Famous Louisiana Cook John Folse is a man with a deep, warm voice. And when he speaks about Louisiana food, there’s no doubt where his heart is.
“Eating in Louisiana is a faith ; it is not just about nutrition,” Cook Folse claims. “It’s an in-gathering; it’s celebratory; it’s a prayer of thanks for all we’ve been blessed with from the swamp.”
John Folse grew up just east of the Atchafalaya Swamp and lost his mummy as a young boy. His pa raised six boys and two girls as a single parent. One of the things Mr. Folse felt he needed to teach his kids was to be good cooks.
And their first lesson was that only the latest foods yield their true flavours. “He truly taught us to decline anything less than great taste,” Chef says.
To serve the freshest foods, you need to know what is in season. “When it’s brown shrimp season, you eat brown shrimp. When it’s white shrimp season, you eat white shrimp. When it’s strawberry season, you eat strawberries,” Cook laughs.
Locals call brown shrimp season Bonne Crevette-translation, good shrimp! The season starts in May and runs till fall. Even during Bonne Crevette, you want to know how to select the absolute best quality.
Well-taught cooks only purchase entire, in-shell, raw shrimp when they’re displayed on a thick bed of fresh ice-not melting-under a cover. The shrimp meats must be firm to The shells must be translucent and moist, not lifeless or dry.
Learning to capture the mythical taste of brown shrimp also means learning a sense of timing. “A lot of folks are worried they may undercook shrimp,” Cook claims, “but the genuine crime would be to overcook it and boil out all the flavour and texture.”
Follow these tips and your shrimp are sure to yield their true Louisiana flavors.
So, celebrate Bonne Crevette with Cook Folse’s Shrimp Scampi. “Try this dish. It’s a straightforward, conventional shrimp recipe. And it’s one of my favorites.”
Chef explains that although scampi is a term used elsewhere to explain a species of shrimp, in America it refers to an Italian dish. This easy recipe is magnificent when served over pasta, fish or chicken.
For a brilliant wine pairing, enjoy Shrimp Scampi with a drink of beautiful Alice White Chardonnay.
Chef John Folse’s Shrimp Scampi
11/2 pounds ( 20-25 count ) Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup flour
Salt & cracked black pepper to taste
Tabasco Pepper Sauce to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil
2 tbsp fresh oregano
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
In a mixing bowl, mix flour, salt and peppers. Dust shrimp lightly in seasoned flour and set aside. In an enormous saut pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, sauté 1-2 mins or till edges turn golden. Blend in shrimp, shallots, basil and oregano. Using a slotted spoon, turn shrimp occasionally until pink and curled. Add mushrooms and parsley, then deglaze with white wine. Serves 4.
To get more recipes and cooking ideas, visit cooking101.org and while you are at it, you might also want to have a look at shrimp fried rice recipe.
Tags: shrimp, shrimp recipe, shrimp scampi
