Grilled Maque Choux A Cajun Succotash Recipes

FLOUNDER WITH CORN AND TASSO MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Line pie dish with large sheet of foil, leaving long overhang on 1 side. Separate rings of 1 shallot slice; scatter over foil. Top with 1 tablespoon butter, sliced garlic clove, 2 lime slices, and 1 orange slice. Sprinkle 1 fillet on both sides with salt and cayenne. Arrange fillet, skin side down, atop seasonings in dish. Top fillet with 2 thyme sprigs. Spoon 2 tablespoons beer and 1 tablespoon wine around fillet. Fold long foil overhang over fillet to opposite edge of foil, pressing foil onto fillet. Fold foil edge over to seal on 3 sides, then fold again to double seal. Transfer packet to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining seasonings and fillets.
• Prepare barbecue (high heat). Arrange packets, sealed side up, on grill rack. Cook until fish feels slightly firm when pressed, about 10 minutes. Serve with Corn and Tasso Maque Choux.

CAJUN CORN AND BACON MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Cut corn off the cobs by thinly slicing across the tops of the kernels; place in a medium bowl. Cut across the kernels again to release milk from the corn, add milk to bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper, cook until onion is transparent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Combine corn, tomatoes, and milk with the onion mixture. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook 20 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Do not boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Lower heat, cover skillet, and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in green onions and bacon. Remove from heat and serve.

SHRIMP MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large straight-sided skillet or wide, shallow pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion white and light-green parts, onion, peppers, celery, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring a few times, until vegetables are crisp-tender and golden in places, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in corn kernels and milk, then vermouth; boil until liquid has mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in stock, cream, and shrimp. Bring to a simmer (but do not let boil), reducing heat as necessary, and cook until shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard thyme sprigs, stir in dark-green scallion tops, and serve.

CAJUN CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• 1. Cut the kernels off of the corn into a large bowl. Using the back of the knife, scrape the sweet corn milk from the cobs to extract about 3 tablespoons and add it to the bowl. Set aside.
• 2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Add the butter to the skillet and when melted, add the celery, bell peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, scallion whites, garlic, tomatoes and corn. Cook until thickened, 10 minutes.
• 3. Serve garnished with the scallion greens and reserved bacon.

CAJUN MAQUE CHOUX / CAJUN SUCCOTASH

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a frying pan until crisp.
• Drain on paper towels, crumble and set aside.
• Melt butter in the bacon fat over medium heat.
• Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic, saute for 5 minutes or until onion has softened.
• Stir in corn, okra, tomatoes, cayenne and cajun seasoning, cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add chick broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook partially covered for 45 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in crumbled bacon and serve.

CAJUN TASSO CORN MAQUE CHOUX WITH GRILLED SHRIMP

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium heat. Shuck the corn, being sure to remove all the silk. Season the ears with some olive oil, salt and black pepper. Grill, rotating the ears regularly, so as to char but not scorch, 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve.
• Dice the Tasso into approximately 1-centimeter cubes. Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the Tasso with a little bit of canola oil and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until evenly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove and reserve, leaving any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• Add a little more canola oil to the Dutch oven. Add the garlic, celery, jalapenos, onions and bell pepper and sautee until the onions are sweated, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan, until all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons cayenne, 2 teaspoons chili powder and some salt and black pepper. Stir.
• Using a knife, cut the kernels off the corn cobs, then milk the cobs using the back of the knife. Add the corn to the Dutch oven. Reserve about 50 pieces of Tasso, then add the rest to the Dutch oven. Add the heavy cream and butter, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture until thickened with a slight creamed corn consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
• Combine 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon chili powder in a small bowl. Toss the shrimp with 1/4 cup olive oil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the shrimp on both sides with the spice rub. Grill the shrimp over medium heat until pink and slightly charred, but not overcooked, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• To serve: Place 1 tablespoon of corn maque choux in an Asian soup spoon. Top with a grilled shrimp and a piece of the reserved Tasso. Garnish with some green onion. Repeat with the remaining maque choux, shrimp and Tasso.

MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Working with 1 corn cob at a time, set the ear of corn upright in a medium bowl. Shave the corn from the cob by slicing down the sides using the tip of a sharp chef's knife, holding the knife almost vertical. (This gives you neat tablets of corn that land squarely in the bowl and keeps the kernels from scattering all over the counter.) Using the back of the knife, scrape each cob to release all the nibs and the "milk" of the kernels into the bowl. Repeat with remaining ears of corn, then snap the cobs in half, and add them to the bowl.
• In a large, deep sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and celery, and season with 1 or 2 pinches of kosher salt. Stir constantly until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons butter and the bell pepper, poblano and serrano, and stir constantly, adding another pinch of kosher salt, letting the butter melt and the peppers soften and become translucent, about 2 or 3 minutes. You will smell the peppers' sweetness and their mild capsaicin releasing.
• Add the final 3 tablespoons butter and the corn mixture from the bowl, cobs included, and another pinch of kosher salt. Stir constantly to coat with the butter and combine thoroughly.
• When everything starts to hiss and sound hot, but isn't cooking so hard as to take color, add 1/2 cup water and a healthy few grinds of black pepper, and cover the pan for a couple of minutes to steam/shallow braise the mixture.
• Remove the lid, and stir well, noticing the corn releasing its liquid and the kernels softening, and the cobs turning somewhat translucent, if however vague. You will notice a general softening and melding together. Return the lid, and let cook a few more minutes, noticing the water evaporating and the remaining liquid reducing and gaining some "body" and gloss. Discard the corn cobs, but do suck them before tossing - those buttery juices make a nice cook's treat.
• Taste for salt, and serve. It should be sweet, spicy, a bit wet and surprisingly complex, given the few ingredients and their ordinariness. If you want a smoky taste, add a good pinch of smoked paprika.

CORN AND TASSO MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush 1 ear of corn with oil, then sprinkle with coarse salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Grill corn until cooked through and slightly charred, turning occasionally, about 14 minutes. Set grilled corn aside.
• Cut kernels off 3 remaining ears of corn. Place kernels in large bowl; reserve cobs.
• Using coarse side of box grater, grate any milky juices from 3 reserved cobs into medium bowl. Coarsely grate ear of grilled corn, then any milky juices from cob into same medium bowl.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add tasso and sauté until almost crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallots, poblano chile, celery, thyme, and garlic. Sauté until celery is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add corn kernels; sauté 3 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and grilled corn with juices. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 8 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with green onions.

GRILLED MAQUE CHOUX (A CAJUN SUCCOTASH)

Steps:

• grill 2 ears of the corn directly over the heat until black-speckled on all sides.
• grill the peppers until quite blacked on all sides and place in a plastic bag to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.
• slice the corn off the cob (about half way down the kernels) and using the back of a knife, scrub the juicy remains of the corn kernels into a bowl.
• Do the same with the grilled corn.
• Remove most of the blackened skin from the peppers, seed and chop.
• Cook the onion and corn in a large cast iron skillet, stirring for 15 minutes.
• If too dry or if corn is sticking, add chicken broth to adjust.
• Add the peppers and milk and continue to cook while scraping and stirring about 5 minutes more.
• Season to taste and serve.