Creole Courtbouillon: The Perfect Seafood Stew for Any Occasion

When you think of Louisiana cuisine, gumbo often comes to mind with its rich, hearty flavors. But what if you’re craving something a little lighter yet still packed with that signature Creole flair? That’s where this Creole Courtbouillon recipe from Louisiana Cookin steps in. This dish combines the freshest Gulf seafood with a fragrant, savory broth of tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. The result is a delightful, lighter cousin to gumbo that still holds its own in terms of flavor.

Court-bouillon, pronounced “coo-bee-yon,” is a Creole take on the classic French fish stew. However, unlike the French version that’s more akin to a poaching liquid, the Creole version is a hearty stew. The star of this dish is the seafood—shrimp and grouper are traditional choices—and they’re simmered in a vibrant broth until perfectly tender and infused with flavor.

Whether you’re serving this for a special family dinner or simply looking to elevate your weeknight meal, Creole Courtbouillon offers a little taste of Louisiana right at home. Let’s dive into how to making this dish

Ingredients:

 

Directions:

  1. Begin by combining the shrimp and grouper in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate them until you’re ready to add them to the stew. This step ensures the seafood stays fresh and chilled.
  2. In a medium Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it’s melted and slightly bubbly, add the chopped onion, bell peppers, celery, jalapeño, and garlic. Sauté these vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become tender and aromatic. The combination of colors and flavors here sets the stage for a rich and hearty stew.
  3. Sprinkle the flour over the sautéed vegetables. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes until the flour is lightly toasted and takes on a golden brown color. This step thickens the stew and adds a nutty depth to the broth. Afterward, stir in the tomato paste, ensuring it evenly coats the vegetables.
  4. Add the Liquid Ingredients: Slowly whisk in the warm seafood stock, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. This is where the deep, savory flavors really begin to develop. Add the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and Creole seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the pot.
  5. Once the broth has simmered and the flavors have melded together, add the shrimp and grouper mixture along with the salt and crushed red pepper. Cover the pot and let everything simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The seafood will cook through and absorb the rich, tangy broth. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
  6. Ladle the courtbouillon into bowls and serve it with a few lemon wedges on the side. A sprinkle of fresh parsley on top adds a touch of brightness and color to this already vibrant dish.

Creole Courtbouillon offers the best of Louisiana’s coastal cuisine in a single bowl. The fresh seafood, combined with the bright, flavorful broth of tomatoes and peppers, makes this dish a standout. Whether you’re a seafood lover or new to Creole cooking, this courtbouillon is sure to impress with its complexity and depth of flavor. It’s a dish that brings the Gulf to your table with every bite, and once you’ve tried it, it’s likely to become a regular in your recipe rotation.

For more delicious recipes, click here.

Simple and Classic Seafood Boil Recipe

In South Louisiana, backyard crawfish or seafood boils are the types of events that you look forward to all year round. Whether it’s the communal eating tradition, methods by which you prepare or ingest the cuisine, or just the flavors of the boiled seafood and vegetables themselves, there’s always something to look forward to. Luckily this recipe for a Creole-Seasoned Seafood Boil from food blog Food52 with supplemental information from Everyday Creole is the perfect resource you need to keep the spirit of a successful Louisiana Seafood Boil alive and well.

 Before beginning the recipe, it should be duly noted that this is by no means a definitive list of ingredients or cooking practices. As anyone who’s ever been at the helm of a boiling stockpot knows, every Louisiana chef and cook has their own method to their particular culinary madness. That being said, the tried-and-true phrase of “fresh is best” should apply in this recipe, as it often does. When procuring seafood, sausages, and vegetables, it’s always a good practice to try and get the freshest, locally sourced ingredients available. This will not only elevate your final dish but also your Creole authenticity.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. You’ll start this recipe by filling your large stockpot to its halfway marker with water. Bring the water to a boil before proceeding.
  2. Once boiling, add in your beer, ¾ cup of Creole Seasoning, ¼ cup of smoked paprika, 1 ½ teaspoon of Concentrated Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil, bay leaves, red potatoes, lemons, and your halved head of garlic. Stir in your ingredients, and bring the stockpot back up to a boil.
  3. In a nearby skillet or saucepan, brown your sausage quarters until they emit their oils and are properly slightly blackened on both sides. Then, add your sausage into the stockpot, stir together the ingredient mixture and sausage, and bring your heat down to medium. Simmer for at least 15 minutes or until your potatoes are slightly tender.  When they are, add in your corn, while continuing to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  4. Add in your shrimp and crab to the stockpot at this point, and continue to cook it all until the seafood is fully cooked. While this happens, melt your butter into a saucepan over medium heat after you dispose of the sausage oil from earlier. Stir in your minced garlic into the nutter, and cook until the butter begins to caramelize. Stir in the brown sugar, lemon pepper seasoning, 2 tablespoons of Creole Seasoning, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, onion powder, and ½ teaspoon of Concentrated Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil. Simmer this all on low until you’re ready to serve.
  5. When finished, drain the liquid from the stockpot and serve your seafood boil immediately. Feel free to drizzle the butter sauce atop your boil or use it as a complimentary dip.
  6. Enjoy!

For more delicious recipes, click here.

Browned Butter Honey Garlic Salmon

Browned butter honey garlic salmon is the perfect fish recipe to cook if you are looking for something to stay out of the heat and enjoy straight from your oven. This recipe, which comes from cafedelites.com, is ideal for those who love a good seafood meal a few times a week but are looking for a different taste and ready to switch it up.

Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons reduced fat butter (or Ghee)
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (or juice of half a lemon)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 Salmon Fillets
  • Sea salt
  • Lemon wedges (to serve)
How to Make:
  • The first step is to have all of your ingredients together and ready for you when you start cooking. This recipe moves fast.
  • Adjust your oven shelf at least 8-inches away from the heat element in your oven to prevent burning.
  • When browning butter, the heat needs to be on medium-high. After your butter melts, watch it continuously while it bubbles up, then foams and starts to give off a nutty aroma. At this point, stir it occasionally and swirl the pan carefully until the foam subsides. You’ll be left with a dark golden hue and some charred bits on the bottom of your pan. From here you need to act quick.
  • Allow the honey to melt completely though the browned butter before adding garlic.
  • When adding lemon juice, be careful of the butter splattering.
  • Add the salmon with the top facing up (skin-side down) and baste it while it cooks in the skillet.
  • Before broiling, you can add lemon wedges around your salmon if you like your sauces to take on more of a citrus flavour OR leave them out for a milder taste.
  • While broiling, keep an eye on the salmon as it can easily go from slightly charred to burnt very quickly. Put your timer on for 3 minutes and keep watching from there.

Food Networks’ Asian Grilled Salmon

 

With the Lenten season coming around the corner, you can never go wrong with a delicious cooked salmon recipe. That’s exactly why we search high and low to find some of the best seafood recipes and how we came across this gem from the food network.

The best part about this Asian inspired salmon recipe is that it only takes 30 minutes total to prepare AND cook. So, whether you are looking for a quick meal to make on a busy weeknight or just not up to going all out on the weekend, you will have to give this method a try- not to mention, most of the ingredients you will already have in your kitchen!

Ingredients

  • 1 side fresh salmon, boned but skin on (about 3 pounds)

For the marinade:

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons good soy sauce
  • 6 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions

Light charcoal briquettes in a grill and brush the grilling rack with oil to keep the salmon from sticking.

While the grill is heating, lay the salmon skin side down on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade onto the salmon and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

Place the salmon skin side down on the hot grill; discard the marinade the fish was sitting in. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill for another 4 to 5 minutes. The salmon will be slightly raw in the center, but don’t worry; it will keep cooking as it sits.

Transfer the fish to a flat plate, skin side down, and spoon the reserved marinade on top. Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.