Recipes

Louisiana's "King Of American Seafood" Grills It Up

(NAPSA)-Some of America's finest chefs demonstrated their seafood preparation skills at the sixth annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off held in New Orleans.

"The cook-off underscores the importance of using domestic seafood from sustainable fisheries," said Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.

Tory McPhail, executive chef of Commander's Palace in New Orleans, was crowned "King of American Seafood." His winning dish, Creole Seafood Mixed Grill, combines Louisiana sheepshead, shrimp and crabmeat.

Creole Seafood Mixed Grill combines Louisiana seafood.

Creole Seafood Mixed Grill

• 1 lb. sheepshead or trout fillets, boneless and skinless
• 1 lb. 10- to 15-count head-on Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined with heads and tails left intact
• 1/2 lb. jumbo lump Louisiana crabmeat, shells removed
• 4 oz. white wine
• 1 Tbsp. hickory sea salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp. vegetabl
• 2 Tbsp. bacon fat, warmed
• 1 shallot, mince
• 1 jalape–o, seeds discarded, minced
• 1 oz. celery, minced
• 2 cups ass
• 1 cup tomato concasse, small dice
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 1 oz. basil oil
• 1/2 cup mixed herbs, optional

Prepare grill to medium heat and place a medium sautŽ pan on the stove over medium flame. Season the seafood on all sides with sea salt and black pepper and reserve. Place vegetable oil and bacon fat in the sautŽ pan and swirl. Add shallot, jalape–o and celery; sautŽ 1 minute. Add corn; continue to sautŽ 30 seconds. Add milk; bring to a simmer. Place 1Ú4 of corn mixture into a blender; puree for 20 seconds. Return pureed corn to pan; continue to cook for 3-4 minutes or until heated through and at sauce consistency. Stir in tomatoes and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

To cook the seafood, place the crabmeat and wine in small saucepan; place on the hottest part of the grill. Heat for 3-5 minutes before placing the sheepshead and shrimp on the grill around the pan. Cook the fish and shrimp for approximately 3 minutes per side, until done. Make sure the crabmeat comes to a simmer; swirl to heat through.

To serve, spoon corn sauce onto middle of 4 hot plates. Top with sheepshead; add 2-3 shrimp on top. Spoon the warm crabmeat over the shrimp and into the corn sauce. Drizzle with remaining corn sauce; garnish with basil oil and fresh herbs.

Makes 4 servings.

For more information and all the recipe entries, visit GreatAmericanSeafoodCookoff.com.