Indulgent Lent

In the last newsletter I outlined six alternatives to meat as we “sacrifice” during Lent. Each newsletter will add six more of these Lenten suggestions of dishes I still think about around town. We have countless seafood apps and entrees in New Orleans, but these just stand out to me. Yes, they are classics from the more traditional places, but that is the definition of classic.

To me, the very epitome of what the term “New Orleans” seafood means is found at Galatoire’s. The Trout Amandine here has no peer. No one does this better. It is simply a lightly-battered filet of trout fried to perfection with mounds of sliced and toasted almonds on top.

No matter how many times I have been to Galatoire's it is still always a treat to be there. And the food remains exceptional all these years later. That is not true of many places.

The Crab and Brie soup at The Dakota in downtown Covington is one of those exquisite dishes that are so superb they have spawned imitators. But it originated here. Thick and so luscious, it is a meal in itself. Eaten with some house crusty bread, it is divine. A little pile of crabmeat in the center dissipates throughout the soup when you start eating it. Fantastic!

One of the most talked about seafood dishes in town doesn’t even feature local seafood. It is the Lobster Dumplings at GW Fins. I’m not a lobster fan, but the pieces of lobster in these don't register as chewy because they are smaller. We also love the Seafood Martini at The Pelican Club. This has consistently changed throughout the years, but the original was not as complex as the current version of this extremely popular dish. One of the distinctive attributes of this dish is the presentation in the martini glass, but for a short period of time it moved to a dish. When it returned to the martini glass it had chunks of lobster added to the crabmeat Ravigote, boiled shrimp and avocado, as well as the Creole potato salad that I don’t remember in the original version. This is filling and refreshing, and so delicious an example of favorite seafoods. The dumplings themselves are perfect pasta and the sauce is delicious. I’m never going to order lobster when I have other choices, except at GW Fins. These are always on the ticket there.

Oysters Oreganate at Ristorante Fillippo belongs on this list. Tom was obsessed with it. The metal baking dish makes it lava-like hot when it comes to the table, filled with oysters that are blanketed with a wonderful garlic, olive oil, herbs and breadcrumbs mixture that is the taste of New Orleans Sicilian Italian cuisine. Part of our culture.

We also love the Seafood Martini at The Pelican Club. This has consistently changed throughout the years, but the original was not as complex as the current version of this extremely popular dish. One of the distinctive attributes of this dish is the presentation in the martini glass, but for a short period of time it moved to a dish. When it returned to the martini glass it had chunks of lobster added to the crabmeat Ravigote, boiled shrimp and avocado, as well as the Creole potato salad that I don’t remember in the original version. This is filling and refreshing, and so delicious an example of favorite seafoods.

Crabcakes are not original to the local culinary culture, but they are now, even though we poached them from Baltimore. There are a few stellar examples of this wonderful way to consume our local crabmeat (same crabmeat in Baltimore.) I often cite Mr. B’s when talking about crabcakes, but this one is new to town. The crabcake from Bon Ton Prime Rib is a pile of nothing but crab with a light toasting from the broiler. The menu says no fillers and they deliver on that promise. There are of course spices and the requisite butter sauce, but otherwise just crabmeat. Crabmeat should be lightly touched, as this is.

Sal and Judy’s in Lacombe is legendary for its fabulous Sicilian Italian food, and people have been trekking across the lake for it for over forty years. Most people don’t know that the restaurant sells one of the most wonderful versions of a Sicilian-style stuffed artichoke anywhere. If you don’t eat meat during let but aren’t crazy about seafood, here’s some Lagniappe for you. 

It's fun to go back over the countless meals I've had to remember special dishes. I'm sure you have your own favorites. Be sure you indulge in them this season. Sometimes it's not hard at all to be a good Catholic.