As Mardi Gras celebrations come to a close and the season of Lent approaches, many folks will be giving up meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all of the Fridays of Lent. While we love our specialty meats and sausages at The Best Stop, there are some delicious Cajun dishes that are packed with fresh seafood and perfect for Lent.
Even if you’re not in Louisiana, we can ship authentic Cajun seafood snacks and ingredients to you, making it easy to cook and entertain like a Cajun chef, no matter where you might be. Here are our seafood favorites using ingredients from The Best Stop that will impress your guests year-round!
Crawfish Etouffee
A crawfish etouffee can be delicious, especially with a good blond roux. Our crawfish tails will make it easy for you to create this dish no matter where you are. Don’t have time for a roux? Substitute with a can of cream of mushroom soup for a quick Cajun meal.
Ingredients
3 cup white rice
5 cups of water
¼ cup flour
¾ cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
2 lbs crawfish tails with the fat, fresh or frozen
2 cups seafood or vegetable stock
1 ½ tbsp The Best Stop Cajun seasoning
Herbs, salt, and pepper to taste
Directions
- Combine the water and rice in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Then, set it to simmer for 15 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a large pot. Add in the garlic, celery, and onion. Then add the flour, creating a roux. You can also replace the butter with oil or lard if need be.
- Stir in the stock, then, add the crawfish tails and that delicious fat.
- Add in the green onions along with the seasoning.
- Simmer on low for 15 minutes.
- Serve over the hot, cooked rice.
Seafood Boudin-Stuffed Bell Peppers
Seafood-stuffed bell peppers can be a very filling meal. While you can create your own stuffing with fresh seafood, veggies and rice, consider using some of our shrimp or crawfish boudin. This is an easy fix for a quick meal. When you work with the boudin, simply remove it from the casing before you get started!
Ingredients
6 green bell peppers, hulled
1 lb seafood boudin (shrimp or crawfish)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 onion, chopped
½ cup bell pepper, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
1 tbsp The Best Stop Cajun Seasoning
1 ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
Directions
- Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Wash, then parboil for 10 minutes in a pot of salted water.
- In a skillet, melt the butter and saute the onions, peppers, and celery for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook until veggies are tender. Then mix in the seafood boudin.
- Mix the breadcrumbs in, stirring until incorporated and warm throughout. Then remove from the heat.
- Stuff the peppers with spoonfuls of the mixture and place in a shallow baking dish.
- Add a dash of water into the bottom of the baking dish. Then, bake the peppers at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Seafood Gumbo
You should also think about whipping up a pot of seafood gumbo during Lent. A jar of Savoie’s dark roux will save you some time and ensure that your flavors are spot on. The fresh shrimp, crab, and veggies can make it a spring favorite in your household.
Ingredients
½ c jarred dark roux
1 onion, chopped
¾ cup celery, chopped
¾ cup green bell peppers, chopped
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 12-oz bottle of Abita Amber beer
6 cups shrimp or vegetable stock
1 lb white crab meat
1 lb crab claws
1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
(OPTIONAL) 1 8-ounce pack shucked oysters
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp The Best Stop Cajun Seasoning
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
White rice, for serving
Directions
- Start with your roux and add the onions, peppers, and celery to it. Stir for about 5 minutes and add in the garlic. Then, add in the beer and stock.
- Add in the seasonings along with the crabs.
- Let the gumbo reach a boil and simmer for one hour.
- Season the shrimp with The Best Stop Cajun Seasoning and stir them into the gumbo. At the same time, add your crab claws. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the white crab meat and oysters into the gumbo and cook just long enough to heat them through—make sure you don’t stir too much or you’ll break them apart!
- Finally, serve over rice and garnish with parsley.
You can find The Best Stop Cajun seasoning and a number of ingredients in our online store. It makes it easy for everyone to get delicious, authentic Cajun ingredients throughout Lent and the rest of the year.
