The landscape is still a bit drab, but the night air was invigorating. Perhaps a seafood supper would be just the thing to shake off the winter woes. I dug around the freezer and found several packages of shrimp. I made a quick trip to the grocery store and purchased a few ingredients and we were set.

If you don’t have the necessary ingredients, just browse around our website and you should just about everything you need for a seafood dine-around at home. Oh, and don’t forget some crusty French bread!

• SHRIMP AND TASSO SAUTE
• Makes 4 servings
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
• 1 cup chopped tasso
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup shrimp stock
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, Tabasco and the tasso and sauté over high heat for about 5 minutes, or until wilted and slightly brown. Add the mushrooms, garlic, shrimp, stock and white wine and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add the green onions and parsley. Adjust seasonings. Serve over rice or your favorite pasta.

• GRILLED SHRIMP WITH SMOKED SAUSAGE
• Makes 4 to 6 servings
• 24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

Thread the shrimp and sausage alternately on skewers. Combine the olive oil, butter, lemon juice, salt, cayenne, black pepper and basil in a small bowl and mix well. Brush the mixture on the shrimp and sausage. Grill over a medium-hot fire for three to four minutes, turn and cook for three to four minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and are firm. Serve with pasta that has been tossed with Parmesan cheese, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper, or on a bed of rice pilaf. This is probably one of my favorite crabmeat recipes.

• Crabmeat Remick
• Makes 6 servings
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon tarragon vinegar
• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
• Dash of celery salt
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
• 6 strips bacon, crisply fried

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, chili sauce, dry mustard, lemon juice, paprika, Tabasco, and celery salt. Mix well. Divide the crabmeat evenly into six large ramekins (or twelve small ones). Spoon the sauce generously over the crabmeat and top with the bacon. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles. If you want to brown the tops, put them under the broiler for one to two minutes.   CRAWFISH TIME Crawfish season is upon us, and it appears it will be a better one than last year. In fact, My mouth is watering for a round of my favorite crawfish recipes. Here are some that you might enjoy this time of year.

• LASSERRE’S MAGIC CRAWFISH
• Makes 6 to 8 servings
• 1 pound peeled crawfish tails
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of shrimp soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup dry white wine or dry sherry
• Salt, cayenne and hot sauce to taste
• Minced green onions for garnish

In a heavy black iron pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions, garlic, bell peppers, and celery until wilted. Add the crawfish tails and cook for 10 minutes. Add the soup, water, and wine and stir. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the salt, cayenne and hot sauce and simmer another 10 minutes. Stir in the green onions. Serve over steamed rice.  

• CRAWFISH JAMBALAYA
• Makes about 12 servings
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• 4 ribs of celery, chopped
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
• 4 cups water or chicken broth
• 2 pounds peeled crawfish tails
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Cook the onions, bell peppers, and celery in the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until they are transparent, six to eight minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside. Add the rice to the pot and stirring constantly, cook until the rice turns golden. Return the vegetables to pot and add the water or broth. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the crawfish and seasonings. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Add a little water if the mixture becomes too dry. This next dish is one that Papa loved. It's very hardy and can be served over rice. If you add some chicken or seafood broth, it becomes a rich soup.

• CRAWFISH AND CORN
• Makes about 10 servings
• 6 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chile peppers (like the Ro-tel brand)
• 2 (16-ounce) cans shoe peg corn (tiny white corn)
• 1 (8-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 pound peeled crawfish tails
• Salt and cayenne to taste

Heat the butter or oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring, until translucent, about five minutes. Add the tomatoes with chilies, mashing the tomatoes with the back of a heavy spoon. Cook, stirring, for five minutes. Add the corn and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cream-style corn and crawfish. Season with salt and cayenne. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot.