World Recipes

Spicy Gator Etouffee Sandwich

1 pound chopped alligator tail meat
1/4 cup water
Pinch of flour
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup yellow onion
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons parsley
Garlic, as desired
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 pound crawfish tail meat
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
Chardonnay
Fresh baked hoagie rolls

Herb Butter
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons parsley
Dash of basil

Wash alligator thoroughly and saute in herb butter for 2 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Cook etoufee by combining butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, bay leaves and garlic. Saute until tender, squeezing lemon juice while incorporating Cajun spices, cayenne pepper, and parsley. Add water and flour; simmer. Add crawfish, green onion and a little chardonnay. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until crawfish is done. Blend in food processor.

Take your cooked alligator and place on skillet and top with etoufee. Top with Swiss cheese; melt cheese, and grill the hoagie roll next to it. Place hoagie roll on top, flip over, and finish off sandwich by slicing in half and garnishing with a kosher pickle.

Smothered Alligator

2 pounds alligator meat
2 onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions in oil until golden brown. Add bell pepper and celery, saute until tender. Add meat and seasonings, simmer for 40 minutes. Add parsley and shallots about 5 minutes before serving.

Oven Fried Cajun Ranch Steak

1 (1/2 to 3/4 pound) round steak
1 cup Cajun Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Nonstick cooking spray

Cajun Ranch Dressing
1 (16 ounce) bottle ranch dressing
2 teaspoons Cajun spice

To make Cajun Ranch Dressing: Mix well; store in container and refrigerate.

Marinate round steak in Cajun Ranch Dressing in a zip-type bag for 8 hours or overnight, turning it every now and then.

Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and garlic powder together. Roll round steak in bread crumb mixture. Place in 9-inch pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray the round steak with the nonstick cooking spray. Place in a preheated oven at 350 to 375 degrees F. Bake for about 30 minutes or until done.

Marinated Fried Alligator

1 pound alligator meat
1 cup sherry
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon Season-All
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

Marinate meat in the sherry, lemon pepper, Season-All, lemon juice and salad dressing for 2 hours.

Drain and dredge meat with flour. Fry pieces for about 15 minutes, turning often until brown. Drain and serve hot.

Grillades and Garlic Cheese Grits

Source: Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Grillades and grits are a Louisiana brunch tradition. If you have not tried them, you are in for a treat.

3/4 pound lean, boneless flank steak
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, browned
Vegetable cooking spray
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14.6-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
1 (14.6-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 cups Garlic Cheese Grits (recipe follows)

Combine the pepper, salt, flour, poultry seasoning and garlic powder. Cut the steak into cubes and pound to 1/2-inch in thickness to tenderize. Rub seasonings into steak.

Heat a large roasting pan or Dutch oven; spray with vegetable cooking spray. Brown the meat on all sides. Remove from pan and hold. Add the onions and bell pepper to the pan and saute 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan. Then, while stirring, add the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaf. Cook for 40 minutes, or until sauce has thickened to a rich consistency and meat is tender.

Serve over Garlic Cheese Grits or plain grits. Serves 6.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 333 calories, 7 grams total fat, 18 percent calories from fat, 29 milligrams cholesterol and 560 milligrams sodium

Garlic Cheese Grits

These are fabulous with grillades, but can also be served as a side dish for any meat, poultry or seafood for breakfast or dinner.

1 cup yellow grits
3 3/4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
3/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Combine the grits, garlic, water and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent clumps. Cook for 10 minutes.

Fold in the pepper and cheese. Place in a baking pan uncovered and bake at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes. Allow to sit 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 158 calories, 5 grams total fat, 29 percent calories from fat, 15 milligrams cholesterol and 182 milligrams sodium

Fried Alligator

1 pound alligator meat
1 can beer
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Season-All
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Cornmeal
Vegetable oil

Slice meat into finger-size strips. Mix beer, flour, Season-All, salt and pepper to form a batter. Coat alligator meat with batter, and dredge with cornmeal. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Serves 4.

Bayou Lacombe Soft Shell Crab Po-Boy

Source: Bayou Lacombe Crab Festival - Louisiana Cookbook

Soft shell crabs
Lettuce
Peanut oil
All-purpose flour
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Po-boy bread or French bread
Mayonnaise

Clean soft shell crabs. Mix flour, salt and peppers. Powder crabs with flour mixture and fry in peanut oil until golden. Drain crabs on paper towels. Make po-boy with crabs and mayonnaise.

Andouille Stuffing

2 (16 ounce) packages jalapeno cornbread mix
1 pound Andouille sausage
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
2 large eggs, well beaten

Following package instructions, bake jalapeno cornbread.

In a food processor, chop sausage into fine pieces.

Melt butter in skillet and saute chopped vegetables.

Mix cornbread, sausage, vegetables, soup, broth and eggs in a large casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serves 12.