• 6 live blue crabs 
• 6 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• ½ teaspoon crushed dried red 
• chile flakes 
• ½ cup Texas Pete or other red 
• hot sauce 
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch 
• 1 bunch watercress or other peppery green
• coarsely chopped green onions, for serving

Garlic-Chile Crabs

Click image to enlarge

• 3 cups Crawfish Étouffée (in the cookbook) or Crawfish Stew (in the cookbook; excerpted recipe linked here)
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• 2 prepared pie crusts (Leaf Lard Pie Dough recipe included in cookbook)
• 1 large egg yolk

Crawfish Hand Pies

Click image to enlarge

Avocado-Mango Topping

• 1 mango
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 6 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 6 sprigs fresh mint
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) simple syrup 
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• ¼ cup (35 g) pine nuts, toasted
• Sriracha sauce (optional, to taste)

Crab Cakes

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons (13 g) leek (the white part only), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 pound ( 455 g) crab meat, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon (11 g) Dijon mustard
• ½ cup (60 g) bread crumbs (panko preferably), divided
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup (60 g) aioli or mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter

Tropically-Topped Crab Cakes

Click image to enlarge

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
• 2 quarts peanut, vegetable, or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Flavor additions such as Creole seasoning, Italian seasoning, granulated onion and/or garlic, etc. if desired
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
  
  
  
  Toppings of Choice: Sour cream, bacon, cheddar, and green onions pictured here; try crawfish in cream sauce; crawfish étouffée; any kind of queso; your favorite chile; etc.

Loaded Tater Tots

Click image to enlarge

• 1 pound of potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ¼ cup milk or as needed
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the bechamel sauce:

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• pinch of salt and pepper

For the seafood filling:

• 16 medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 16 small scallops
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup white wine
• handful freshly chopped parsley

For assembling:

• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese or gruyère

Coquilles st. Jacques

Click image to enlarge

SHRIMP

• ½ cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• ⅔ cup rice flour or cornstarch
• ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 4 ounces light beer
• 6 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 pound large (21/25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
   

SPICY KETCHUP

• 1 tablespoon pure olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, grated
• 1 garlic clove, mashed to a paste with salt (see note, below)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) no-salt-added canned tomatoes with juice, pureed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ¼ cup sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Beer-Battered Shrimp (Lighter)

Click image to enlarge

• 1 pound medium shrimp, steamed, shelled, and deveined, still warm 
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
• ½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar 
• ½ teaspoon seafood boil spice, or more to taste 
• Dash of celery seed 
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise (reduced fat is fine) 
• ⅓ cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine) 
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced celery 
• ½ small red bell pepper, diced (optional) 
• ¼ cup finely diced red onion (optional) 
• 2 ripe avocados

Old School Shrimp Salad

Click image to enlarge

• 1 pound crabmeat
• Kosher salt 
• 1 pound fresh spinach, cleaned
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
• Unsalted butter
• Beurre Blanc (recipe follows

Beurre Blanc

• 1 cup dry white wine
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Crab and Spinach Dumplings

Click image to enlarge

• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard or any coarse, grainy brown mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup nonpareil capers, drained
• ¼ cup chopped scallions (green and white parts)
• 1 tablespoon chopped curly parsley
• salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
• 1 small head of iceberg lettuce, washed, dried and cut into thin ribbons
• 2 medium vine ripened tomatoes, cored and cut into six 1 inch thick slices

Galatoire's Crabmeat Maison

Click image to enlarge

• 1½ pounds eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup V8 juice
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
• 1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped
• ¼ cup raising
• 2 tablespoons minced black olives
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 celery rib, chopped fine
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Sicilian Caponata

Click image to enlarge