Pappadeaux Snapper Ponchartrain

Name: Pappadeaux Snapper Ponchartrain
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 24 medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (reserve shells); 1/2 cup onion, chopped; 1/2 cup celery, chopped; 1/2 cup carrot, chopped; 5 cups water; 1 1/8 cups unsalted butter, divided; 4 tablespoons flour, plus; 2 cups flour, divided; 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic; 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion; 1 chicken bouillon cube; 1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (Tabasco); 1/3 cup madeira wine; 1 tablespoon salt, to taste; 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 6 (8 ounce) fresh red snapper fillets (or other white- fleshed mild fish); fresh lemon juice; 6 ounces crab claws or 6 ounces backfin crab meat

Submitted by mollypaul

"A wonderfully flavorful, piquant fish dish perfect for the Lenten season."

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photo by lmo1965

Ready In:: 1hr
Ingredients:: 20
Serves:: 6

ingredients

24 medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (reserve shells)
¹⁄₂ cup onion, chopped
¹⁄₂ cup celery, chopped
¹⁄₂ cup carrot, chopped
5 cups water
1 ¹⁄₈ cups unsalted butter, divided
4 tablespoons flour, plus
2 cups flour, divided
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
¹⁄₄ cup chopped yellow onion
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (Tabasco)
¹⁄₃ cup madeira wine
1 tablespoon salt, to taste
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 (8 ounce) fresh red snapper fillets (or other white- fleshed mild fish)
fresh lemon juice
6 ounces crab claws or 6 ounces backfin crab meat

directions

Combine reserved shrimp shells, chopped vegetables and water in a large stockpot; simmer over medium heat until liquid is reduced to 3 cups, about 30 minutes; strain and set aside.
Make a roux in a heavy saucepan by melting 4 tablespoons butter until it begins to turn brown.
Slowly whisk in 4 tablespoons flour until mixture thickens to a paste; cook until it turns a light, golden brown.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in another saucepan.
Add garlic and onion and saute over medium heat 2 minutes.
Add crushed bouillon cube, pepper sauce and shrimp stock.
Stir and let simmer.
While the stock is simmering, melt 1 stick plus 1 1/3 tablespoons butter in a separate saucepan, stirring, until it turns golden brown; set aside.
Add roux to stock mixture and stir to incorporate, then simmer 3 to 5 minutes.
Add brown butter to stock and whisk until incorporated and emulsified.
Whisk in Madeira until incorporated.
Set sauce aside and keep warm while the fish fillets are cooking.
Mix salt, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne into remaining 2 cups flour.
Dip fish fillets in lemon juice, then into seasoned flour to coat.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large heated skillet over medium heat.
Place fillets in skillet and cook until golden brown and completely cooked, about 4 minutes per side.
While the fish is cooking, saute the peeled shrimp in 1 tablespoon butter just until they turn pink (do not overcook).
Add shrimp and crab to Madeira sauce.
Spoon 4 shrimp and a couple ounces of heated sauce over fillets and serve.

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Reviews

Well, all the other reviews were correct. I just made this and indeed it turned out just like the real thing. Seems like I used every saucepan and bowl in the kitchen though. I would recommend sauteing the shrimp before you do the roux so you can concentrate on the roux and not have to wait so long for the shrimp to cook before adding it to the roux. This would keep you from over-cooking the roux / stock mixture before finishing off with the shrimp.

mike9196
A fast 5 stars for this great version. When we left Dallas, there were few things we'd miss, but Pappadeaux's was definitely among the restaurants we still longed for. Not anymore! As for alterations: Made for just the two of us, I used small, cooked shrimp, so didn't use the shrimp shells for the stock. Instead we used 1 tablespoon of fish sauce added to the water and chopped veggies and reduced to half. Omitted the cayenne and used green tobasco instead of red. Subbed merlot for the madeira and -GASP!- used imitation crab since the sauce had tons of flavor from the remaining ingredients. Speaking of the sauce...HOLY COW, was that good! My husband went back and put more on his mashed potatoes after he inhaled the fish. We're convinced that all the butter in this recipe didn't hurt any and the fact that we're still alive after eating so much of it? Icing on the cake! Thanks, Molly, for a fantastic recipe which is going straight into my "encore" cookbook! (With apologies for the ratty picture. My focus was less on photography than with getting that fish inside of me...and quickly before he got away!)

Sandi From CA
Oh my goodness! The reviews were true. This is truly the real thing! This is one of my favorite dishes at Pappadeaux and I was amazed I was able to recreate it., Yes!!! I made this along with the Dirty Rice (no livers) recipe on this site and we ate until we could not eat again!!! When I reviewed the recipe it was a little confusing, but when I actually made it everything came together. I used a variety of filets......talapia, catfish, and snapper. This dish is marvelous!!!

cakelady_n_tx
Molly, You get my five stars (would be six if available!) It was well worth the effort, all the messed up pots and pans and dishes. The taste was absolutely out-of-this-world! And indeed, it tasted just like what we get at Pappadeaux (How DID you get the recipe??) The sauce was rich and creamy and the fish would have been great bare. Adding the sauce to the fish simply put it into world-class.

Witch Doctor
OMG! This was out of this world! I was afraid it would be too spicy for our little ones, so I only used half the spice. The balance of flavors and rich creamy butter balanced the HOT. Next time I'll make it exactly like the recipe. My 4 year olds each had 3 HUGE helpings and didn't touch any of the pasta or veggies (usually their favorites.) My husband inhaled it. I liked my plate! Don't pass this one by! Thanks for sharing it.

itscolleen