REDFISH COURT BOUILLON

Start with CREOLE SAUCE

Creole Sauce (note: don’t skimp on this, for it is the essence of the recipe)

¼ cup flour

¼ cup bacon grease

2 cups chopped onions

½ cup chopped green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery and some leaves

1 teaspoon thyme

2 bay leaves

3 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon pepper

6 ounces tomato paste

1 16-ounce can tomatoes and liquid

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 teaspoon Tabasco

½ cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, make a dark brown roux of flour and bacon grease. Add onions, green onions, green pepper, garlic, celery and leaves, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper; saute’, uncovered, over medium flame until onions are transparent and soft, about 30 minutes. Add tomato paste; saute’ 3 additional minutes. Add diced tomatoes with liquid and tomato sauce; simmer very slowly, partially covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add Tabasco, parsley, and lemon juice; stir, cover, and remove from heat. Best to let set several hours or overnight. Makes about 4 cups. Remove bay leaf before serving. Freezes well.

NOTE: at this point, I modify the recipe…original calls for baking whole fish (w/head & tail, makes pretty presentation, just not as practical as serving "ettouffe" style).

4 dozen oysters, drained

6-pound redfish or red snapper, filleted, cut into large cubes

40 medium shrimp, raw and peeled

1 stick butter

Creole sauce (see recipe above)

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

6 cups cooked rice

Drain oysters in a colander and run cold water over them for 1 minute. Saute’ cubed fish in butter, until firm (2 minutes each side). Remove with slotted spoon and add to Creole sauce. Add shrimp and oysters, and cook until shrimp turns pink. Add lemon rind.

Prepare a bed of rice and serve court bouillon over rice.