NEW KDHamptons Recipe: Designer Jeffrey Fisher's Spicy Louisiana Blue Crab Boil!
KDHamptons readers, are you all as addicted to Instagram as I am? For me, Instagram is a constant source of inspiration and eye candy serving up a constant feed of photos from the worlds I am most drawn to: design, art, fashion, food, nature, travel, and luxury. I also love how friendly people are on Instagram, for example, I happened upon these delicious photos of a home cooked meal by interior designer Jeffrey Fisher [star of television show, Arresting Design], posted a comment asking if he would share the recipe with KDH readers et voila! Here you go:
Jeffrey shares, “This is the recipe that my friends and I followed at our beach house, though we did cut it in half because we were cooking 2 dozen crabs not 4. And though we sometimes do the corn, potatoes and sausage, we didn’t last week. Here’s a great tip: My Louisiana friend- Merwyn – who has done many crab boils, removes the crabs from the hot water once done cooking to an ice bath. After the cooking process has stopped from the bath, we then put them back into the spicy water to soak up the flavor. And it works!”
**We love Jeffrey’s hysterical warning: “If you are doing this indoors instead of outside, when you’re boiling the water with all the spices and no one in the house can breath and they think you are going to kill them, take no notice. The water/crabs need all of the flavor and they DO NOT come out like suicide chicken wings, just lovely flavored meat.”
**Check out more of Jeffrey Fisher Home at: http://www.jeffreyfisherhome.com or follow him on Instagram like I do at Jeffrey Fisher Home
Here’s the Recipe Jeffrey used for Boiled Louisiana Blue Crabs: http://www.bringingithome.com/recipe/boiled-louisiana-blue-crabs
Ingredients:
4 dozen live blue crabs
30 quarts water
6 medium onions, quartered
6 heads garlic, split in half, exposing pods
6 lemons, quartered
1 pound kosher salt
½ cup cayenne pepper
1 cup granulated garlic
1 (4.5-pound) bag Louisiana Fish Fry® Crawfish, Crab and Shrimp Boil
1 (4-ounce) bottle Zatarain’s® liquid crab boil
1 (4-ounce) bottle celery salt
2 cups vegetable oil
24 small red potatoes
3 pounds heavy-smoked sausage
16 corn cobbettes
2 pounds large button mushrooms
Cooking Instructions : Prep Time:1 Hour, Yields:12 Servings
Method:
I recommend calling your seafood market a week in advance to order your blue crabs. [KDH loves Schmidt’s Seafood Market at 1282 N Sea Rd, Southampton;(631) 283-1212]
Request an equal number of female crabs to male although there is a slim chance that they will honor that request being female crabs are sold at a higher price to Asian markets. Keep crabs cold until ready to boil. There is no need to wash or rinse the crabs prior to cooking. Under the nearest shade tree in your backyard, prepare a propane burner.
A good propane burner is necessary to boil with the intensity needed for this recipe. In a 60-quart stockpot fitted with basket, bring water to a rolling boil. When water comes to a boil, add onions, garlic heads, lemons, salt, cayenne pepper, granulated garlic, Louisiana Fish Fry® seafood boil, liquid crab boil, celery salt and vegetable oil. Return to a rolling boil then reduce to simmer.
Cover and cook 15 minutes for flavors to develop. You may wish to taste water for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings to your preference. Add potatoes and sausage and cook 10–12 minutes then add crabs, corn cobbettes and mushrooms. Once water returns to a boil, cook 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and allow crabs to soak, covered, 10–12 minutes. Testing for doneness and flavor after 5 minutes. Remove basket of boiled crabs and other ingredients, drain well and spread on an outdoor picnic table covered with newspaper. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy.
From “Hooks, Lies & Alibis: Louisiana’s Authoritative Collection of Game Fish & Seafood Cookery,” Chef John Folse & Michaela York, Chef John Folse & Company Publishing, 2517 South Philippe Avenue, Gonzales, La. 70737, www.jfolse.com.