Feasting on Agriculture: Crawfish Stuffed Bell Peppers with Four Oaks Farm
Have you ever had a really great day at work? I mean, one of those kind of days where you think, “man, I love my job!” Well, this was one of those days for me.
I traveled to Morganza, LA to visit the Frey family at Four Oaks Crawfish Farm, and I could not have asked for more perfect weather to hop on a crawfish boat! In addition to the weather, the Frey’s were so friendly and welcomed us to their beautiful farm with open arms.
I was familiar with the Frey family, as Taylor Frey had interned with us at TWILA several years ago. But today was the first time I met her parents: Matt and Shawn Frey, along with her aunt and uncle: Jodi and Marty Frey.
The Freys have a very diverse farming operation in Pointe Coupee Parish, where they grow rice, crawfish, cattle, sugarcane and soybeans. In addition to growing each of those crops, they also operate two locations of their Boiling Branch restaurants in Livonia and New Roads. So, we were extremely lucky they found the time to fit us in their busy schedule during the middle of crawfish season!
Matt gave us a tour of the farm, and then we hopped on a boat with him to see how the crawfish were biting for the day. I’ve been on several crawfish boats in my time at TWILA, but these crawfish were easily some of the largest ones I’ve EVER seen! Matt immediately put me to work sacking crawfish, while giving me an aquaculture anatomy lesson in the process. Watch the video if you haven’t already, because it was a comedic experience to say the least! It’s always a joy to spend time with folks who are truly passionate about their job, and there is no doubt that Matt Frey loves farming and growing food for all of us to enjoy.
From there, we headed into the kitchen at Four Oaks Farm, where Shawn and Jodi Frey prepared a beautiful display featuring fresh produce and Louisiana crawfish for our cooking segment. Since spring gardens are in full swing across the state, Shawn selected a recipe that combined some fresh garden staples with Louisiana crawfish: Crawfish Stuffed Bell Peppers. I will have to admit, I personally have never been a fan of traditional stuffed bell peppers… but this dish completely changed my mind! This savory crawfish stuffing is so flavorful, and it compliments the freshness of the bell pepper in way that will have you coming back for seconds and thirds!
Thank you to the entire Frey family for your generosity and warm hospitality; it was such a fun and perfect day!
Crawfish Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe:
10-12 bell peppers
1/2 cup butter
1 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds crawfish tails
Crawfish fat (optional)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon gravy thickener
salt, black and red pepper to taste
Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce to taste
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Toasted French bread crumbs
Wash bell peppers. Cut off top, remove seeds and discard. Parboil peppers, drain and set aside. Melt butter. Add finely chopped bell pepper, onion, garlic, and celery. Sauté until onion is translucent & wilted; stirring frequently. Stir in crawfish tails and crawfish fat if available. Cook over low heat about 20 minutes. Add water and gravy thickener. Season to taste with salt, black and red pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire. Add green onions, parsley, and breadcrumbs. Add enough bread crumbs to hold dressing together. Let cool and adjust seasoning before stuffing each pepper. Top stuffed pepper with bread crumbs and dot with melted butter. Heat at 350 degrees until crumbs are brown.
