Crab Boil: A Little Taste of the South

Hungry. It seems that's all I have been lately. These past few months I have been training everyday to run a half marathon in November.  After 5 to 7 miles of running everyday I can't stop to over whelming feeling of hunger. Hell, I can't remember the last time I blogged about what I was eating. With filming and retouching sucking up most of my time blogging has had to take a back seat. I know most of you were hoping for more MEAT Inc. episodes unfortunately this recipe will have to do for now.

I remember last year around this time I was in New Orleans chowing down on anything and everything I could get my hands on. These days anytime it's hot out my cravings instantly shift to Southern. Last night I decided to use my down time to cook up a Crab Boil. 

With a quick trip to the store I was able to pick up, (the full recipe is at the bottom) 1 sack of baby red potatoes, 1 pound of king crab legs, 1 onion, 1 head of garlic, 1/2 pound of shrimp (you can get a pound, my girlfriend isn't a fan), 4 dried chili peppers, 4 bay leaves, 3 sprigs of thyme, 2 lemons, some cajun style andouille sausage, and 2 ears of corn. 

This dish is a lot of fun. There are no rules you just throw in what you think will taste good. It's pretty hard to fuck up. In some cases you can swap the crab legs out for 12 whole fresh crabs. This particular dish was big enough for 2 to 3 people so you can easily double the ingredients to serve more. 

First you wanna grab the biggest stock pot you have. Start by washing and scrubbing the potatoes. Then separate the garlic cloves from the head. I like to use as many natural and/or organic products as possible. I figure the less chemicals in my food the better it will be for me. 

I used to spend hours peeling back the layers of skin on garlic, it would take forever. One day I slammed my knife on the counter in frustration only to find out that squashing the garlic was the best way to get the job done. I consulted some of my chef friends and it turns out I'm an idiot and everyone does it that way anyways. So you're welcome.

Now once the garlic is peeled and the onions are chopped in to 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces (these are just for flavor btw) go ahead and shuck the the corn and cut it into halves. Why? Cause giant pieces of corn in a pot look obnoxious when you have a food blog...

The third step is to clean the shrimp. Asian restaurants that serve shirmp tempura don't usually do this and it fucking grosses me out. You're eating shimp poop. It won't kill you, I just don't like the idea of eating another animals shit. In the cooking world they call this peeling and deveining.

Next you are going to pull out your 3 sprigs of fresh thyme and pour out a 1/4 cup of sea salt. Set this aside cause you will be throwing it all together in your pot.

Once everything is ready you will half your 2 lemons. Don't worry about the seeds, cause if you try to remove them you will probably loose extra lemon juice that would have been better off in your pot for more flavor. Now you will pour in 4 quarts of water. Turn your heat to high and throw in 2 TBLS of distilled white vinegar, your crab boil (I use Zatarain's cause it's easy and taste good), 4 bay leaves, 4 dried chile peppers, 3 sprigs of thyme, garlic cloves, 1/4 of a cup of sea salt, and lemons. You want to bring all of this to a rolling boil. 

Once you reach the rolling boil add in the crab, potatoes, corn, onions, sausage, and shrimp. Wait for that to get back to a rolling boil then time it for 5 minutes with the lid on. After your 5 minutes turn off the fire and let it rest with the lid on for 15 to 20 minutes. Then (this part I did not do because I was hungry) throw in a bowl of ice. This helps the crabs absorb the seasoning and prevents it from over cooking.

Then let the crab stand in water for at least 1 hour before serving. The crabs can be served warm or completely cooled. I like it warm or really hot so I did not let it sit for 1 hour, but you can cause you're awesome.

Last but not least I take out what I want to eat, put it in a giant bowl, and go to town. Some times I will sprinkle on Creole Seasoning just to give it a little texture. I also got some french bread and toasted it. In New Orleans it seemed every dish came with it so I felt it needed it.

Here is exactly what you need:

4 quarts of water

2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar

1 Zatarain's Crab Boil

4 bay leaves

4 dried chile peppers

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1/4 cup of sea salt

2 lemons, halved

1 pound of crab legs (or 12 fresh crabs)

1 pound of shrimp peeled and deveined

4 cajun style andouille sausage (cooked and/or cured)

3 pounds of red potatoes scrubbed 

2 ears of corn shucked and cut into halves or thirds

1 onion (10 ounce)

1 bag of ice

Enjoy this, it is fun and easy and if it's for a special occasion you will almost always get lucky...

Happy Summer,

Sean Rice

aka MEAT ME

Note* I will be at the Huntington Beach BBQ Competition this weekend so I hope to see you there.

Quest for the Best! Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar, New Orleans

People keep asking me what New Orleans is like. It really is like no other city in America. At first glance I might think of a flat San Francisco. Trolley cars running in the middle of streets, Victorian style homes with double vaulted ceilings, front door gas lamps, and elegant porches that wrap around homes like a ballerina’s tutu.

The nightlife is always happening some bars are open 24/7 complete with washers and dryers just incase you needed an extra reason to have a drink. Life is laid back, filled with great food, and wonderful company. Some of the old homes just off St. Charles have been broken into apartments. So often you’ll find your next-door neighbor becomes your best friend.

The weather was perfect no signs of thunderstorms, heat, or humidity. New Orleans always loves to celebrate so if you come to visit don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the middle of some type of festival.  If you head out to the French Quarter you are likely to find yourself in a never-ending party. This place is always going off so don’t ever expect it to stop.

Now that I have had all of the best barbecue, it was time to indulge in the Seafood; some of the richest seafood is brought in right from the local swamplands. Oyster and shrimp are all caught fresh daily. Felix’s Oyster Bar has been serving some of New Orleans best since 1885. Its controversial history has been associated with mob bosses like Carlos “The Little Man” Marcello and former employees involved in the assassination of President John F. Kenney.

If you’re lookin’ for a taste of history this place has it all. Felix’s embraces your quintessential Cajun style seafood mixed with fresh giant oysters shucked right in front of you all night long. I got to meet with GM, Chef Adrian Zado to find out how much history is in these classic New Orleans dishes.

MEAT ME: And you are Adrian…

Adrian Zado: Adrian Zado I am the General Manager.

MEAT ME: How long has Felix’s Oyster Bar been around?

Adrian Zado: About 110 years. The place was opened by a guy from Italy named Felix Randoulf. He came to New Orleans in 1885 and he opened the place a little time before. We don’t know exactly when. He was a good friend with the mobster Carlos “The Little Man” Marcello. He was also a partner with the uncle of Lee Harvey Oswald; he used to own one of the buildings that Felix’s was in. Lee Harvey Oswald also worked as a bus boy here.

MEAT ME: Wow! Really.

Adrian Zado: Yea. Not very many people know about that.

MEAT ME: So how long have you worked here at Felix’s?

Adrian Zado: I have worked here for over 2 and half years. I have been a chef for 22 years. I lived in Italy for 16 years and that is where I learned Italian dishes.

MEAT ME: How long have you been in New Orleans?

Adrian Zado: About 5 and half years.

MEAT ME: So what drew you to New Orleans?

Adrian Zado: I wanted to help out, hang around, and wonder. It’s a hell of a city with amazing energy. I like that.

MEAT ME: So what’s in this dish? (Dish with the clams)

Adrian Zado: This is a dish that I learned in Italy. It is called (muscoli arrabiatti) Muscles in a spicy marinara sauce and I added a hint of licorice-flavored liquor. Most of my recipe is marinara sauce, crushed red pepper, red onions, crushed garlic, and tomato sauce.

MEAT ME: What would you say is the specialty here at Felix’s?

Adrian Zado: The specialty is Gumbo. It’s a recipe that is about 150 years old from the chef who had been hired by the original owner. He was one of those Mason cooks: they don’t have the recipe written down, they just share with family. I don’t have the recipe. It’s just plane seafood gumbo no chicken, no sausage, just oysters, crab, and shrimp.

There is the original truck. Right there over on the wall. Yea it belonged to Felix, the original owner. He started delivering oysters and groceries and then delivered them all over the place. That was his first job.

MEAT ME: So how many oysters would you say you guys go through in a day?

Adrian Zado: On a busy day we would probably do about $2,000 to $3,000 dollars. We go through about 13,000 to 14,000 pounds a week.

MEAT ME: Wow! About how many people come through here on a Saturday night?

Adrian Zado: Usually about 1,000 or more.

Muscles in a Spicy Marinara Sauce

MEAT ME: Yea, cause the 2 times I have been here there was always a line out the door. So you guys are obviously doing something right. What is your favorite dish?

Adrian Zado: I like the Linguini with a white wine sauce, garlic, and a plain white pasta. With a glass of wine on the side.

MEAT ME: So what is this dish exactly?


Adrian Zado: You know I had to come up with a good barbecue shrimp recipe. I had some friends of mine give me a basic BBQ shrimp recipe I added some Italian seasoning with some white onions. I can’t really reveal the rest to you, but everybody likes it. I never thought I would become famous for making BBQ shrimp but they love it.

So when you take the pictures you’ll see it will all come out right. I start on a low heat with all the ingredients, let them mingle together. Then I am going to add beer and worcestershire sauce and then it all comes together.

MEAT ME: I see you don’t hold back on the butter…

Adrian Zado: Yea it has a lot of butter, creole seasoning, garlic, parsley, white onions, liquid smoke, and Louisiana shrimp.

Barbecue Shrimp

MEAT ME: So tell me a little more about this, your favorite dish?

Adrain Zado: It’s a linguini with a light white wine, olive oil, garlic, parsley and I put some fresh pepper. It’s good for your heart with a glass of wine on the side.

For me Felix’s really captured the essence of what New Orleans was all about: history. It really made me realize where we come from, where we are now and that there is no point in worrying about the future.

While I sat at the bar the night I arrived, a homeless man wandered in off the street and stood right next to me. He looked around for a few seconds and then looked me right in the face and he said, “Where ya from?” I said, “Los Angeles.” He then got close to me and said, “So what do you think?” I said “I love it here.” He then looked around and then looked me dead straight in the eyes and said, “Be careful son she’ll show you a good time, but she’ll also chew you up and spit you out!”

The rest of my stay I kept that in the back of my head. I had no idea what he meant. The New Orleans culture has a history in VooDoo. Did it have to do with that? I don’t know, but I do know that New Orleans has a lot to offer. There are many goodtimes to be had here, but if you’re the type of person who lacks self-control and loves to engage in careless shenanigans I can see this place swallowing you up whole.

Adrian's Favorite Dish

To find out more about Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar go to: http://felixs.com/
You can find Felix’s on Yelp at: http://www.yelp.com/biz/felixs-restaurant-and-oyster-bar-new-orleans

Let the good times roll,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

Edited by Kathryn Emery

Written & Photographed by Sean Rice