Universal Press Syndicate IF THERE'S a trick to making fine seafood jambalaya a Louisiana-style feast-in-a-pot, it's gathering just the combination of spices, seasoning meats, vegetables, fish, shellfish and rice that gives this traditional bayou-country speciality its matchless flavour and robust character.
An authentic seafood jambalaya like the one below can call for two dozen or more ingredients, but it's not a difficult dish to make well. One of Louisiana's two most popular shellfish specialities (the other being gumbo), jambalaya is readily expandable for larger gatherings and forgiving enough to fit almost any time schedule.
SUCCESS TIPS
For the most flavourful seafood jambalaya, use a home-made stock prepared with fish and shellfish in preference to water, bottled clam juice or chicken broth.
For Mardi Gras or any other celebration that calls for plenty of good Louisiana-style fare, consider jambalaya. Like gumbo, different versions of jambalaya are common to both Cajun and Creole cooking. This one takes its authentic taste from the smoky, spicy Cajun sausage known as andouille and a Cajun seasoning meat (a type of ham) called tasso. Both meats are available in speciality food shops, larger supermarkets, and through mail-order and Web-based catalogues.
Fish and seafood Jambalaya
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/4 teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons chicken fat or butter
2/3 cup chopped tasso or other smoked ham (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped andouille smoked sausage
or smoked pork
sausage such as kielbasa
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
(fresh or canned)
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 recipe Seafood Stock (recipe below)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 cups uncooked rice, preferably converted
1 pound firm-fleshed fish fillets, cut in bite-sized pieces
18 oysters in their liquor (medium sized, about 10 ounces)
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a bowl, prepare seasoning mix by combining bay leaves, salt, red pepper, oregano, white pepper, black pepper and thyme. Set aside.
3. In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt fat. Add tasso and sausage; sauté until crisp (5 to 8 minutes), stirring frequently.
4. Add onion, celery and pepper; sauté until tender but still firm (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom well.
5. Add seasoning mix and garlic; cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping pan bottom as needed.
6. Add tomatoes and cook about 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Add tomato sauce; cook about 7 minutes more, stirring fairly often.
8. Stir in Seafood Stock and bring to a boil. Then stir in green onion and cook about 2 minutes, stirring once or twice.
9. Add rice, fish, oysters and shrimp, stir well, remove from heat.
10. Transfer mixture to ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Cover pan snugly with aluminium foil; bake until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy (20 to 30 minutes). Remove from oven. If there is still liquid in the bottom of the pan, let pan sit a few minutes, still covered, to allow rice to absorb the liquid.
Remove bay leaves.
11. Serve 2 cups of jambalaya per portion for a main course or 1 cup as an appetiser.
Serves 8 as an appetiser; 4 as a main dish.
This stock for jambalaya calls for a mixture of shellfish and fish carcasses. If you're short on time, simmer the stock only 20 to 30 minutes; it will still produce better results than using plain water.
Seafood stock
4 cups water
3/4 to 1 pound (about 5 to 6 cups) rinsed shrimp heads and shells, crawfish heads and shells, crab shells, rinsed fish carcasses (heads and gills removed) in any combination
1 small onion, quartered
1 small rib celery
1 small clove garlic, quartered
Place all ingredients in large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer gently at least 4 hours, replenishing water as needed to keep about 2 cups of liquid in the pan. Strain, cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
Makes about 2 cups.
