I’ve been thinking back fondly on our Cajun adventure and decided to put my own twist on the famed Crawfish Étouffée. I normally don’t like to gush about my own cooking, but I’d happily put my bowl of mudbugs up against many of the dishes I tried in the Crescent City. In short, I make a mean ass Étouffée and here’s how it’s done.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons cayenne
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 1/2 cups fish stock (you can substitute chicken broth, shrimp stock, lobster stock or even water)
• 1 pound crawfish tails
• 1/2 large lemon squeezed
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
• Cooked long grain white rice

Preparation:
1. In a large, deep saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, to make a light roux. Keep stirring until the mixture begins to take on the consistency of peanut butter. You’ll know it’s ready for the veggies when you smell a nutty flavor. (Note: These rouxs are often referred to as “peanut butter rouxs”). Add a teaspoon of cayenne and some of the Cajun seasoning.

2. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to the roux. Keep cooking and stirring until the vegetables are soft, about 7 or 8 minutes.

3. Add the sherry and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and crawfish tails and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze in half of a lemon and the additional cayenne and Cajun seasonings. Simmer for another two minutes.

4. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat. Add a cup of rice to a bowl and ladel the spicy deliciousness overtop. You can adjust spices to your taste at this point. I like to add a little fresh flat leaf parsley overtop for garnish and extra color.

It really is fantastic and I’ve liked my own version of this recipe much better than some that I’ve had in the most authentic of restaurants. If you aren’t a fan of the spicy flavors, reduce the amount of Cajun seasoning and the cayenne. Have it with an ice-cold beer. You won’t be sorry.

If you’ve never made a Risotto before, it can be a little intimidating and leave you with lots of questions. Did the rice absorb enough stock? Is the cheese going to scald when it hits this pan? Is this texture ever going to be right? Risotto is really a waiting game, and it’s incredibly important to KEEP STIRRING! You have to beat that rice around the pan to be sure you give your infusion ingredients opportunity to work their way in. This is a marriage that takes a little time to make happy. But all that being said, it’s not the most difficult thing you could ever task yourself with making. Here’s how you make this slightly modified version of one of my favorite risottos from Tyler Florence.

Ingredients (2 big servings)

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound sea scallops
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz assorted mushrooms, such as portobello, crimini, and shiitake, stemmed
• 1 tespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cups Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• 4 cups canned chicken stock, heated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Preparation:
1. Take a large deep skillet or saucepan and begin heating it over medium high heat. Be sure you pick one with some taller sides if you have one available, as you’ll make almost the entire meal in this single pan. As you heat the pan, put your quart of chicken stock into a sauce pan and begin heating it on your backburner. There’s no need to simmer it, just get it good and warm so that you can add it to your Risotto when the time is right.

2. Once your skillet is warm, give it two or three turns of olive oil. Salt and pepper your sea scallops and cook both sides until you start to see a nice golden brown color start to develop. It should take two to three minutes a side.

3. Remove the scallops from the pan to a plate or bowl and cover them with alumninum foil to keep warm while you make the risotto.

4. Reduce the heat to medium. Drizzle in another 2-count of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until soft.

5. Next, add the mushrooms thyme, and 2 tablespoons of parsley and cook until the mushrooms lose their liquid. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Season your pan contents with salt and pepper.

6. Add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes to coat with the oil. When the grains turn opaque it’s time to give them a drink. Stir in the wine and cook 1 minute to evaporate the alcohol.

7. Pour in 1 cup of the warm stock and stir with a wooden spoon until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid. It’s important to stir frequently and as much as possible.

8. Add another cup of stock. Continue this process until you’re done, stirring constantly and adding the stock 1 cup at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. (You may not need all of the stock; the risotto is done when it is slightly firm but creamy.)

9. Fold in the scallops with the last cup of stock to warm them up. When the risotto is cooked, fold in the butter and cheese (it won’t scald, I promise!). Serve hot. Garnish with parsley.

It’s very creamy, gluten free (if you’re not using enriched rice) and reheats well if you pan warm the scallops. This meal takes about an hour or so to bring to the table, so it’s one to plan for. If you make it, be sure to let me know how it comes out, as this one has become a favorite for Dr. Wife.

Ingredients:

• 2 large fillets Tilapia
• 1 large lime juiced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup of gold tequila
• 4 teaspoons southwest seasoning or Cholula dry seasoning
• 1/2 yellow pepper diced
• 1/4 red onion diced
• 1/4 cup of diced cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Lightly season both sides of the Tilapia Fillets with seasoning.
2. Melt butter in a medium sized skillet over medium high heat and add Tilapia fillets. Cook for two to three minutes and turn fish.
3. Briefly remove the fish from the pan, scrape up flakes and seasoning. Add vegetables and tequila. Simmer for two minutes and return fish to pan. Allow fish to rewarm before removing from heat and serving. Be sure fish is cooked through. It should be fork tender and flaky.

Another incredibly simple recipe that’s really big on flavor. The onions, the lime and the veggies really add something special to the fish. It’s also one of the fastest and most difficult things you can screw up. Goes really well with a rice pilaf or a Spanish rice. Veggies like asparagus or even potatoes are awesome with the lime, tequila sauce drizzled over the top as well.

If you try it, let me know how it goes.

Personally, I thought the Lobster Bisque (the brand name escapes me) was fantastic. Big chunks of lobster, good color and lots of Italian herbs.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound large shrimp (de-veined, peeled, tail on)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon rosemary (dried is fine)
• 2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Preparation

1. To a medium sized skillet, add olive oil and garlic. Saute over medium heat until golden.

2. Add rosemary, pepper flakes, and shrimp, and cook, stirring. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to serving dish. If you like, add two tablespoons of butter at the very end and allow it to melt in. This creates more of a “sauce” that you can drizzle over your plate. And if I were eating bread still, I’d douse a good crusty piece in it too .

3. Squeeze half lemon over shrimp.

That’s it, couldn’t be easier. Still, very tasty and super fast for when you’re pinched on time.

Vita and I have been working out a lot lately and are on a big health kick. That means more seafood. Tonight, I prepared a Salmon sauteed with Butter, Dill and Garlic. Very simple, but big on flavor. Here we go.

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon fillets
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup of dill, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp Old Bay

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, melt butter and begin to saute garlic over a medium high heat. As the butter melts season salmon fillets with salt and fresh black pepper.
2. Once all the butter has melted add the dill and place the fish in the pan.

3. Saute the fish for about 3-and-a-half minutes or until the edges begin to brown slightly. Turn over and saute for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until the fish becomes fork tender.

That’s it. It’s incredibly simple, really delicious and very quick. The garlic adds a scampi like flavor, while the dill gives real depth to the rest of the fish. We served our salmon with our Green Been, Mozzarella and Tomato Salad (Recipe here).

Vita has been working very, very hard lately and she did some awesome stuff for my birthday recently. So to make up for it, I plotted all day. Ernesto, my fish guy, scored me some really nice 4 oz. slipper lobster tails, which come from a number of lobster species related to the rock lobster. They were frozen, so they were a little tougher than normal lobster, but they’re just as flavorful and really great for the price.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of medium to large shrimp, raw, de-veined and shelled
• 2 4 oz. slipper lobster tails



• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon juiced
• 5 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 large shallot minced
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 and a half cups whole wheat spaghetti

Preparation:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your spaghetti according to the package.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Toss the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink. Remove the shrimp from the pan immediately; set aside and keep em warm.

4.Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add the rest of your butter and oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.

For the Lobster:

Be sure your lobster tails are thawed fully. You can cook them frozen, but they tend to be more tender if thawed first. If you don’t want them to curl, slide a wooden skewer through the base of the tail to the tip. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Brush the tails with a little butter and some olive oil before they go into the oven. Bake the tails for 8 to 10 minutes, a bit longer if they’re frozen. Serve with lemon juice or butter.

There you have it.

Sorry I’ve been absent guys. I’m back in the blogging habit now!

This is also a very quick grilled meal, so it’s perfect for when you’re short on time. We served it with a side of green beans.

Ingredients:

Teriyaki Sauce ( I like this recipe from Tyler Florance)

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• Juice of 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup scallion, chopped
• 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Other ingredients

• Two salmon steaks
• 1/2 pineapple, cut into spears
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 2 cups of green beans

Preparation:
1. Combine all teriyaki ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour before use.

2. After marinade has come together, add it to your salmon steaks and let it rest in a large zip lock bag for up to eight hours, but a minimum of 15 minutes. It can be brushed on if you don’t want the flavors to penetrate the fish.

3. Preheat grill and be sure to use a non-stick grill spray, or even butter to be sure that your fish doesn’t stick.

3. Just how long your fish should be grilled can only be estimated by size and shape. For a 1/2-inch cut of salmon, I’ll leave the grill at a medium highe heat and you should cook the first side 3 to four minutes before I flip. Then it’s about a solid 4 minutes on the second side.

4. After you’ve cooked the first side of your fish, add the pineapple, allow grill marks to appear and turn frequently. You want it to get warm enough for the juices to get going in there, but you don’t want to cook it so long that it might dry out.

Super good, super easy. Enjoy!

The best part about whitefish – it can be so easy to cook and picks up a lot of flavors. By some miracle, I happened to be home by 5:30 and we were prepped, cooking and done eating by 6:30. I even had time to take Rafiki for a walk, enjoy a cup of coffee and talk to my wife. All in all a great night with a great meal.

Ingredients :

• 2 orange roughy fillets
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a medium sized baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and garlic powder.

3. Brush both sides of orange roughy fillets with butter, and dredge in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with parsley.

4. Bake in preheated oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Vita and I had ours with a slice of lemon and some green beans. The beans were blanched for 3 minutes, drizzled with sesame oil and tossed with toasted sesame seeds. The bean recipe came from Allen, who maintains the fantastic Eating Out Loud. Allen, hats off to you for the simple and yes, sexy, bean recipe. I enjoyed the fusion of the Asian-inspired beans and my no-nonsense Italian orange Roughy.

Oh, the bread you see on the plate was just some garlic sour dough that we buttered, topped with Parmesan and placed under a broiler for a few minutes. I NEVER get enough cheese. Happy eating!

After my wife left this morning for 30 hours of surgical call, I had trouble falling back asleep. Our dog, Rafiki, wasn’t ready to climb out of my bed at that particular hour, so at 5 a.m. I hit the kitchen by my lonesome.

Determined to make a sans egg breakfast, I searched our fridge for things I could whip together. My eyes lit up when I noticed the three fillets of Tilapia, the cardboard fish. I also spied some cilantro, pickled jalepeno pepper, red onion and tortillas. Yes, Fish Tacos would be my breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 1 fillet of Tilapia (think 6 to 8 oz per serving if you’re increasing the recipe)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 1/8 cup of diced red onion
• 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/8 cup shredded lettuce or greens
• Diced jalepeno to taste
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 small Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

Preparation:
1. Preheat a grill pan or indoor grill to high heat or if you’re not crazy enough to want to eat fish tacos for breakfast at 5 a.m. you can prepare your outdoor grill. Drizzle fish with extra-virgin olive oil to prevent it from sticking to the grill pan or grill. Season fish with salt and pepper, cayenne and cumin (which adds a really nice smoky richness to the fish) to your taste.

2. As your grill preheats (if you’re indoors) heat a small pan and season two tortillas with salt, pepper and cayenne. Don’t add oil to your pan, but season it and rub tortillas into pan, allowing them to brown and crisp.

2. Grill fish 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until opaque. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime down over the fish and remove from the grill pan or grill. Be sure you’ve rolled the lime on your counter to get the juices flowing.

3.Flake fish into large chunks with a fork and spread on fried tortillas. Add cilantro, salsa, sour cream and your veggies and you’ve got a really quick, really different breakfast.

Another variation would be to simmer the fish in enchilada sauce and then serve it with the tortillas. Either way, it’s a fairly quick and nutritious meal that breaks the normal breakfast molds.

Happy eating.

We took a shot on Steve and Rocky’s, which has been open in the Novi area since 1998. It’s had mixed reviews over the years, but is considered by many to be one of the best places to eat in the Novi area. Vita and I were certainly not disappointed by our experience.

First Course: House salad

I opted to start with the house salad, which was well prepared and portioned. It had a house vinaigrette, over field greens, dried cranberries, pine nuts and small wedges of grapefruit. It also featured thinly sliced red onion. Overall, this was nothing overly impressive, but it was a nice way to open up the palate. Vita opted for a mushroom soup that was also very good, but I can’t say that I had enough of it to judge it accurately.

Main Dish: Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Hoisin Sauce (pictured above)

I’m a huge fan of of Yellow Fin, and I enjoy ordering it out because I’ve never quite gotten the searing process down accurately. Chef served this with grilled pineapple, a fried rice cake, scallions and fried wantons. The flavor of the Hoisin reduction was absolutely fantastic, and the searing of of the tuna was executed perfectly. What made the dish most pleasant was the combination of flavors and textures. I almost wish the fish had been just a touch smaller, it felt a bit overwhelming given all the extra elements that were part of the tower. All in all, I’d say it was some of the best tuna I’ve had in the last year or so.

Here’s what Vita had: Lake Trout with Shrimp Truffle Sauce and Fresh Asparagus

Vita’s dish was also excellent. The sauce was fantastically executed and the fish was prepared perfectly. I only wish the shrimp that Chef used in this dish were not of the salad variety. All in all, her dish was fantastic. Again, only two bites didn’t allow me to properly rate it, but from what I tasted, it was apparent Chef had good control over his dish. This also paired very well with our Pinot.

Dessert: Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

Dessert was fantastic. I don’t often order desert, but this one was very, very good. Vita loves chocolate and we’re both big fans of Raspberry. The mousse was served in a construction of chocolate, mint and fresh raspberries that was delightful from a textural and aromatic standpoint. It smelled as delicious as it tasted. I found myself almost longing for more of the fresh berries though. The sauce piped around the sides was particularly delightful, although a little too sweet for my tastes. But, I won’t hasten to say that I’ll often pick salty or tart flavors before I’ll ever pick sweet, so I may be a tad over critical.

The restaurant itself was very nice. You can definitely tell that “Rocky” came from a background in Muer Restaurants, as Steve and Rocky’s featured some of the same colorful flair you’d find in a Big Fish or Charley’s.

Rating for Steve and Rocky’s: 4 out of 5.

Service was excellent, food was well prepared, albeit a tad overpriced for certain items. We walked out with a tab that was a touch surprising. Big points for a reasonably extensive wine list, knowledgeable and attentive staff and a quiet ambiance. We’d definitely return.