Author: Emily Gautreaux

Businesses, Bridge Side Marina, and more Return to Grand Isle after Ida

Left in the wake of Hurricane Ida’s path, the state of the city of Grand Isle was awfully grim, but as it is outlined in this feature article from Nola.com, nine months after the storm passed, things are starting to look up as anglers and fishermen return to the nine-mile island.

The feature article spoke directly to citizens of Grand Isle to take a reading on how the community was fairing this long after Ida, thus making the account of the island’s comeback reliable and promising to say the least. One local fisherman, Frank Dreher commented on the striking restoration efforts that have taken place in the area in the last few months.

Dreher said “the one thing everyone has to know is the island and the waters certainly do not look like what they did before the storm. Most of the debris has been removed and the demolition of some camps continues. It’s been a long road, and we got a lot of support from our friends, the fishermen we’ve seen for years. It’s exciting to be back and exciting to see our friends come back.”

After Grand Isle was hit particularly hard by the devastating winds, storm surges, and other effects of Hurricane Ida, the outlook wasn’t positive. The community was left without electricity, water, fuel, food, and all other comforts, making many business owners and camp owners begin their processes of rebuilding and reopening the island with heavy hearts. As outlined in the feature, it would be months before these workers would be aided with electricity being restored or support services coming back to the island, but the strong workers put in their best efforts to repair the island.

In October of 2021, charter fishermen like Frank Dreher worked with professional crews to clean up the island using their materials, boats, and wherewithal. These members of the Grand Isle community used their own free time to round up, procure, and supply the necessary materials to build back the island, and thankfully it paid off. When crews began the process of rebuilding the island’s stores, streets, and shores in October, they were joined by the reopening of Grand Isle’s big grocery store Sureway, which was operating on power from a generator. In the coming months, power and water followed, and hope was gradually restored.

One of the largest projects facing the islanders wanting to assist in the restoration efforts was the resurrection of the iconic Grand Isle staple: The Bridge Side Marina. Because it’s the first marina that visitors to Grand Isle see whenever they’re crossing the Caminada Bay bridge, it’s often synonymous with the city itself, thus making it the perfect restoration site for islanders Buggy and Dodie Vegas, who were interviewed by reporters from Nola.com.

Today, Bridge Side Marina is open once again, and it’s supplied with fuel, ice, live shrimp, tackles, minnows, and food. All of this means that enough is in stock to bring life back to the once-vibrant Marina, and there’s enough bait to ensure that enough life will be caught as well.

Community member Dodie Vegas was confident in Grand Isle’s comeback; he reported that the Bridge Side store’s deli is set to reopen in late May. Additionally, he told reporters, “It’s still a work in progress. We’re shooting to have bait boats providing live croakers for Memorial Day weekend. We had to rebuild docks, and we have a barge in the marina building a new dock,” he said. “And, we’ve rebuilt about half our rooms. The RV park is hooked up 100%, and we’re working around the fishermen in the morning and working on the place the rest of the day.”

Though, this Grand Isle comeback isn’t only because of the Marina’s return, because the Blue Dolphin inn and at least a half of a dozen RV parks are currently reopened and operating in the area alongside restaurants.

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Salmon Burgers with Irresistible Roasted Red Pepper Mayo

When you’re outside, enjoying the weather, freedom, and general atmosphere that summertime has to offer, you don’t want to eat anything deemed “too heavy” that’s sure to weigh you down. That’s why this light, flavorful recipe for salmon burgers dressed with roasted red pepper mayonnaise from the chefs over at the Epicurious food blog is the perfect recipe to keep in your back pocket. It’s sure to come in handy for those times you are craving seafood, an irresistible condiment, a hamburger that doesn’t weigh you down, or all of the above!

Ingredients for Salmon Burgers:

  • 18 ounces of canned salmon, drained, picked through, flaked
  • ¼ cup of coarsely chopped, and drained roasted bell peppers (packed)
  • ⅓ cup of drained roasted red bell peppers cut into ¼’ strips
  • 2 teaspoons of drained capers
  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, divided
  • ½ cup of plain breadcrumbs
  • 4 hamburger buns
  • 1 cup of mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. You’ll want to begin this delicious recipe by blending together your mayonnaise, bell peppers, chapters, lemon juice, and salt in a standard blender. If needed, be sure to scrape down the interior sides of the blender, until everything is blended smoothly. Once finished, transfer the blender contents into a small bowl. Set your red pepper mayonnaise aside.
  2. Next, you’ll begin the process of cooking and assembling the burgers. At this point, mix the breadcrumbs, pepper, and only about ½ a cup of red pepper mayonnaise into a large bowl. Next, take your flaked salmon and pick through it so that it’s completely drained. You’ll then gently fold your flaked salmon into the breadcrumbs and mayo. Divide this mixture evenly so that you have 4 burger patties. Using your hands, mold the salmon burger patties so that each is about 1/2″ thick and 4″ wide.
  3. At his point, heat about 1 tablespoon of your divided vegetable oil into a large nonstick skillet or a seasoned cast iron skillet. Turn on your oven burner, and heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering.
  4. While working in batches, cook the underside of the hamburger buns with the cut side facing down. Toast the hamburger buns until they are of a golden brown coloration, which in total should only take approximately two minutes. Afterward, divide the bund among four plates.
  5. Next, you’ll heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil in the same skillet you used in the previous step. Place the salmon patties into the skillet one at a time and cook each patty until it is golden brown and heated through. This will take about 2-3 minutes per side of the salmon patties.
  6.  Afterward, transfer the patties to the bottom buns and spread at least 2 teaspoons of red pepper mayonnaiseover the hamburgers. Arrange your bell pepper strips over the salmon patties and top them off with the other bun side to close.
  7. Serve alongside roasted sweet potato fries, a light green salad, and (of course) extra red pepper mayonnaise. Enjoy!

Notes for Salmon Burgers:

This delicious recipe relies on the blended red pepper mayonnaise, so ensure that you are taking great care to prepare it meticulously and using the freshest of ingredients. This isn’t the best recipe to use pre-frozen bell peppers for. Plus, if you plan ahead, the red pepper mayo can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. If you’re preparing it early, be sure that you store the mayo in a resealable container and chill it. Additionally, the salmon patties may be formed one day ahead of cooking, if they are covered and chilled beforehand.

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UL Lafayette Announced Project to Increase Oyster Resilience

It was recently announced that The University of Louisiana at Lafayette will be spearheading a $14 million research initiative over a three year period to develop a resilient oyster broodstock that will have the ability to live in environments with low salinity, according to a press release from the university and an article from The Acadiana Advocate. The project to create oyster resilience, which is being funded by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, is called LO-SPAT or “Leveraging Opportunities and Strategic Partnerships to Advance Tolerant Oysters for Restoration. It’s designed to help sustain populations of shellfish and at the same time support the seafood industry.

The project’s principal investigator Dr. Beth Stauffe, commented on the project’s objective by saying, “the objective is to examine low-salinity tolerant populations of oysters. We’re researching how low salinity – and other environmental stressors – factor in, and identifying heritable traits that make some oysters hardier than others.”

Outside of being LO-SPAT’s principal investigator, Dr. Stauffe is an associate professor in the Department of Biologyat UL Lafayette as well as a phytoplankton ecologist. Alongside Dr. Stauffe, the project will be worked on by other researchers from UL Lafayette, scientists from the LSU Agricultural Center, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. The project’s partner from the private sector is the Mississippi-based oyster aquaculture company Spat-Tech.

One of the principal efforts the project team focused on was the collective examination of the entire oyster life cycle– from larvae to broodstock to juveniles- at which point they can be deployed into nurseries and restored reef sites. In order to observe the entire life cycle, the team of researchers must both pool together its multiple sources of expertise in oyster husbandry, molecular biology, coastal ecology, restoration ecology, environmental monitoring, economics, and organismal biology.

The process to begin the creation of better oyster resilience and sustainable breeding operations for the oysters starts with the collecting of wild oysters, introducing them to what’s known as stressors, and using molecular tools to determine which oysters prove capable in unfavorable conditions. The resilient oysters that will emerge from this project will be incredibly impactful due to the fact that Louisiana is one of the nation’s major oyster-producing states.

Despite their popularity, the recent years haven’t been kind to the Louisiana shellfish, as production has declined due to the increases seen in rainfall and flooding in the state and along the Gulf Coast in recent years. This has created massive ecological and economic consequences because the increase in rainwater has introduced high amounts of freshwater into reefs and oyster habitats, which is disrupting the amount of salt that they need to survive, grow, and reproduce, therefore decreasing our oyster resilience.

The secretary of the LO-SPAT project’s funding partner, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, is Jack Montoucet. Montoucet commented on the impact of the project by saying, “A comprehensive approach to addressing a state, regional and national problem, and we’re excited to play a role in that. Developing an oyster that can tolerate low salinity for an extended period of time – which we don’t have now – is important to maintaining the industry as we know it. And with all of the research capabilities that exist today, we should be able to do that.

In order for a coastal ecosystem to be considered healthy, a resilient supply of oysters are absolutely essential, as they both build reefs that provide a habitat for fish and other marine life and filter massive volumes of water. The Gulf of Mexico produces approximately 46% of the United States’s oysters with the regional oyster industry producing an annual value of $66 million. Therefore, LO-SPAT and other similar initiatives are ever-more vital to a healthy economy and sealife.

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The Greatest Florida Islands for Your Vacation

There’s a simple reason as to why images of palm leaves, clear blue waters, and white sandy beaches enter the mind when one attempts to picture the perfect island vacation. It’s because the iconography of the over 4,500 Florida islands located in Florida’s archipelago is akin to the idyllic summertime retreat, and thanks to this useful article detailing the best islands that the Sunshine State has to offer from Southern Living Magazine, you’re one step closer to making that unforgettable island vacation yours in the near future.

The Sunshine State doesn’t necessarily need an overabundant amount of help when it comes to attracting tourists to make their way down to Florida in the summer months for some rest and relaxation. Not only is Florida the country’s fourth most populous state, but it also has a long-standing history of alluring an enormous amount of visitors in the summer months to its wide selection of vacation spots, welcoming beaches, and amusement parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. 

In fact, in 2021 the state’s tourism industry was responsible for welcoming 122.4 million visitors, which was a decrease from the record 131.4 million visitors in  2019, and with early recent statistics indicating that “Florida had 30.8 million tourist visits between last October and December, a slight increase over the fourth quarter in 2019,” this upcoming summer is looking to be just as promising for the domestic tourism magnet.

Because there’s such a proclivity for vacationers to automatically have palm trees and destinations like Orlando or Pensacola enter their minds when they’re beginning to plan out a summer retreat, it’s all the more alluring to escape to an isle off the coast of Florida so that you can enjoy the scenery, personality, and natural majesty of the state without all of the crowds. Luckily, Southern Living’s Betsy Cribb has compiled this list of the seven best Florida islands in the state for your next trip. These locations range from barrier islands such as Amelia Island, which is located only a less-than-an-hour drive away from Jacksonville, Florida, while still toting a State Park that invites you to peruse its “over 200 acres of unspoiled wilderness along the southern tip of Amelia Island.” Seriously, if you’re looking for a destination that is straight out of an idyllic beach read or cathartic third act in a romantic drama, make it a point to book a trip to Amelia Island, as it’s “the only Florida State Park that offers horseback riding on its beaches” thanks to Kelly Seahorse Ranch.

Another stand-out island from the list is one that prides itself on offering its visitors “all of the modern conveniences that most vacationers have come to expect, but [also] has tempered its growth by clearly placing quality offerings above quantity.” Such is life on the barrier islands that blends both a relaxing and family-friendly atmosphere, Sanibel Island. Located only two and a half hours from Tampa, this fish hook-shaped island treasure is indicative of a bygone era when it comes to American vacation spots. This is because it’s filled with 17,000 acres of lush, picturesque landscape that’s framed by the San Carlos Bay and the Gulf of Mexico while also having no stoplights, high-rise buildings, nightclubs, or big-chain grocery stores.

Because of these carefully-implemented regulations when it comes to city planning, Sanibel Island offers its guests a comfortable, memorable experience where they feel transported to another world entirely. In fact, this attention to detail in the experience is most present in the fact that Sanibel Island is most known for its outrageous abundance of pastel-colored seashells that are quite literally calling out for tourists to bring home with them to remember the times they had on the island.

Additionally, the island features the world-famous J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and its approximately  “6,000 acres of mangrove jungles and wetlands [that] encompass a large portion of the island.”  Nearly 70% of the island’s total 17,000 acres are protected, ensuring that the magic of Sanibel Island will be preserved for your next trip to its sandy shores and many years afterward.

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Bourgeois Meat Market to Open Second Location After Over a Century in Business

For over a century, the Schriever butcher shop and South Louisiana culinary staple known as Bourgeois Meat Market has made a name for itself with its beef jerky, summer sausage, and other cajun specialties along Bayou Terrebonne at 543 West Main St. in Schriever, Louisiana. This popularity has resulted in Bourgeois Meat Market, which was founded in 1891, planning on opening a second location in Gray, Louisiana in early 2023, according to this article from HoumaToday.

Bourgeois Meat Market was founded by Valery Jean Baptiste Bourgeois, and it was started in his front yard in 1891. Fourth-generation owner Beau Bourgeois detailed the market’s origins by saying, “he started off by slaughtering a cow or a pig and going by horse and carriage house-to-house. That was the days before refrigeration. Later on, he eventually built a little smokehouse. The whole reason they started doing that was so that you could keep the fresh sausage for a couple of extra days.”

Eventually, that tenacious spirit snowballed and resulted in the construction of the market’s first building being erected on the opposite side of the street from its Schriever location. When Valery Bourgeois returned from serving in World War II, he moved the market into its current location bayouside, but today, Beau Bourgeois says that the current site is inefficient due to its layout, despite additions made to the location numerous times over the years.

Simply put, the current location doesn’t offer enough space to stuff sausage and boudin, two of the market’s top sellers, and so a solution was born. While the current location will continue to operate in its current spot, a second location is set to open in early 2023 at 3700 West Park Ave., where construction is already underway. The new location, which will be approximately twice the size of the current shop (at 9,000 square feet), was originally planned to be completed two years ago, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida.

The new shop will allow for more services to be offered by Bourgeois Meat Market, including a pick-up station where customers can quickly pick up specialty items such as daily plate lunches and stuffed meats. Also, while the current site employs 30 workers who will be spread between the two locations, approximately 30 new employees will be hired to help man the demand of a second location. One employee, Connor Finn of Gretna, Louisiana, reflected on the prospect of what a second location will hold by saying, “I’m actually really excited about it. You’ve got the production kitchen, then the service kitchen, and you also have the slicing room.”

Bourgeois Meat Market’s beef jerky, customer service, and brand name are all associated with high quality all across Louisiana but also the county at large. Some of Bourgeois Meat Market’s accolades and honors include being named among the “100 Southern Foods You Absolutely, Positively Must Try Before You Die” by Garden and Gun magazine.

Additionally, the industry-famous “ultimate destination for all things food,” website Mashed named Bourgeois on its list of “The Absolute Best Meat Markets in the US,” saying, “ The original Cajun jerky offered at this shop is legendary. In addition to the jerky, this local treasure also sells other snacking meats such as beef styx, crackling, and summer sausages. If you’re in the mood for a culinary adventure, try the boudin. Bourgeois Meat Market also offers services such as deer processing. This butchery has both classic and unique options available. Whatever you feel like, one thing’s for sure, this butcher shop is beloved among locals.”

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Deliciously Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Sometimes you want to go all-out for dinner and prepare a restaurant-grade meal. Thankfully, this excellent recipe for a cheesy, crispy, and flavorful “Best Chicken Parmesan” from Bon Appétit will set you up for a successful, four-star dish that’s sure to please.

Ingredients for Chicken Parmesan:

Directions for Chicken Parmesan:

  1. You’ll begin this recipe by starting with preparing the tomato sauce. You’ll do this by heating your extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven, or alternatively, you can use another heavy pot over medium heat. After the oil is heated, you’ll add your onion and 8 cloves of garlic and begin to cook them while stirring often. Continue this just until the onions and garlic are softened but not browned (about 5 minutes), at which point you’ll add in your tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook and stir until the paste is slightly darkened in color. In fact, the paste should begin to fry in olive oil.
  2. Add in your tomato purée, salt, and sugar, and bring it all to a simmer. Then, partially cover the pot with a lid in order to avoid splattering, reduce your heat so that the sauce is kept at a very bare simmer, and cook it while still stirring occasionally until it’s slightly thickened. This should take approximately 40-50 minutes.
  3. Next, you’ll begin the chicken assembly by placing 1 chicken breast at a time onto a cutting board so that a short side of the chicken is facing towards you. Then, as you hold a chef’s knife parallel to the breast, slice along the middle of a long side of the chicken in order to make a slit. Continue to slice until you are about ½” away from the other side. Then, open up the chicken breast like a book and place it between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. You’ll then pound the breast with a meat mallet or rolling pin until the chicken is about ⅓” thick. Ensure that the chicken is super thin so that it will keep from overheating. Repeat this step for the remaining chicken breasts.
  4. Combine your five garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil in a large baking dish. Then, season your chicken cutlets all over with salt; you can use about ¾ teaspoons of Diamond Crystal or a ½ teaspoon of Morton koshersalt per cutlet. Afterward, add the cutlets to your marinade while turning the chicken over to fully coat. Then, let them sit for at least 20 minutes but not longer than 1 hour.
  5. At this point, you’ll make a dredging station, for which you’ll whisk your eggs, garlic powder, salt, and about 2 tablespoons of water in a large shallow bowl such as a cake pan or pie plate. Then in another large shallow bowl, place your panko breadcrumbs, and place your flour into a third. Whisk the remaining salt into the flout, mixing it together.
  6. As you work with one chicken cutlet at a time, take a cutlet out of the marinade and let any excess drip off. Then, dip the cutlet into the egg wash, dredge it in panko (pressing firmly to adhere), gently shake off the excess, and place the cutlet onto a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat this process for the other cutlets, and chill for at least 20 minutes but not longer than 8 hours.
  7. Then, set a wire rack inside a second large rimmed baking sheet, and grate your mozzarella on the large hotels of a box cheese grater into a medium bowl. Add some Parmesan cheese, and toss to combine. Next, you’ll pour your vegetable oil into a large high-sided heave skillet so that the oil comes up 1” on all sides. Heat the oil over medium until an instant-read thermometer registers at 400°F.
  8. Working in batches to avoid over-crowding the pan and returning the oil to 400°F after each batch, you’ll very carefully lower the cutlets into the skillet with tongs and cook them until they’re each golden brown. This should take approximately 2 minutes per side. Afterward, transfer the cutlets to the prepared rack and season each with salt.
  9. Now you’ll heat your boiler and arrange the cutlets so that they are sitting side by side in 2 large baking dishes.Generously spoon some sauce over each cutlet and put the remaining sauce into baking dishes around the cutlets. Cover them with your cheese mixture and broil just until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and browned in spots. This should only take about 4 minutes- at which point you’ll remove this chicken from the broiler, let them cool slightly, and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Notes for Chicken Parmesan:

  • You can make the tomato sauce up to two days ahead of time. Follow steps 1-2 above, let it cool, transfer the sauce to an airtight container, cover, and chill until you need it for the chicken.
  • When your chicken cutlets are marinating, the lemon juice will turn the chicken flesh opaque, but that’s to be expected.

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