Alligator-on-a-Stick with Boiled Peanut Sauce and Stir-Fried Garfish Tasso & Graine a Voler

LASCO Dish from Chef Nathan Richard

A street-food-style take on some of Louisiana’s most delicious seafood.
Cook/Prep Time: 3 HoursServings: 4

Ingredients

Marinated Alligator

1 lb. alligator flank (tenderized and sliced in 4” x 1” pieces)
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 Tbsp. ginger, minced
1/2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 sugar cane sticks or skewers

Peanut Sauce

1 tsp. ginger, minced
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup boiled peanuts, shelled
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. fish sauce
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. peanuts, chopped and toasted

Stir Fry

1 root or pack graine a voler (lotus root), sliced very thinly
1/4 lb. garfish tasso, or pork tasso
3 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 tsp. ginger, minced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. red chili pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups green onions, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. beene seeds
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

Directions

Marinated Alligator

Slice the alligator meat against the grain into 1/2-inch wide strips and place the strips in a medium-sized bowl or storage bag.
Pour the teriyaki sauce over them. Add ginger, garlic and salt; stir to combine.  Marinate for 2 – 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
Remove the alligator strips from the refrigerator.
Thread 4 of the alligator strips onto the sugar cane skewers. O
il the grill gates and place the alligator on the grill, and grill about 4-5 minutes on each side. 

Peanut Sauce 

In a small bowl, combine the ginger, peanut butter, boil peanuts and coconut milk and whisk together.
Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, lime juice, fish sauce, cayenne pepper and garlic to the bowl and whisk to combine.
Place the sauce in a serving bowl and garnish with the cilantro and chopped peanuts. 

Stir Fry

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and stir fry until the oil is very fragrant.
Add the drained graine a voler root slices in a single layer. Cook until the lotus root slices start to look translucent. Flip and cook 1 to 2 more minutes.
Add the chili pepper and green onions, and stir fry.
Add the beene seeds, soy sauce and sesame oil and fry until the lotus roots get a bit caramelized from the soy sauce. 

*To serve, pair the grilled alligator with the boil peanut sauce and serve a portion of stir fry on the side.

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