Tag: American
Jambalaya Burger
Jambalaya Burger
I’ve seen multiple recipes online for jambalaya burgers; all using ground beef patties. What sets my burger apart from everything else on the internet is that mine uses a raw ground andouille sausage. And the reason why is that people might have a problem finding raw ground andouille sausage. Almost all andouille sausage you find in a grocery is going to be smoked. My meat department happens to make a raw andouille sausage. If you can find a raw andouille sausage, take it out of the sausage casings and form it into patties. If not, I’m attaching my recipe for andouille sausage below this one. Just skip the stuffing and smoking. Beyond this andouille rant, this is one of the best burgers I’ve ever had; by far. I’m such a big fan of Cajun and Creole cuisine, I turned one of my favorite dishes, jambalaya, into a spicy, juicy, burger of meteoric proportions. Once again, I made an andouille sausage patty topped with Creole shrimp, the trinity(onion, celery, and bell pepper), and sliced heirloom tomato; with creole mustard on top of a toasted brioche bun.
Servings: 2 burgers
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground andouille sausage
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 1/4 cup white onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/4 cup celery finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 8 large 16/20 ct. shrimp peeled and deveined; tails removed
- 2 tsp creole seasoning
- 2 brioche buns toasted
- heirloom tomato sliced
- creole mustard
Instructions
- Heat up 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onion, celery, and bell pepper for 4 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for a minute.
- Add in another tbsp of vegetable oil. Season the shrimp with creole seasoning. Add to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
- Flip the shrimp and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the contents from the pan.
- Divide the ground andouille sausage into 2-8oz patties.
- Pan fry the patty for 6 minutes over medium high heat.
- Flip the burger and cook the patty for 4 minutes; covered.
- Put each patty on a toasted brioche bun. Place 4 shrimp on top the patty. Evenly distribute the sautéed vegetables on top of the shrimp. Top with creole mustard.
Smoked Andouille Sausage
Andouille sauasage is the famous staple of the cajun and creole cuisine of Louisiana. With it’s origins from French charcuterie, andouille sausage consists of coarse ground pork heavily seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, sage, paprika, and a large amount of garlic. The pork is stuffed into casings and slowly smoked with pecan wood. Andouille can be used in numerous cajun dishes such as jambalaya and gumbo.
Equipment
- food processor
- meat grinder
- sausage stuffer
- twine
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 8 lbs pork shoulder
- 40 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp sage
- 2 tsp pink curing salts
- hog casings
Wood Chips
- pecan wood
Instructions
- Place the garlic cloves in a food processor.
- Process until chopped.
- Mix together all of the seasonings.
- Grind the pork on a medium grind plate, one time through.
- Thoroughly mix the spices and garlic into the pork.
- Stuff the sausage into the casings.
- Twist into 6” links. Let cure overnight in the refrigerator.
- Cut every 4th link apart from each other. Tie in between the middle of the 4 links with twine to the grate of your smoker so they can hang.
- Place the grate on the very top rack of your smoker so the sausages can hang. Turn the temp to 130 degrees. Allow the sausages to dry out for an hour with out adding any wood chips.
- Turn the temp to 250 degrees and add your wood chips. Allow the chips to ignite. Turn your smoker down to 150 degrees. Smoke for 6 hours, changing out the wood chips every 2 hours. After 6 hours, turn up the smoker temp to 180 degrees and smoke for 1 more hour.
Creole Seasoned Grilled Alligator
Creole Seasoned Grilled Alligator
Alligator is a southern delicacy in Louisiana and Florida. The meat is considered seafood, but has a firm consistency between chicken and pork with a mild fishy taste. It is very high in protein and low in fat. Gator meat is for purchase in the U.S. from legally sourced gator farms and can be found in specialty stores. I purchased mine for $14/lb from my local Asian market; found in the frozen section.
Equipment
- metal skewers
- charcoal
- chimney starter
- charcoal grill
Ingredients
- 1 lb alligator tail meat cut into cubes
- 3 tbsp creole seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Rub the alligator tail meat with olive oil and the creole seasoning. Let marinate for 15 minutes. Place the gator on steel skewers.
- Light the charcoal in a chimney starter and allow to get gray. Pour the charcoal in the grill and place the grate on. Place the skewers directly over the charcoal.
- Grill for 6 minutes a side until cooked through.
Catfish Cakes
Catfish Cakes
Catfish cakes are a great alternative to crab cakes; costing a fraction of the price. These fish cakes can be eaten as an appetizer or as a main course; served with either tartar sauce or remoulade, and lemon wedges. Not a fan of catfish? You can substitute tilapia, cod, haddock, or any other firm fleshed whitefish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb catfish nuggets
- 1/4 cup white onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup saltine or ritz crackers crushed
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp creole mustard
- 2 tsp creole seasoning
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Simmer the catfish nuggets until they are cooked through. Drain and let cool.
- Mash the catfish with a fork. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Form into 1/3 cup fish cakes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before frying.
- Heat up 1/4” deep of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Place the fish cakes in the pan.
- Fry the fish cakes for 5 minutes a side until golden brown and crispy. Drain grease on paper towels.
