Field to Feast: Fish & Grits
Field to Feast is my mission seeking out great Louisiana ingredients and celebrate them at the dinner table with amazing cooks like Chef Celeste. We always pass a great time when we are cooking in the kitchen... and spending the day with Lance Nacio on the bayou definitely qualifies, too! Lance is a Louisiana fisherman literally born on the bayou and raised by trappers who lived off the land. He knows what a difference fresh ingredients make, and has dedicated his life to bringing those ingredients to our family dinner table.
Our Fisherman.
Lance Nacio is a Louisiana fisherman who lives in Montegut and parks his fishing and shrimp boats on Bayou Terrebonne across the street from his house. He catches a variety of fish, including grouper and red snapper, and shrimp. He started shrimping in 1997. When he started shrimping it was a good time to be a shrimper. Because of globalization and imports, times have changed. Shrimp is one of the most highly-consumed seafoods by Americans and we import more than we eat. Lance told me that in 2018, we imported 1.4 billion pounds of shrimp and we consumed 1.2 billion pounds. This has made the domestic shrimp industry a lot smaller because we represent less than five percent of the shrimp consumed in the US. In order to diversify his business, two years ago he turned one of his shrimp boats into a reef fishing boat and that is the boat we caught up with, making its way down Bayou Terrebonne loaded with Red Snapper, Grouper, and my new favorite food, GROUPER CHEEKS! Try them! I promise they will not disappoint!
Did you say FISH and grits??
Yes, and it’s as delicious as it sounds! Chef Celeste cooks up fresh, local grouper and red snapper. She serves it with Louisiana stone-ground grits you can find at the Red Stick Farmers Market and tops it off with the savory delight of grouper cheeks! Everything in this recipe is fresh, local and Louisiana! We highly recommend you have some french bread handy to soak up any extra sauce. It’ll have you jumping and dancing!
Fish & Grits
Ingredients:
3 tbs cooking oil
Fish steaks (grouper or red snapper)
Spice blend (cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt & pepper)
1 tbs butter per fish steak
2 tbs minced garlic
Chopped parsley
Chopped green onion stalks
Seafood Bouillon Cube
Water
Louisiana Stone Ground Grits
Instructions:
Heat your soup pot and melt 1 tbs of butter per fish steak.
Generously coat your fish steaks with your spice blend, top and bottom.
Sear your fish, flesh side down in your pot.
Top with minced garlic, parsley and green onion. Cook your fish until it develops a crush on the flesh side. Flip fish and continue cooking until you see a crust.
Remove fish from your pot.
To create your sauce, add grouper cheeks to the pot, seasoned lightly with spice blend.
Add water and seafood bouillon.
Allow for grouper cheeks to break apart.
If you do not have seafood bouillon, you can add chicken stock.
Simmer over low heat.
Plate seared Red Snapper and Grouper on top of Stone Ground Grits and top off with Grouper Cheeks.
Sprinkle fresh herbs on top and serve immediately!
ENJOY THE GROUPER CHEEKS!
Disclaimer: These are estimated measurements, and are flexible to your needs. Content and photographs are protected. We encourage you to share this recipe with family, friends and online. Post your photos with #fieldtofeast and tag us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Visit Anna Marie’s website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. You can also buy their products online or at the Red Stick Farmers Market.
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Starting Saturday, April 18, 2020, Chef Celeste will have heat and eat single servings and family style meals, plus ready-to-cook kits for Baton Rouge and the surrounding area in response to COVID-19. You can contact her through her website, e-mail or phone.