Appetizers

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  • Creole Crabcakes
  • Remoulade Sauce
  • Oysters Desire
  • Oysters Bienville
Arnaud’s Restaurant
813 Rue Bienville | New Orleans, La 70112 | 504-523-5433
arnaudsrestaurant.com

Creole Crabcakes

Serves 4 as entree (Makes a wonderful stuffing for shrimp or mushrooms.)

1 pound lump crabmeat, all bits of shell and cartilage carefully removed
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
1 egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 green pepper, seeds removed, finely diced (or use 1/3 red, 1/3 yellow and 1/3 green)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups Creole sauce
1/4 cup lemon butter sauce, room-temp.
fresh basil sprigs for garnish

Preheat oven to 375°

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the Creole mustard, egg, mayonnaise and lemon juice until well blended. Add the onions, peppers and cilantro and mix well. Mix the salt and pepper into the breadcrumbs, then add gently with the crabmeat.
  2. Portion the crabmeat mixture into 16 round cakes about 2 inches high and 2 inches wide. Dredge in breadcrumbs to coat lightly.
  3. Line a sheet pan with parchment and dust lightly with breadcrumbs. (To cook later, at this point, you may put the crabcakes on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Pierce the wrap several times to prevent the cakes from getting soggy. Refrigerate.)
  4. Heat the clarified butter oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the crabcakes for about 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes.
  5. Heat the Creole sauce in a small saucepan then strain.

For each serving, ladle Creole sauce in the center of a hot dinner plate and drizzle lemon butter sauce over it. Place 4 crabcakes around the sauce. Garnish with a sprig of basil and serve.

Tujague’s Restaurant
823 Decatur St | New Orleans, La 70116 | (504) 525-8676
tujagues.com

Tujague’s Remoulade Sauce

3 Cups finely chopped white onion
2 Cups finely chopped celery
1 Cup finely chopped green onions
1 Cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Cup finely chopped lettuce
16oz. Creole Mustard or Brown Mustard
1 ½ pints Olive Oil
¼ Cup fresh lemon juice
Generous amount of paprika, for color

  1. Mix all chopped vegetables together, add Creole Mustard and mix well.
  2. Add paprika, olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 2 quarts of sauce. Sauce can be made in advance and will keep for several days.

Royal Sonesta Hotel – New Orleans
300 Bourbon St | New Orleans, LA 70130 | (504)586-0300
www.sonesta.com/ROYALNEWORLEANS

Oysters Desire

Serves 1-2

6 each Fresh P&J Oysters, shucked on the half shell
4 oz. Unsalted butter
1 T. Garlic, pealed and chopped
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
2 T. Parmesan, grated
1 tsp. Creole seasoning blend
1 T. Parsley, Chopped
½ tsp. Green onions, sliced
½ each Lemon, Sliced and Roasted
½ c. Rock Salt

Allow butter to soften at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat Broiled on high for 20 minutes.

In a mixing bowl combine butter, garlic, salt, Parmesan, parsley and ½ tsp of the seasoning blend. Fill a heat resistant bowl with rock salt and place oysters in the shell on the salt. Spoon 1 T. of the butter mixture onto each oyster. Sprinkle the top of each oyster with the remaining seasoning blend. Place bowl and lemon slices in broiler on the top shelf for 6-8 minutes until nicely browned.

To serve, sprinkle with green onions and place roasted lemons in the center of the bowl.

Oysters Bienville

Serves 8-10

1-Tbs. vegetable oil
2/3 cup finely chopped white mushroom
4 tsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter
1-1/2 tsp. very finely chopped garlic
4 large shallots, finely chopped
1/2 pound cooked shrimp, finely diced
1-tsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. ground white pepper
6 Tbs. grated Romano cheese
4 Tbs. dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
2 dozen plump, salty, oysters, freshly shucked and the flat sides of the shells reserved
About two rock salt (optional)
Lemon wedges wrapped in muslin sleeves, for serving

  1. In a large, heavy saucepan, warm the vegetable oil and sauté the chopped mushroom for 4 minutes, stirring. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, press with another spoon to remove excess liquid and set aside.
  2. In the same pan, melt the butter over low heat and sauté the garlic and the shallots for about three minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.
  3. Add the shrimp and stir to mix, then sprinkle evenly with the flour. Stir together, add the reserved mushroom and increase heat to medium.
  4. Stirring constantly, deglaze the pan with the brandy. Stir in the cream and cook for two to three minutes, until smooth. Stir in Romano, dry breadcrumbs, parsley, salt, a touch of black pepper and the Cayenne to soft, moundable consistency. A small amount of milk may be added if the mixture is too thick.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a glass or ceramic bowl. Cool to room temp., then refrigerate for about 1 1/2 hrs, or until thoroughly chilled.
  6. Preheat oven to 400°. Wash the oyster shells well and dry. Drain the oysters and place one each in each of the 24 shells, or use two smaller oysters per shell if necessary.
  7. Place the shells in a large, heavy roasting pan lined with a 1/2-inch layer rock salt, or place six filled oyster shells in each pie of four pie pans line with salt (the salt keeps the upright during cooking and stops the delicious juices from escaping).
  8. Top each oyster with one generous tablespoon of the Bienville mix and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until nicely browned. Carefully place 6 oysters on each hot dinner plate. If baked in pans of rock salt, place each pan on a dinner plate. Garnished with a wrapped lemon wedge and serve immediately.