen and reheated (also on a rack). But here’s another tip – you probably won’t have any leftovers…
Shrimp BoulettesAnd that’s it! I like a squirt of citrus over the finished product and pickles and veg to go with. You can even dip in some tartar sauce if you like.
So dig in and enjoy!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Shrimp Boulettes
 
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Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs shrimp, peeled
  • ½ cup mashed potatoes
  • 1 egg*
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • ½ tsp. ground thyme
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon serrano chili, very finely diced
  • finely crushed saltine crackers, two sleeves**
Instructions
  1. In a food processor combine raw shrimp, potato, parsley, thyme, paprika, lemon juice, egg, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Pulse several times but not too much. Little pieces of shrimp should still be visible.
  2. Fold in onion, bell pepper, and serrano chili.
  3. Put the mixture in the freezer for ten minutes or so to firm up then spoon out & roll into balls in the palm of your hands.
  4. Roll in cracker crumbs then slightly flatten with your hand.
  5. Fry in vegetable oil at 350 degrees or when bubbles form around the edges of a spoon or chopstick you've inserted into the oil.
  6. Cook on both sides until brown.
Notes
*If you halve the recipe beat the egg and only add half.
**or dried French bread crumbs or panko
3.4.3177

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Cajun, Seafood Tagged With: shrimp, shrimp boulettes, shrimp fritters

Shrimp Stew

October 13, 2020 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Shrimp StewSeveral things set this apart from a typical Shrimp Stew. Adding tomato paste to the roux at the end, fresh grated nutmeg, and home made shrimp stock, a recipe for which you can find here. I don’t usually make the shrimp stock on the day I’m making this because this is supposed to be a pretty quick & easy recipe if you have the stock on hand. My MO is to make ahead and freeze (and that goes for all stocks I have time to make). If you can’t do that you can check out Kitchen Basics Seafood Broth or Better than Bouillon’s version. If none are available water will do fine.

The Prep

As always, first you make the roux. You’ll mix the flour into the oil and cook over a low flame until it’s the color of a football (approximately) then stir in the tomato paste and let it cook for a minute.

Shrimp Stew RouxNext in are the vegetables. The heat from the roux will soften them up after a few minutes then it’ll be time for the tomato/shrimp broth dump. Stir those in well and add all the seasonings. Let cook until it smells insanely good then add the potatoes. And note that the pictured amounts are for half the stated recipe. This half amount will feed four if you’re serving other courses.

Shrimp Stew IngredientsBelow you’ll see everything right in the pot sweating and steaming its way to a savory finish just waiting for the potatoes and finally the shrimp.

Shrimp StewAnd here at the end is your reward. A warm comforting bowl of fall in New Orleans. Enjoy!

Shrimp Stew

 

Shrimp Stew
 
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Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Creole
Ingredients
  • For the roux:
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (or olive oil, butter, lard)
  • ½ cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • For the stew:
  • 1½ cup chopped onion
  • ⅔ cup white part of green onions, sliced
  • ⅓ cup chopped celery (including leaves if possible)
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 2 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with liquid (or 3 cups peeled, seeded & diced fresh tomatoes)
  • 3 cups shrimp stock (or water)
  • 2½ tsps. salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne (or red pepper flakes)
  • 3 bay leaves (or ½ tsp. powdered bay leaf)
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme (or 3 springs of fresh thyme)
  • several gratings of fresh nutmeg
  • 2 lbs. white potatoes, peeled & cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 lbs. whole fresh medium or small shrimp, peeled & deveined**
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice (or vinegar)
  • For the Garnish:
  • sliced green onion
  • finely chopped parsley
Instructions
  1. In a heavy bottomed 6 to 8 quart pot, heat the oil and stir in the flour. Cook over low heat stirring constantly until the roux is peanut butter colored.
  2. Whisk in the tomato paste and cook for about a minute then add the onions, celery, and garlic.
  3. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes then add the tomatoes* with their juice (if using canned) & shrimp stock, seasonings & lower the heat cooking for half an hour, then add potatoes and cook until done. The potatoes will take about 15 minutes depending on how finely they are cut. Smaller equals faster.
  4. Add the shrimp and cook for five minutes.
  5. Finally, add lemon juice, chopped parsley, and chopped green onion to taste.
Notes
*If you use fresh tomatoes boil a pot of water, stick a large fork into the stem end of the tomato and lower into the water. Hold in the boiling water until the skin breaks (about a minute or so) then remove and peel.
**If you have only large shrimp cut them in half.
3.4.3177

 

Filed Under: Creole, Seafood Tagged With: shrimp, Shrimp Stew, Shrimp stew with potatoes

Shrimp Supreme

March 3, 2017 by Carine Clary Leave a Comment

Shrimp SupremeShrimp Supreme.  A supremely unusual combination of chili and cinnamon. People will ask what’s in it. Make up bogus ingredients. Smile when they tell you that theirs never tastes like yours. Save the truth for your besties.

The History 

By the way, this is in no way similar to all the other Shrimp Supreme recipes on the web. It’s my re-imagining of a dish I had once at my grandmother’s annual iris growers association dinner. It was pot luck and this one old girl brought about a gallon of what appeared to be Shrimp Creole. S.C. is loved by all and the crock was emptied out before half the line made it by.

That’s when the fun started. Everyone took a seat. First bite, mmmm. Second bite, what the? what’s in this stuff cause it’s not Shrimp Creole. I glanced over at the chef on whose crepe paper cheeks a smirk was subtly evident. Finally one of the other ladies leaned forward and piped up.  Merlene! What in the sam hill is this made out of? Merlene put down her sweet tea, lifted her nose in the air, took a deep breath and responded. “Why Edna, what a question! It’s nothing but Texas chili powder, bird’s eye peppers and …….cinnamon. Just a pinch.”  Cinnamon! And chili powder with cumin and whatever else interesting is in chili powder. A little piece of Tampico washed up on our shores. Merlene later claimed to have gotten it out of Sunset Magazine but wherever it came from it was a hit and Merlene’s personalized recipe cards were passed out to interested parties at the next meeting.

The card is long gone but this is a pretty fair approximation of what we ate that night….and many nights to follow.

The Prep

The nice thing about this (besides the flavor) is that it looks nice but is basically a dump and stir creation that you can do on a week night or on short notice.  Get a couple of cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes, some pre-peeled shrimp, shrimp stock if you have it, chicken stock if you don’t, and start sauteing, dumping, stirring, and subsequently eating over rice or pasta. It’s a good idea to retain the liquid from the drained tomatoes and use it in the sauce to thin it if you need to.

I got all these pretty peppers for the shot but in reality you’ll probably use only a couple of pods sliced open and dropped in the pot while it’s simmering. Chop up some more to sprinkle over the finished dish and you’re good to go.

Cinnamon Chili ShrimpAnd be sure and thank Merlene in your prayers because she’s up there enjoying watching you enjoying her shrimp.

Shrimp Supreme
 
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Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Creole
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ½ cup finely diced onion (or leeks or green onions)
  • ¼ cup finely diced celery
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • ⅛ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups shrimp stock* (or chicken stock)
  • 2 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, drained (reserve liquid)
  • 1 tablespoon vermouth (or champagne vinegar)
  • 1 to 3 chili pods split & seeded with extra for dicing and garnishing
  • 1 lb. small peeled shrimp
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • chopped chili or parsley to garnish
  • Rice or pasta prepared according to package directions
  • For the optional shrimp stock:
  • Shells & heads from 2 lbs. of shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 pods garlic, crushed
  • 3 cloves (or more if desired)
  • ⅓ cup celery (include leaves if possible)
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled & cut into chunks
  • ½ of a medium onion cut into quarters
  • 3 sprigs parsley, including stems
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp. black pepper or whole peppercorns
  • 5 cups water (or to cover)
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter over low heat.
  2. Add onion & celery and cook for about 5 minutes until soft.
  3. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and vegetables and cook for a minute.
  4. Add chili, cinnamon, bay leaf, sugar and vermouth.
  5. Slowly stir in broth then add tomatoes and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes, covered.
  6. Add shrimp and cook for several more minutes.
  7. Garnish with parsley or diced peppers.
  8. For the Shrimp Stock::
  9. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the pan.
  10. Add the heads and shells and stir over medium heat until pink, about 10 minutes. They should give off a noticeable aroma. This develops flavor.
  11. Add water, veg, bay leaf, garlic, and cloves.
  12. Boil for 30 minutes.
  13. Strain and reserve.
3.4.3177

 

 

Filed Under: Creole, Rice & Noodle Dishes, Seafood Tagged With: shrimp, shrimp and cinnamon, shrimp in tomato sauce, shrimp with chili

Shrimp Stuffed Bell Peppers

February 18, 2016 by Carine Clary 2 Comments

Shrimp Stuffed Bell Peppers

Two categories of Stuffed Bell peppers

They are Shrimp stuffed Bell Peppers and Meat of your choice stuffed bell peppers.

Shrimp is my favorite and we’re in the Lenten season so a posting with shrimp is a no-brainer. This is a simple recipe that requires a skill set that consists largely of boiling and stirring. You boil the rice, you parboil the peppers, then stir some veg and shrimp into the rice stuffing and you’re done. After you’ve boiled, stirred & stuffed you sprinkle the top with crumbs and shredded cheese, run it under the broiler and it’s done. It’s a healthy dish that even junk food junkies will eat because who doesn’t like crunchy toasted cheese-covered anything?

In addition to the filling, you also have two presentation options. You may slice off the top and fill, or you may slice vertically and lay the peppers on their backs.  My favorite is the vertical slice since it doubles the available space for the topping, however, the horizontal upstanding stuffed pepper is better for freezing. And these freeze very well which can make it worthwhile to double or triple up the recipe.

Shrimp Stuffed Bell Peppers

The Prep

The prep method is outlined below and involves boiling the rice, parboiling the peppers, sauteeing the veg and seasonings, adding the shrimp, stuffing the peppers, sliding them into the oven and waiting for the house to smell good.

If you’re making the standing version pictured above hollow out the peppers by laying them on their side and slice off the top leaving an opening about two inches wide. Shake out the seeds and remove the white membrane. You can do this with a knife but to get a nice smooth interior remove any straggling pieces with a spoon. One of those serrated grapefruit spoons is perfect. I use a spoon that was unintentionally serrated when I dropped it into a running disposal. Fortunately, the original owner is long gone and unaware of the fate of her maimed sterling teaspoon.

The Seasonings

Although this is a fairly simple dish it differs from many others in that it’s more intensely flavored with herbs, nutmeg and cayenne. The herb I specify is thyme, but marjoram is a wonderful substitute if you have it, and fresh is best if you do. Finally, you may use any color pepper and top it with any kind of cheese. I strongly recommend using panko for the topping since it starts crunchy and stays crunchy, but dried breadcrumbs are fine too.

And if you’re looking for other lenten recipes you can’t do better than The Catholic Foodie. I kid you not. Only in Louisiana would you have a Catholic themed website with great food. Go there for more lent friendly recipes including this interesting African offering by Gertruda Domayo from Tanzania.

Shrimp Stuffed Bell Peppers
 
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Author: Carine Clary
Cuisine: Creole
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • For the rice:
  • ⅔ cup boiled rice
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)
  • For the bell peppers:
  • 4 medium sized bell peppers (any color)
  • For the stuffing:
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion (or the white parts of green onions)
  • 2 tsp. minced parsley
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1½ tsps. ground thyme
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • black pepper to taste
  • cayenne pepper to taste
  • ½ lb. small shrimp (or chopped large)
  • Breadcrumbs or Panko
  • Shredded Cheese (any kind)
  • Paprika for dusting the top
Instructions
  1. For the Rice:
  2. Boil rice in ⅔ cups water until done. Stir in the cream, parsley & tomatoes and set aside.
  3. For the Peppers:
  4. Cut off the tops and remove seeds & membranes from the inside, then place in a couple of inches of salted water. Cover, bring to a boil and cook for 4 minutes. The peppers should still be very firm.
  5. Place upright in a greased baking dish or lay sideways if you are slicing the peppers vertically.
  6. For the stuffing:
  7. Melt butter and saute onion, garlic, and seasonings for about 5 minutes until soft.
  8. Fold in the rice & tomato mixture, then raw shrimp. If you have larger shrimp cut them into small chunks.
  9. Spoon into the peppers, top with breadcrumbs and cheese, and place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until brown on top.
Notes
To make this vegetarian double the amount of chopped tomato.
If you end up with extra stuffing, you can cook it alone in a greased pyrex custard cup.
3.4.3177

 

Filed Under: Casseroles, Creole, Entree, Rice & Noodle Dishes, Seafood, Southern Tagged With: Bell peppers, shrimp, shrimp stuffed bell peppers, stuffed

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About Me

Hello, I'm Carine Clary and I'm the FrangloSaxon.

And is that a word? In a word - Yes! It reflects my French connections in the south part of the state and the Anglo Saxon ones on the Arkansas state line. I grew up eating & loving all the foods of Louisiana and the idea is to collect lots of them right here on this website.

What you'll find here is food that reflects everybody's cooking. Creole we know. Cajun we know. But how about Croatian or Vietnamese....or Italian or German....or the underestimated plain Southern food they do so well in the upstate parishes?

They're all part of who we are so pull up your chair and join me for some good eats!

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