by Lillith Black

Created on: March 20, 2010

I grew up in south Louisiana and have been eating Cajun food since I could say ‘spicy’.  I have been cooking with my mama and my maw-maw since I could reach the counter from my step ladder. I went to LSU, and yell and scream for my Tigers every season. I have spent many a weekend tailgating at Death Valley, and anyone who has ever done that knows that all we do is cook, eat, and drink!  Here is a wonderful pair of recipes that we make Saturday morning after tailgating all night Friday night! This recipe feeds 6.

Cajun Tiger Omelet

1 1/2 cups peeled Louisiana crawfish tails (leftover from the crawfish boil the day before)

1 cup andouille sausage, uncased.

1 large Vidalia sweet onion (diced)

2 whole garlic bulbs, minced

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1 cup diced sweet red bell pepper

1 cup chopped green onions

6 oz goat cheese

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp black pepper

2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp gumbo file powder

1 tsp cumin powder

18 eggs, beaten together.

½ cup heavy cream

Sautee onions and garlic and sausage together until sausage is fully cooked and chopped. You should use raw sausage meat without the casing on it. When meat is cooked, remove it from the pan, putting the sausage drippings aside in a bowl. 

Mix powdered spices and heavy cream into egg mixture and whip with whisk 4 minutes.

In a non-stick skillet add 1/6th of the stick of butter and a tsp of the drippings (or 1/6th of them, depending on the amount you have). There should be enough butter/sausage dripping to come over the edges of the egg you put in the pan. If you need more butter to make this happen, add it. We Cajuns can’t get enough butter!

After the butter is melted, add 1/6th of the egg mixture. Your pan should be over low or med low heat.

Add ¼ cup of crawfish, 1/6th of the sausage mix, peppers, green onions, and mushrooms.

You want to lift the edges of this omelet to allow the liquid eggs to get underneath. Keep doing that until no more egg pours off the top when you lift it.  When it is halfway cooked, add 1 oz goat cheese, crumbled.  When no more egg pours off, flip the entire omelet over. Allow it to lightly brown on the other side.

Serve this omelet with Abita Turbo-dog and Tabasco.

Cajun ‘who dat’ omelet

This omelet should be made at home, on a Sunday morning before the Saints game.

3 eggs

2 oz heavy cream

¼ cup blue crab lump meat

¼ cup diced gulf shrimp (cooked)

1/8 cup fresh tarragon

8 leaves fresh spinach

½ tsp garlic powder

Dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Dash celery salt

Salt and pepper to taste

Tbsp gruyere cheese- shredded very finely

¼ stick butter

Melt the butter in non-stick skillet.  Whisk eggs and cream and salt and pepper and other dry ingredients until blended and fluffy.  Pour into melted hot butter in skillet over medium heat.

Add meats, tarragon, spinach, and red pepper to top of omelet. You want to lift the edges of this omelet to allow the liquid eggs to get underneath. Keep doing that until no more egg pours off the top when you lift it.  When it is halfway cooked, add gruyere.  When no more egg pours off, flip the entire omelet over. Allow it to lightly brown on the bottom.

Serve with a mimosa or some chicory coffee-au-lait and of course, Tabasco.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

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