Seafood Sacrifices Part 2

In the last newsletter I did a dozen best seafood dishes locally that could hardly be called penance, and I realized that there were more. So this is another list of 12 great seafood dishes, Part 2. On this one I cheated, enlisting the help of listeners to The Food Show (airs 2-4pm weekdays on 990AM WGSO.) I asked for help because there are a few local specialties that belong on this list, but I don’t eat them.

I’ll start with a very popular one. Tom has always said he doesn’t like tomatoes and seafood together and I agree. I don’t eat shrimp Creole, or crawfish étouffé, though I thought I would prefer the latter because of the seafood/tomato thing. 

Just this past week I disavowed that notion. Patty, the producer of The Food Show, cited Rest-A-While as the source of a great version of étoufée. Two days later we met friends there and lo and behold it was a special that evening. It was a fortuitous opportunity to get a picture of the dish, so I ordered it, knowing it would be great. There is nothing here that isn’t. I can now definitively say I don’t like this dish, and I may like it even less than the seafood/tomato combo. But at least I have the pic. 

Also on the north shore, the Paella Valenciana at Valencia in downtown Covington belongs on this list. It’s superb. The best version I have experienced, including in its place of origin. Ask them to leave out the sausage.

Merely a block away at Del Porto, the tuna crudo is always a winner with Tom, who loves this dish. I have never seen Tom be ambivalent about tuna prepared this way, and he also loves it at Keith Young’s.

Perhaps the star of this list should have been on the last one, Part 1, but logistically it worked out better here. The Lobster Dumplings at GW Fins are spectacular. A mousse stuffed into wonton wrappers and napped with a creamy lobster sauce, this dish is absolutely luscious. A star on a star-studded menu.

We recently had a dish that belongs on this list, though it is only available part of the time. The last list had no softshell crab, but we had such a wonderful and unique preparation it is worth a trip to the northshore to have it at Trey Yuen. The softshell crab with crawfish and mushroom sauce was terrific, and one you’ll not likely run into. Frank Wong makes a Chinese gumbo that is never on the menu, but it is delicious, so it was no surprise that this Chinese version of a local classic is superb. The softshell crab comes to the table in pieces, and the huge portion of crawfish sauce is enough for the softshell crab as well as the accompanying white rice.

And thinking about local seafood with Asian flair, the Whole Crispy Fish at The Pelican Club is another don’t-miss. A deep-fried gulf fish (usually flounder) is topped with shrimp and a citrus glaze and served with Basmati rice. It’s one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant, and it’s easy to see why.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, the next entry on this list follows a longtime Tom dictum: if it tastes good it is good. The cheese fries at the Chimes in Covington are fantastic. They are covered in a creamy and cheesy crawfish sauce which is irresistible. On top of all that is a decent sprinkling of fried crawfish tails. The fries themselves are pretty good here, but the sauce is killer. Hard to pass this one up.

The Impastato brothers have merged the Sicilian culinary heritage and our local seafood in a way no one else has. The menu at these restaurants (Sal & Judy’s, Impastato’s, and Impastato’s  Cellars) includes seafood appetizers that feature crab and/or shrimp either in a cream sauce, a cold mayo sauce, or garlic butter, and all of them belong on this list. There is no way to be anything other than thrilled with all of these.

Going more upscale, Tchefuncte’s in Madisonville offers oysters two ways on their menu. There is an official oyster app, but I think the oysters from the add-on section of the menu are better. There is a rotating sauce, and they are plump and crispy in a beautiful presentation.

An innovative spin on the muffuletta sandwich arrived on the scene several years ago with great enthusiasm. The seafood muffuletta at Parran’s Po-Boys in Metairie is as wonderful and over-the-top as it sounds. A crunchy seeded muffuletta loaf is piled high with shrimp, oysters, and catfish, fried crispy golden brown. With a cajun mayo as a condiment, lettuce and tomato are optional. This is good stuff.

Scallops are another thing I don’t eat, but Tom consumes enough of them for both of us. Whenever we are at Pardo’s in Mandeville, he gets the nightly scallops preparation. Chef Ryan Gall has a new way to enjoy this glamorous gift from the sea every time we are there, and each is more spectacular than the last.

And for everyday snacking on our favorite springtime treat, anyone reading this list has a favorite place to get boiled crawfish. Our pick is Will at Mandeville Seafood, who we think boils crawfish better than any others we’ve had. 

And after Lent is over, we get to keep eating all these delicious dishes and others around town.