Shrimp and Sausage Maque Choux

This dish from Jeff & Genie McNally at The Floridian in St Augustine is deliciously rich. For a lighter version replace some or all of the heavy cream with table cream and add a little less water, to maintain a creamy texture. Read the story

Ingredients

Maque Choux

• Butter 4 Tbs
• Bacon Fat 2 Tbs
• Poblano Chiles diced, 2 cups
• Red Bell Peppers diced, 2 cups
• Lemongrass minced, 1 Tbs
• Garlic minced, 1 Tbs
• Fresh Corn Kernels 8 cups, cut from 12-16 ears
• Salt 2 tsp
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper 2 tsp, more to taste
• Heavy Cream 4 cups
• Water 3 cups
• Red Pepper Flakes a pinch
• Sugar a pinch
• Fresh Mint chopped, 2 Tbs
• Fresh Basil chopped, 2 Tbs
• Fresh Parsley chopped, 2 Tbs
• Fresh Rosemary chopped, 1 Tbs
• Cooked Rice 8 cups
• Goat Cheese 6 oz, crumbled

Shrimp and Sausage Sauté

• Quality Pork or Beef Sausage Links ½ lb
• Large Shrimp 2 lb, peeled and deveined
• Grapeseed or Canola Oil 1 Tbs
• Garlic minced, 1 Tbs
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
• Red Pepper Flakes a pinch
• White Wine ¼ cup

Quick Heirloom Tomato Salsa

• Heirloom Tomatoes diced into 1” segments, 4 cups
• Fresh Basil chopped, 1 Tbs
• Fresh Parsley chopped, 1 Tbs
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
• Lemon Juice a splash
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tbs

Cook It

1. Make the salsa: Toss all ingredients together in a nonreactive bowl and chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Make the maque choux: Heat the butter and bacon fat in a Dutch oven or large skillet. Add the peppers, onions, lemongrass and garlic and cook over low to medium heat until the onions are just translucent.
3. Add the corn, salt and pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add 2 cups of cream (enough to cover the corn and peppers) and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the water, remaining cream, pepper flakes and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add the cooked rice and simmer for another five minutes, or until the rice has begun to absorb liquid.
7. Add the goat’s cheese, and season with salt and pepper.
8. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is absorbed. Stir in the chopped herbs.
9. Make the shrimp and sausage sauté: Sear the sausages in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until barely cooked through.
10. Remove from pan with tongs, allow to cool slightly and slice on a bias into ½ inch thick slices.
11. Add the sausage back to the pan with a splash of oil.
12. Add the shrimp and a tablespoon of minced garlic.
13. Season generously with salt and pepper, and a dash of red pepper flakes.
14. Sauté over medium heat with the par-cooked sausage until shrimp are partially cooked then add the white wine and deglaze the pan.
15. Cook for 1-2 minutes more or until the shrimp are cooked through.
16. To serve, top each serving of maque choux with a scoop of shrimp and sausage sauté and garnish with tomato salsa. Sprinkle with extra goat cheese if desired.