Crawfish Boil Corn Grits: Now That's Spicey

It is a new week and what better way to celebrate than with good food.  This is sort of a follow up to the previous crawfish boil post where I made yummy potato salad.  Another recipe I whipped up Easter Sunday was yellow corn grits using the left over crawfish boil corn. 

So without further ado, I present Crawfish Boil Corn Grits.  Here’s what you’ll need. 

2 cups water or chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup yellow corn grits
4 tbsp. butter
Salt & pepper to taste
1 cup of corn kernels (previously boiled)
½ cup sliced green onions

I purchased my corn at a local seafood market blocks from my house.  They are crazy busy this time of year and 3 ears of corn will set you back $1.49.  For this recipe I used 6 ears, but given that theirs was much spicier that the ones we made during our own boil next time I will only use three.

Begin by removing the kernels from the cobs with a sharp paring knife and break them up with your fingers.

Bring the water, heavy cream and butter to a boil with a good dash of salt.  When this comes to a boil I add the grits and immediately stir to keep the grits from clumping. 

Then lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Add the corn and green onions after about 10 minutes to give the flavors time to come together.  Serve immediately and enjoy. 

Something to think about, when I made this for Easter I used an 8 quart stock pot for the recipe and I made 1 ½ cups of grits with 3 cups each of water and heavy cream.   I prefer the texture in the larger pot and the cooking seemed to be more precise. The grits cooked more evenly and with less stirring and I was able to adjust the seasoning easier. 

Next time I make these I will use a much larger pot than the one I used here. It may even be a good excuse to buy a pot like the one in my mother’s kitchen.   There you go, Crawfish Boil Corn Grits, enjoy and remember to share with a friend.

Crawfish Boil & A Sack Of Taters

Thank goodness it is spring time! I bet you thought I dropped off the face of the earth, well good news, I’m still here.  I have adjusted my approach to the blog and decided that it doesn’t have to be perfect with long explanations and perfectly cropped and airbrushed photos my projects. This is my way of sharing my excitement for homemaking and creating and its coming to you live and in color straight from the heart, and yes, most of the time direct from my iPhone.

Today it is Crawfish Boil Potato Salad.  My beautiful sister celebrated her birthday a week before Easter and I came away with left over crawfish, potatoes and corn.  What does one do with so many leftovers? Well invent recipes of course. 

I am giving you approximate measurements here, as with any potato salad, it's a matter of taste.  Here’s what you will need.

3 lbs. of small red potatoes cooked in crawfish boil
1 large stalk of celery
2 green onions chopped
½ jar of pimentos
½ to 1 cup of mayonnaise
¼ to ½ cup of spicy brown mustard
¼ cup horseradish sauce
Splash of lemon juice
Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning
Salt & Pepper

Here’s what I did. This was two gallon size freezer bags of potatoes.  I started by using my paring knife to peel mostly around the center of the potatoes.  I like a little potato peel in my salad to keep it rustic, but too much gets in the way and interferes with the flavor in my opinion.  Then I cubed them and added them to my large bowl. 

I chopped 1 large stalk of celery, 2 green onions and added those to the bowl, along with ½ a jar of pimentos, mayonnaise, spicy brown mustard, horseradish sauce and lemon juice.  I seasoned with salt, pepper and the beloved Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning.  Because the potatoes had been refrigerated for a week I used a potato masher to give them a little smashing and get the texture I wanted.  I mixed this all together and put in a container overnight.

The next day I tasted the potato salad again and decided on a little extra mayo, and another hit of Tony’s.  The crawfish boil seasoning on the potatoes was enough that I didn’t have to work hard to season the salad.  The horseradish added a nice zing to it.  It just so happened that I picked up the ham for Easter at the Honey Baked store and couldn’t resist their horseradish sauce.  I know it is pricey, but it’s so good and I only buy it once a year.  You can use any jar horseradish you want to here, but if it is straight horseradish you might start out with a couple of tablespoons and add to your liking.

I used the leftover crawfish to make a few crawfish pies, and the spicy crawfish boil corn made the best yellow corn grits.  Needless to say we ate well for Easter, and thanks to my wonderful family for all their dishes and desserts that made it a wonderful holiday. So there you go Crawfish Boil Potato Salad.    Enjoy and remember to share with a friend.