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Tuesday October 20th, 2009

Rather than offering a green salad, why not serve a rice salad (made with Louisiana rice, of course). Don’t be afraid to add different kinds of vegetables like chopped artichoke hearts or fresh young peas, or add toasted pecans or almonds if you like a little crunch. You may even try adding chopped cooked shrimp or chicken to stretch it a bit.

Makes 8 Servings

2 (6-ounce) boxes of wild and long-grain rice mixture, cooked according to package directions and cooled to room temperature
1/2 pound fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours before serving.

Tuesday August 18th, 2009

SUMMER SEAFOOD SALAD

Make a pitcher of lemonade with REAL lemons or maybe ice tea tweaked with fresh mint leaves, and keep your cooking to a minimum. Here’s a menu that is fairly simple to put together. The seafood salad can be made with crabmeat alone, but you can also add shrimp and chunks of lobster meat. The tomatoes stuffed with zucchini can be made ahead of time as can the angel food cake. Then sit back and enjoy those crazy-hazy days of summer. SUMMER SEAFOOD SALAD Makes about 8 servings

3 pounds medium-size shrimp, boiled and peeled
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1/2 pound coarsely chopped cooked lobster tail meat (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 (more or less to taste) mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Creole or Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons chopped green olives
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
Tabasco to taste
4 cups assorted salad greens, washed, patted dry, and torn into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the seafood, parsley, celery, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, capers, and olives in a large salad bowl. Season with salt, black pepper, cayenne, and Tabasco, then toss gently to mix. Chill for at least one hour. In another mixing bowl, toss the salad greens with the olive oil and season lightly with salt and black pepper. To serve, line a large serving bowl (or for individual service line individual salad plates) with the salad greens. Arrange the seafood salad on top of the greens. Serve immediately.

Tuesday August 11th, 2009

CRABMEAT SALAD

If you’re lucky enough to live near the water, then you’re lucky enough, right? We all probably would like to be on a white sandy beach, but I’m happy to live on a bayou. Late in the evenings on these long summer days, I can hear the crickets chirping and the bullfrogs honking. Blue herons come in to roost in the willow and cypress trees, and occasionally a great white egret moves slowly along the water’s edge seeking his supper. My patio, surrounded by palms and banana trees, is the perfect setting for a casual, laid-back supper. For an appetizer, a chilled salad of lump crabmeat is in order. CRABMEAT SALAD Makes 4 servings

1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 dashes hot sauce
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon capers
3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Creole mustard

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. The salad can be served atop a mound of salad greens, on thick slices of tomatoes, or in an avocado half. It can also be served as an hors d’ouevre, with crackers or toast points.

Tuesday June 23rd, 2009

LOBSTER SALAD

While I LOVE Louisiana crawfish, they will soon be out of season. Not to fret. A great substitution in my book is lobster. Lobsters in Louisiana? Well, it’s not the whole lobster—just the tail—from Maine where lobsters are plentiful. Sometimes I just want to walk on the wild side and try something different and lobster tails are just the thing with which to make a cool treat for casual summer dining. LOBSTER SALAD

Makes 4 servings
2 (10-ounce) lobster tails (thawed if frozen)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Avocado halves (optional)

Fill a medium-size saucepan with 3 cups water and add the Kosher salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Add the lobster tails and cook for 8 minutes. Drain and cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the tail meat from the shell and coarsely chop. Combine the celery, green onions, mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice is a bowl. Add the lobster meat and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and chill for 1 hour before using. To serve, spoon the lobster mixture on salad greens or into avocado halves. For another taste treat, try our sashimi grade yellow fin tuna. It’s great for making sushi but I also like it grilled with anchovy butter.

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