Easy Dinner Recipes

Etouffee - pronounced (uh-too-fay) French for "smothered," etouffee is a dish of seafood or meat simmered in roux sauce. A style of Creole cuisine mainly produced in the U.S. state of Louisiana, Etouffee is a dish that is often served with rice or boiled potatoes. Basically, if you’ve never tasted it before, it’s a dish full of vegetables, shrimp, and shellfish smothered in a Cajun-style sauce made from roux and tomatoes. The dish is seasoned with onions, celery, bell pepper, green onion, garlic and herbs. There are many ways to make Etouffee but one of the simplest yet delicious version is this Chilau way.

24K Mac'n Cheese (Seafood Mac'n Cheese) was an idea I had when thinking about the ultimate side item to bring for Thanksgiving dinner. Special occasions call for the special treatment with lobster, jumbo shrimp, scallops and lump crab meat. The addition of Chilau added the perfect amount of kick and bold flavor! It was a hit! Must try!

Red snapper, in general, is highly celebrated in the Caribbean and this pan-fried approach lends itself well to large family dinners and celebrations. The citrus glaze is sweet and garlicky with a little heat that really brings out the flavor of the fish. Serve with rice, grits or straight up! Delicious!

The cooking style of seafood stew varies from city to city, each using their own unique twist. Every coastal area has a signature seafood stew and west coast Cioppino, popular in San Francisco, is one of them. I noticed the similarities to Tampa Style Crab Chilau so I decided to give it a shot, the results were amazing! I used mussels, clams, Dungeness crab and salmon, then served it up with some crusty bread! Click the link for the full recipe! 

This recipe is a spinoff from our cornbread deviled crab recipe but in the form of a meaty crab cake. Use as much blue crab meat as you like! With the addition of Chilau Sauce, it's like a crab cake that already has the hot sauce cooked into the center with that authentic gulf coast flavor!

I say "cajun style" because this chilau based recipe tastes better than the cajun pasta at your favorite restaurant, and you can make it in 30 minutes in your own kitchen. I went with Shrimp and Smoked Sausage but feel free to Put Your Spin On It!