From the Water to the Plate

FRESH SEAFOOD THROUGH JEFFERSON PARISH

by Ashlea Kelly

The story of the sacred Louisiana shrimp, fish, crab & crawfish begins way before we ever taste it on our plate. The adventure of its journey involves a myriad of twists & turns down the warm waterways of the Gulf, Lake Pontchartrain & in between our moss laden canals & bayous all delicately leading to the dedicated souls born and raised with one goal in mind: to catch, deliver, serve & prepare the freshest seafood there is to offer; in the way to which it was intended to be savored & tasted.

Jefferson Parish is especially unique to Southeast Louisiana because it encompasses cities, towns & miles and miles of delicious shoreline ripe with the kind of seafood that brings visitors and locals back again and again.

850 million pounds of seafood a year are produced from the state of Louisiana, making it the second largest seafood producer in the United States. From the water to the plate, there is fresh seafood abundantly available all over Jefferson Parish; you just have to know where to find it. Lucky for you…once you land your traveling toes in Southeast Louisiana you don’t have to go far to find more than you ever knew you were looking for to begin with. But how fresh is ‘fresh’ here? Hours from the water to your plate. Caught, brought, delivered, prepared and served most likely in a 24-hour time frame because that’s just the way we do it around here.

But oh, where to start?

Fly into our sparkling new Louis Armstrong International Airport in Kenner, grab your bags and your krewe & rent a car (or motorcycle) and head straight to Grand Isle Louisiana…still a part of Jefferson Parish, a scenic almost two-hour drive that’s totally worth it if you want to see the waters where generations of Louisiana fisherman embark to early each morning for our daily catches. The beaches are vast, and the land is laden with sunflowers & remnants of camps still recovering from storm damage, but the locals are welcoming. The weekend I went exploring Grand Isle just happened to be when the International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo was going on, one of the most distinguished fishing tournaments in the country celebrating its 95th year this year!

With weigh-ins happening consistently it shouldn’t have surprised me to walk up on a massive, almost 500 pound swordfish, the likes of which I’ve never seen up close. It’s truly astounding what swims in our warm waters, but what is more impressive are the hours it takes some of these fishermen to bring their big catches in. The swordfish I saw took almost 3 hours to bring in. Fresh seafood is caught all kinds of ways as well. Some while ‘trawling’ the sandy water floors which is a method of fishing that involves pulling a heavily weighted fishing net behind a boat and some via crab traps dropped & later picked up from their regular ‘bobbing’ spots. Freshwater is home to Crawfish, Bass, & Catfish with Saltwater harboring the likes of Snapper, Grouper & Redfish. The different seasons impact our ripest catches as well. As a general outline, white or brown shrimp are in their peak season in January, then April through November. Crawfish are the biggest & best somewhere in between January through June where Oysters enjoy a year long ‘thriving’ season from January thru December; thanks to the Gulf that produces more than 500 million pounds of oysters every year. Blue Crab peak March through June but you’ll have no problem finding them fresh around here all year long.

When we stopped to eat before getting on the road back to old Metairie from Grand Isle, I looked over the menu and simply asked the sweet waitress what the freshest, most local seafood was on the menu & she smiled mischievously and said “It’s not on the menu.” I was immediately intrigued, she then continued, “They just caught and brought some fresh tuna in, do you want that?” The only response necessary: “Yes! & do it the way it was intended”. & they sure did. Oh, those tuna tacos.

When I began my fresh seafood investigation I was told to be sure and make a stop at the Westwego Shrimp Lot on the other side of the ‘river’ out on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish. Westwego borders some of Louisiana’s most photo-worthy swamp and bayou views so you’ll know you’re getting close when you begin seeing boats and signs for fresh seafood adorning the landscape.

I arrived at the shrimp lot to discover a lineup of wooden shanty-like buildings colorfully adorned with fresh seafood signs displaying everything from SHRIMP to SNAPPER, CRABS to REDFISH and much (MUCH) more. Although weekdays are busy, Saturday is bustling with a mix of fresh catches being brought in and iced down in their individual buckets or massive coolers while a mix of customers search for the ‘fresh catches’ they’ll be serving in their homes and restaurants that evening.

Each ‘seafood stall’ are individual stores of their own, connected & parallel from each other, only divided by a big parking lot. Kim, with Captain Jonathan Seafood, said that long before the area was a parking lot, water used to be in the middle and boats would pass through straight to the Mississippi River only a few blocks away. Kim said that her 3 sons are all commercial fishermen. She worries this is the last generation of a dying breed. Unpredictable weather & storms, economic losses & competition from lower priced farm-raised imports continue to make the job an uncertain living, no matter how much they all love doing it & the generations of her family that have dedicated their lives to the mission. Her cousin works one of the lots right across the way too. Won’t take you long to realize everyone knows each other around here! So, no matter what fresh seafood you have a hankering for, here’s to betting you can find it somewhere on the Westwego shrimp lot; but you might want to bring a cooler for your loot because between all the fresh seafood options & what you’ll discover at the Market Wego, located right beside the lot, you most likely will need it. I ended up with fresh shrimp, a full chicken and massive pork chops stuffed with crawfish & crab stuffing that was ideal for a night-in after only an hour and a half at 350 degrees in the oven. Yum.

Now where to eat it?

Southeast Louisiana is unique in that you really will find fresh local seafood being prepared, cooked & served at establishments all over the parish. Don’t hesitate to ask what the freshest thing on the menu is too; the locals don’t mind bragging about that part.

Nestled in Crown Point, LA (known for its bayou country, swamps & amazing fishing) is Restaurant des Familles which sits right on Bayou des Familles, and only a few minutes’ drive to the scenic Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. The landscape is draped in Live Oaks and Palmettos. Call ahead for a reservation by the window because you’ll want a seat right beside the action. With a full vieux of the bayou you’re bound to see something like we did: an alligator that had been lurking on the edge of the water eyeing up a turtle shell a few feet in front of him. When the rush of the alligator finally took its prey, I could hear some of the staff saying they were surprised it took the gator so long as he’d been eyeing up that turtle shell for hours. Apparently, the turtle didn’t catch the warning sign about alligators in the area that lines the viewing area for guests. When asked about their freshest offering, the BBQ shrimp laden in jalapeno grits was our servers first recommendation and with its tangy sweet sauce, it did not disappoint. The turtle soup had a thick brown roux that took over my tastebuds, especially with a bit of sherry mixed in. The redfish came adorned with crabmeat, mushrooms & swaddled in jambalaya; a succulent combination of Cajun delight. If only we’d had room for bread pudding. & I’m not too proud to say I was almost immediately eating the leftovers on the drive home.

If oysters are your craving, then head to Kenner’s Harbor Seafood & Oyster Bar & ask for E; he’s been shucking Oysters for over 32 years & is known for his masterful-shuckin-move that involves his special ‘flip’. The Harbor’s menu is full of enticing fresh options.

When I visited the Boulevard American Bistro in Metairie, the freshest item on their menu was the Wood Grilled Redfish: Cajun seasoned with lemon butter sauce and crabmeat. Oh, the sauce! How it lay delicately on the flawless redfish and broke apart easily as my fork went in for a perfectly seasoned bite. The server was adamant regarding the freshness of the catch and after eating it, I understood why. You can also request most fresh seafood items “blackened” if you want that extra peppered kick but it’s definitely not necessary.

Of course, these are only a few of your Jefferson Parish culinary options; and if you haven’t been eating fresh seafood your whole life, here’s some local ‘how to eat it’ tips that might help you and your littles along the way:

• Use a fork to help devein and peel a shrimp.

• If no other tools are available, a small pair of scissors will help you break into a feisty crab leg.

• When eating fried shrimp, be sure you don’t accidentally eat the tail too (only had to learn that lesson one time).

Of course you can cook up your own fresh seafood too as there’s so many local markets to score from. I stopped at Fisherman’s Cove right next to The Harbor & scooped up some fresh shrimp & redfish for dinner one night.

Then at the end of your adventure, after you’ve eaten your way through FRESH Jefferson Parish, Louisiana seafood in the prime of its individual season…well then after all that you might be craving a good ole steak, and let me tell you, I’ve eaten at a lot of places in this city, and we definitely do steaks RIGHT too…. but that’ll have to be a story for another time.