Seafood in the spotlight
Cory Bahr's day job is chef, but he moonlights as a missionary for Louisiana seafood. In early March, he had the opportunity to spread the gospel at the Greystone Flavor Summit, a think tank for high-volume food and beverage professionals, held on the Culinary Institute of America's campus in St. Helena, California.
The theme of this year's summit was "Looking in our Own Backyard: A Focus on America." And nowhere is there a backyard more bountiful than the shores of Louisiana. "Out our back door is the Gulf of Mexico," Bahr said, enumerating some of the less familiar species found there: snapper, black drum, amberjack, sheepshead and grouper.
Most chefs and their customers are familiar with the flavor and quality of Gulf shrimp and oysters. But Bahr, the 2011 King of Louisiana Seafood, feels called to educate others about the lesser-known species and their potentials for creative and revenue-generating menu items. "It's a great value that chefs can pass on to their guests."
"People don't know how to use alligators and turtles. In Louisiana, if we have a problem, we eat it," he said. (For the record, alligator counts as seafood for Friday Lenten observance.)
To illustrate his point, Bahr conducted a demonstration at the Summit where he pan-roasted Louisiana snapper and paired it with crawfish and peaches pickled with crushed lemon leaves he picked that morning straight from Napa Valley. Not to overlook the crowdpleasers, he also prepared an Oyster Carbonara, crispy Louisiana shrimp with pepper jelly and an herb salad.
Throughout the summit, sustainability and storytelling recurred.
"We've been fishing in Louisiana for 10 or 12 generations. How irresponsible would it be not to treat Gulf waters in a sustainable fashion?" Bahr asked, noting that traceability is also important. "Every receipt I get says where (the product) comes from."
And Louisiana never lacks for a good story. "When the Cajuns were run out of Nova Scotia, the lobster followed them all the way to Louisiana," Bahr joked. "But it didn't eat on the long journey and became very, very thin and turned into a crawfish. And that's a true story."
Bahr shared the podium with Sal Sunseri, owner of New Orleans-based P&J Oyster Company, which has been harvesting and distributing oysters for more than 130 years. Sunseri, who is also chairman of Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, spoke about the highly regulated oyster industry, his concerns about sustainability and, of course, his state's love for celebrating food. "We have a festival every week, and we have an oyster festival every year," Sunseri said. The 2015 New Orleans Oyster Festival is Thursday and Friday.
Bahr learned the business the old-fashioned way—starting in kitchens at 16. "I didn't even know culinary school was an option. I didn't even finish high school." Nevertheless, at 39, he's the chef/owner of two successful restaurants in his hometown of Monroe — Cotton and Nonna. And he's won his share of awards—the 2014 People's Best New Chef for the Gulf Coast Region by Food & Wine magazine and a 2012 Food Network "Chopped" championship. His recipes are also featured in influential culinary magazines such as Louisiana Cookin' and Food Arts. At the Summit, he was on a national stage presenting to the leaders of food and beverage for global hotel groups, casinos and cruise lines such as Marriott, Disney, Intercontinental and Princess Cruises.
"It's humbling to possibly influence people to buy more Louisiana seafood," Bahr said. "We're creating a memory with a product that hopefully they will work into their budgets."
Crispy Shrimp with pepper jelly and herbs
Serves six
12 large shrimp deveined
Aerated batter
Pepper jelly vinaigrette
Herb salad
Dip each shrimp into batter. Fry @ 375 for 1.5-2.5 min remove and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel. Garnish with vinaigrette and herbs, as you like.
Pan roasted Louisiana snapper with pickles peaches & Louisiana blue crab
Serves six
6 — 5-ounce red snapper fillets skin off
Peach & Crab relish
Season snapper with kosher salt.
Garnish with relish and enjoy. A nice salad of bitter greens would be great to complement this.
Oyster carbonara
12 ea shucked oysters with liqueur
8 oz. dried spaghetti
2 c. flour
2 c. egg wash
2 c .seasoned bread crumbs
2 ea egg yolk
½ c. chicken stock
2 oz. block of Parmesan
3 oz. bacon
1 shallot, finely diced
2 clove garlic, thinly sliced
fresh cracked black pepper
kosher salt
canola oil for frying
In a bowl combine flour, 10 turns of pepper, and 2 tsp. salt.
Preheat the oil over medium heat to 350F.
Begin to cook spaghetti in a large pot of salted water to package directions.
Render bacon slowly in a skillet over medium low heat, when cooked add shallot and garlic and cook for one minute.
Remove the oysters from the liqueur, trying to leave as much as possible.
Place the oysters in the flour and coat completely. Repeat with egg wash and bread crumbs.
Fry the oysters until golden brown and crispy, set aside on a paper towel and season with salt.
Whisk the egg yolks into the oyster liqueur.
When the pasta is one minute away from being finished, place it in the skillet with the bacon.
Add the liqueur/yolk mixture. Cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta.
Grate in half of the Parmesan and toss to coat the pasta.
Season with black pepper.
Place the pasta in a bowl and the fried oysters around it. Grate the remaining cheese over the entire dish.