The beaches along the Louisiana gulf coast are not as pristine and beautiful as one might find along the Florida and California coastlines, but spending lots of time there was nevertheless a great opportunity for me to relax, enjoy a few cold beers, and cook-up some great Cajun foods while escaping the stressful fast-pace lifestyle of the city.
One of the good things about bumming around on the beaches of south Louisiana during my off-times was the relative ease of catching fresh seafood in the immediate vicinity for just about all of my dinners.
With the nearly unlimited bounty of fresh seafood, it was easy enough for me to get out for a couple hours and catch just about anything I needed to prepare a fantastic meal--such as shrimp from the gulf, large blue-point crabs from the nearby canals, as well as speckled trout and flounder from the surf. Those were the good-ol' days.
Holly Beach, a small coastal town which was located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, was one of my favorite spots to hang out during my off-times. There were several fully furnished cabins available along its beach and the rents were very reasonable. Beach pubs and bars were within walking distance of each other where one could visit to listen to what seemed like never-ending upbeat Cajun music, and sample what seemed like never-ending free hors d'oeuvres for the patrons (fried shrimp, catfish nuggets and hush puppies--YUM!).
Sadly, the small resort community of Holly Beach was totally devastated by Hurricane Rita in 2005.
Okay. Enough already--on to more pleasant things--like how to prepare this delicious Beach Bum Crab Bisque.
Ingredients
- 1/2 dozen medium blue-point crabs, cleaned and quartered
- 1 lb. lump crab meat (regular)
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 4 qt. of chicken stock
- 1 qt. Half ’n Half
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 lb. butter
Instructions
- melt the butter in a large gumbo pot
- add crabs and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes
- add the chopped onions and celery
- cook until they become translucent (about 5 minutes)
- add flour and blend the roux
- pour-in the chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
- heat Half ’n Half milk (do not boil) and blend it in the soup
- strain soup through a colander (optional)
- add lump crab meat to the hot soup and serve
NT
So you clean and quarter the blue-points, use them for the broth & roux, then throw them away? And use the crab lumpmeat in the soup?
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