Seafood Big Mamou Spicy Tomato Butter Sauce

May is one of my favorite months and this Seafood Big Mamou Spicy Tomato Butter Sauce is in honor of one of the reasons why May is so special. I do a lot of entertaining in my social circle, but I’m also the fortunate guest to many wonderful parties as there are many talented cooks and entertainers in my life. Two of my favorite events that I get to just be a guest at happen in May. The Kentucky Derby, and the Crawfish Boil. A crawfish boil is a lot of work that requires special skills and equipment so I’m not going to walk you through how to do it at home, but you can join in on the fun of a raging Cajun party with a recipe as simple as my Seafood Big Mamou. My love for Cajun food began in college, when I waited tables at Davis Street Fish Market in Evanston, Il. The cooks at the restaurant were willing to share their knowledge with a curious waiter (that’s me). I was constantly trying new dishes and asking about sauces and I learned a lot of the basics of Cajun cooking, such as: what is the holy trinity, how do you make a roux, what is Two Sisters, how do you make blackening seasoning. One of my very favorite dishes on the menu was called Seafood Big Mamou and I ordered it for lunch from time to time. Strangely, it wasn’t a recipe I ever sought out, and it took me a long time to figure out how to make it. All I really knew about Seafood Big Mamou was that the sauce was spicy tomato butter. Perhaps the butter was enough to keep me away- sometimes butter dishes are best ordered only in restaurants. But every now and then, the mood would strike and I’d be far from Davis Street. When I finally perfected the recipe, I did some research and discovered that Seafood Big Mamou Spicy Tomato Butter Sauce isn’t really a “thing”. In fact, it’s most likely based on Paul Prudhomme’s recipe for Chicken Big Mamou, which has very few vegetables and a lot more butter than my recipe. That said, it’s a very famous recipe from one of his many cookbooks. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of butter in this Seafood Big Mamou, but believe it or not, I’ve cut it way back. It’s really really good, and surprisingly simple. Whether you’re looking for a fun Cajun recipe for Mardi Gras, or just looking for a different kind of seafood dish, Seafood Big Mamou Spicy Tomato Butter Sauce is something special.

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Seafood Big Mamou Spicy Tomato Butter Sauce

Seafood Big Mamou Spicy Tomato Butter Sauce is a seafood riff on a classic Cajun dish of rich, buttery, spicy tomato sauce with lots of seafood over rice.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Author: Barrett Bridenhagen

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups diced sweet onion
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2 cups diced green peppers
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 1 ½ tablespoons sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
•  
• 2 cups chopped green onions; divided
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon+ Tabasco
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
•  
• 1 large sea scallop per person
• 2-3 shrimp per person
• 4 ounces of the white fish of your choice I used monkfish; in bite-size pieces
•  
• cooked rice for serving

Instructions

• Dice the onions, celery and green peppers. Melt the butter into a large sauté pan (I’ve cut it in half from the original four sticks. I think you could cut it down more, perhaps even to just one. I’ve never gone below 1 ½ myself). Add the thyme, salt, garlic powder, cayenne, black and white peppers, basil leaves. Stir well. Add the celery, onions, and green peppers. Cook a long time on medium heat until veggies are very soft (20+ minutes). Add 1 cup of the green onions, tomato sauce, half of the chicken stock, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and half of the tomato paste. Cook until thickened. Adjust seasoning. Add more paste if desired. Add more Tabasco. Just as you’re ready to serve, add in the seafood. Cook for a few minutes until it’s cooked through. If you add this too early it will be overcooked and loose its tenderness. Serve over the rice with the rest of the fresh green onions and lots of cold beers.

Notes

Adapted from Paul Prudhomme