Pecan-Crusted Puppy Drum @ Muriel's
The idea of coating a big fillet of Gulf fish with pecans instead of the long-supreme almonds was hatched during the Paul Prudhomme years at Commander's Palace. Nearly all the restaurateurs who came through that restaurant took pecan fish with them, spreading the goodness around. Both Muriel's co-owner Rick Gratia and chef Gus Martin fit that description, and here it is: a vividly fresh puppy drum (a small black drum) with the oven-roasted nut meats, topped off with a crawfish relish. Highly yum.
