Cajun shrimp & guacamole

For ➍
4 tbs butter
1 tbs Cajun seasoning*
500 g medium (or extra-large) shrimp, peeled & deveined
3 avocados
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup chopped yellow onion
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbs (or more to your liking) fresh lemon juice
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper

Melt half the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Add ½ tbs of the Cajun seasoning to the butter. Stir it all in. Let it bloom and fall in love. Add half the shrimp and sear on one side for 2 m. Flip and sear another m or so. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining butter and Cajun seasoning. Bloom for a second, then add the remaining shrimp. Set shrimp aside.
Half each avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh into a big bowl. Add the red bell peppers, scallion, onions, lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash it all together with your fork, until it’s smooth, but still good and chunky.
Taste it. Add salt and pepper and more lemon juice to your liking.

Cajun spice mix

For ➊ jar
2 ts salt
2 ts garlic powder
2½ ts paprika
1 ts ground black pepper
1 ts onion powder
1 ts cayenne pepper
1¼ ts dried oregano
1¼ ts dried thyme
½ ts red pepper flakes (optional)

Stir together salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes until evenly blended.
Store in an airtight container.

Blackened redfish

For ➍
4 redfish fillets (1.5 -20cm thick)
300 g unsalted melted butter
1 tbs sweet paprika
2½ ts salt
1 ts onion powder
1 ts garlic powder
1 ts ground cayenne pepper
¾ ts ground white pepper
¾ ts ground black pepper
½ ts dried thyme leaves
½ ts dried oregano leaves

Heat a cast iron skillet over very high heat at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pour 2 tbs of melted butter in each of 4 small dishes; set aside and keep warm. Reserve the remaining butter in its skillet. Heat the serving plates in the oven at 120°C.
Thoroughly combine the spices in a small bowl. Dip each fillet in the reserved melted butter so that both sides are well coated; then sprinkle seasoning mix generously and evenly on both sides of the fillets, patting by hand.
Place in the hot skillet and pour 1 ts melted butter on top of each fillet (be careful as the butter may flame up). Cook, uncovered over the same high heat until the underside looks charred, about 2 m (the time will vary according to the fillet’s thickness and the heat of the skillet). Turn the fish over and again pour 1 ts butter on top; cook until fish is done, about 2 m more. Repeat with remaining fillets. Serve each fillet while piping hot.
To serve, place fillet and a ramekin of butter on each heated serving plate.

Riz créole (Creole rice)

For ➍
300 g long grain white rice
1 ts salt
1 onion, peeled*
1 branch parsley*
1 branch thyme*
1 carrot, peeled*
1 l water (or twice the quantity of rice)

(Soak the rice in cold water for 15 m and drain.)*
In a large saucepan, bring 1 l (or twice the quantity of rice) of water to a boil. Add salt, onion, parsley, thyme, and carrot. Add the rice and simmer over medium heat for 20 m.
Remove the onion, parsley, thyme, and carrot.
Drain the rice in a colander. Rinse under cold running water.
Drain again and turn into the saucepan.
Simmer over low heat for 5 m until the rice grains are completely dry.
Serve as a side dish. You might add the rice to the sauce of the dish.

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Cajun crayfish etouffee

For ➍
100 g butter**
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded & finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 stalks of celery, finely chopped
bunch of green spring onions, finely chopped
½ ts salt and ½ ts garlic powder, mixed
1 tbs dried parsley
½ ts chili powder
½ ts pepper
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
500 g crayfish, cleaned*
25 g flour, sifted
20 cl chicken broth (keep an extra 20 cl for adjusting the quantity)

In a large skillet, melt butter and sauté vegetables on low heat, except green onions. Add seasonings and stir well.
Add crayfish* and sauté for 1 m.
Add flour and mix well, and cook 3 more m.**
Add chicken broth. Mix well and simmer 15 m. Add green onions 3 m before conclusion.
Serve over hot (basmati) rice.*** A side-dish of sautéed greens is a good accompaniment, as is a cold beer.

*You can use prawns, firm fish. Or chicken filets, cut in chunks.
**In the traditional recipe, a white roux is made this way. Then add to the vegetables and crayfish*. Diminish amount of butter for braiséing with 25 g.
***Sauté 4 tbs of finely chopped shallot in 2 tbs olive oil, then add the water, bring to the boil. Add rice and cook.

Crayfish étouffée is a classic Cajun dish from Louisiana, mixing French cuisine, black slaves' traditions and local wisdom.