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My lady’s family has been making ceviche for as long as they can trace back. Many of her relatives sold it either at cevicherias or in their own bars. I had also thought that ceviche was from Peru, and that was the end of the story, but ceviche is as Panamanian as the Canal. There is a little cevicheria in the former Panama Canal Zone which has a collection of empty soda bottles lining the walls from all over the world. Spots like this serve up a variety of ceviches out of large plastic tubs with a handful of saltines. Really good stuff. In the Grub Blogger kitchen, we continue this tradition with shrimp, octopus, fish or a combination thereof. Here we make one batch with a combination of pulpo and shrimp and one with fish. The traditional fish used in Panama is called corvina, but the Grub Blogger hasn’t been able to find that often in the States (although he did find some Costa Rican corvina in Miami, once). I have found that kingfish works really well, and also keeps within the tradition of using a cheap piece of fish (no need to buy $20-a-pound wild sea bass for this dish). Look for a white fleshed fish, and you should be fine. Read more…
Ceviche, Octopus, Panama, Pulpo, Seafood, Shrimp
BBQ Shrimp are another decadent New Orleans dish, as well as an example of the odd lexicon of New Orleans. There is nothing barbeque about this dish, at all. The star here is butter. Think shrmip scampi to the extreme. A friend of mine invited me out to Pascal’s Manale, an institution on Napoleon, a few blocks from St. Charles. You will see on their website that there is a tab for “Location”, with no (s). These guys could have franchised years ago, but instead focus on what they do best: serving Italian-Creole food. Not that the Grub Blogger knows anything about their Italian food. Memories of PM’s focus on eating some the bet raw oysters in the city while while waiting for your table; being humbled as your waiter puts a paper bib around your neck, and gorging on one the least health-conscious seafood dishes around. My waiter told me not to worry, though, as long as I went our and drank beer all night, the cholesterol would wash away. Read more…
Cajun / Creole, Seafood, Shrimp
Etoufee means “smothered” in French, so we are smothering some fresh shrimp with a sauce, made from shrimp stock, thicken with a roux and flavored with tomato and spices. The sauce is rich and spicy, with all the levels of flavor held together by the flour-thickened shrimp stock. Some white rice and maybe some good french bread, and you have a hearty dinner. You can use the same basic technique with crawfish or chicken. This dish is a good introduction to cajun/creole cooking because it uses the spices, aromatics and involves a roux, which are the key elements of southern Louisiana cusine. This is a good roux to start with, as well, because you don’t need it very dark (meaning it doesn’t take long to make and there is just about no risk of burning). Read more…
Cajun / Creole, Etouffee, Seafood, Shrimp
Beginnings. The decision to attend university in New Orleans was neither hard nor time consuming. Two steps into New Orleans International Airport (renamed Louis Armstrong International Airport in 2001), during a trip my senior year of high school to visit Tulane University, and I was hooked. Black and white large-scale photographs covered the walls leading from the gate to baggage claim, depicting the history of jazz in New Orleans. Further ahead, color advertisements for cabaret clubs in the French Quarter attempted to out-flash and out-flesh each other for my attention. I knew that I had found a home for the better part of the next four years. Read more…
Andouille, Cajun / Creole, Gumbo, Seafood, Shrimp
My lady’s family has been making ceviche for as long as they can trace back. Many of her relatives sold it either at cevicherias or in their own bars. I had also thought that ceviche was from Peru, and that was the end of the story, but ceviche is as Panamanian as the Canal. There is a little cevicheria in the former Panama Canal Zone which has a collection of empty soda bottles lining the walls from all over the world. Spots like this serve up a variety of ceviches out of large plastic tubs with a handful of saltines. Really good stuff. In the Grub Blogger kitchen, we continue this tradition with shrimp, octopus, fish or a combination thereof. Here we make one batch with a combination of pulpo and shrimp and one with fish. The traditional fish used in Panama is called corvina, but the Grub Blogger hasn’t been able to find that often in the States (although he did find some Costa Rican corvina in Miami, once). I have found that kingfish works really well, and also keeps within the tradition of using a cheap piece of fish (no need to buy $20-a-pound wild sea bass for this dish). Look for a white fleshed fish, and you should be fine. Read more…
