Although this is Chef Jason Huguet of the Steamboat Restaurant’s seafood stuffed eggplant recipe, the seafood here can easily be replaced by a protein of your choice. Don’t hesitate to experiment and make the recipe yours.
Palmetto Mix:
1 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 ounces smoked tasso, minced
1/2 cup Italian seasoning
1/2 quart heavy whipping cream
Seafood Stuffed Eggplants:
Parmesan for garnish as needed
In a medium pan, heat up 1 cup of olive oil and sauté diced onion, bell pepper, and smoked tasso with Italian seasoning.
In your Magnalite pot, melt 2 sticks of real butter and sauté diced onion, bell pepper, and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. While that cooks, take your eggplants and cut them in half. Remove the inside and dice them. Put the empty eggplants onto a cooking sheet. Add diced eggplants to the Magnalite and cook them down. Once cooked, add 1 lb. fresh Louisiana crawfish tails, ½ lb. 70/90 count shrimp, and ½ lb. crabmeat. Season to taste. Add about ½ cup of breadcrumbs and mix. Take mixture and put into hollowed eggplants. Top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Place boats in oven at 325 degrees.
While eggplants are in oven, drain palmetto mix of excess olive oil. And on low heat in a medium pan, bring heavy whipping cream to a boil. Then add a teaspoon of palmetto mix stirring the sauce together. Take eggplants out of oven and pour sauce over the boats. Add Parmesan as needed.
If you don’t feel like cooking, head over to the Steamboat Warehouse Restaurant in Washington to experience how the pros do it. Watch Bayou Courtableau laze on by as you chow down on an excellent meal.
Mary Hawkins is the communications manager for the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. Contact her at hawkins@cajuntravel.com.
