Yesterday I decided to make a shrimp creole sauce to give flavor to two filets of broiled fresh catfish. As so often happens, though, to get the best from what I was working with, the final dish turned out somewhat different than originally intended. And at that, it was the best seafood dish I've made in a long, long time. This morning, Bob asked if I would make the same dish again tonight. Now THAT'S a keeper.
Change #1: why broil? Instead, I finger-sprinkled a little semolina flour along with the salt on the two filets and lightly pan-fried them. Like the cornmeal under a pizza crust, a small amount of semolina provides just enough cushion to keep the filet from sticking in a minimum of fat in a well-seasoned (not non-stick, that is) pan. And you have more control on the stovetop, so why broil?
Change #2: the shrimp I had were the small cooked Oregon shrimp, better suited to cocktails and salads. I knew that going in but thought it might add a little special flavor since I didn't have a seafood stock on hand for the little amount of liquid I figured I'd add. That is, I wasn't working with a recipe, but wanted to build my own version in a more a la minute style cooking to preserve freshness while showcasing classic creole seasonings. The shrimp would go in at the last minute. But after making the base sauce, I had something I loved so much I couldn't figure out how shrimp could improve it, so I moved a little to a separate pan and added the shrimp there to test it. The result? The shrimp wasn't at all bad, but it muddled the full-frontal herb and vegetable flavors that made the base sauce so fantastic, so in the end what I served was the creole sauce sans shrimp. (However, a single large shrimp per-serving pan-cooked with the filets and served atop the sauce would make a killer garnish, and I'll pursue that.)
Jenise's Quick Creole Sauce (for two)
2/3 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 c celery, small dice
1/4 c white onion, small dice
1/2 c green bell pepper, small dice
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp half sharp Hungarian paprika or a combo of mild paprika and cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
3 ounces water
In a saucier, saute the onion and celery until lightly wilted, about two minutes, then add the remaining vegetables and dry ingredients and continue sauteeing until the tomatoes just begin to break down. Add the water, bring up to heat and simmer to blend the flavors and slightly reduce, about five minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve over prepared fish.