Seared Red Snapper

Austin Kirzner
seared red snapper

Chef Austin Kirzner grew up in New Orleans, always underfoot in the kitchens of his mother and grandmothers and fishing with his father and uncle. In sixth grade, he made Redfish Court Bouillon for a school project-he always knew he wanted to cook. Kirzner studied Hospitality Management at the University of Southern Mississippi, then earned...

Ingredients

Seared snapper

6 5 oz. snapper fillets

Olive oil, for searing

Salt and pepper, to taste

Warm Shrimp Boil Potato Salad

1 lb. Red Bliss potatoes

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Creole mustard

2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish

1/2 bunch green onions

1/2 Tbsp. Kosher salt

2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic

1/2 cup dry crab boil seasoning

1 lb. boiled shrimp, chopped

 

Boiled Shrimp

1 lb. Gulf Shrimp

1/2 cup crab boil seasoning

1 gal. water

1 lemon

1 orange

2 stalks celery

1 medium carrot

1 large yellow onion

2 heads garlic

1 Tbsp. celery salt

2 bay leaves

 

Softshell Crab Saffron Bisque

6 medium softshell crabs

2 qt. heavy cream

1 tsp. saffron

1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves

1 Vidalia onion, diced

2 shallots, roughly chopped

1/2 cup chardonnay

1/2 tsp. crushed garlic

2 Tbsp. blond roux

1/4 cup unsalted butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Crackling Crusted Oysters

12 Gulf Oysters, shucked

1 cup cracklings

2 cups seasoned flour

Pickled Crawfish Aioli

1/2 lb. crawfish

Half a lemon, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. capers

2 oz. red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 dashes Tabasco

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. garlic

1 cup olive oil blend

1/3 cup Steen’s cane vinegar

2 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Pickled Crawfish Aioli

1/2 lb. crawfish

Half a lemon, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. capers

2 oz. red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 dashes Tabasco

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. garlic

1 cup olive oil blend

1/3 cup Steen’s cane vinegar

2 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Seared Snapper

Season fillets with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet, then sear fillets until golden brown.

Warm Shrimp Boil Potato Salad

Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover them with water and crab boil seasoning. Over high heat, boil the potatoes until fork tender. Drain, place potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add all remaining ingredients but the shrimp. Mix until completely and evenly incorporated. Add the boiled shrimp and mix.

Boiled Shrimp

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil and add all the ingredients except for the shrimp. Return to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes on high heat. Remove the shrimp, peel and chop them, and set them aside for the potato salad.

Softshell Crab Saffron Bisque

Clean the softshell crabs, removing the eyes and water sac, and pat dry. In a pot over medium heat add the butter, onions, shallots, garlic, and saffron, cooking onions until translucent. Next add the softshell crabs and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the chardonnay and add the fresh parsley leaves. Next add the heavy cream and bring to a soft boil. Slowly whisk in the blond roux and cook for 10 minutes. Blend with a hand blender until smooth, then strain through a chinois and season with salt and white pepper.

Crackling Crusted Oysters

In a food processor, blend the seasoned flour and crackling until incorporated, adding more flour if need be. Toss the oysters in the seasoned flour mixture and deep fry at 350°F for 1 minute. Remove to drain.

Pickled Crawfish Aioli

In a bowl, mix the sugar and red wine vinegar in until sugar is dissolved. Add the lemons, capers, red onions, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco and mix well. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, then add the crawfish and refrigerate until ready to use. Meanwhile, add the garlic, Steen’s cane vinegar, and eggs to a blender and mix until fully incorporated. Slowly add the olive oil blend until emulsified. Season with salt and white pepper. Remove the pickled crawfish and add them to the aioli. Mince the thinly sliced lemons and onions and add them to the aioli. Remove some of the capers and add them to the aioli and mix well.

To serve, plate the snapper on the potato salad and top with softshell crab saffron bisque. Top oysters with pickled crawfish aioli.

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