Louisiana Eats Fishes With The Reel Masters

Click here to listen to this week's show. On this week’s show, we’re looking at the role fishing plays in the lives of some of the greatest chefs in the South.

We begin with Susan Schadt, author of Reel Masters. Susan went fishing and caught portraits of eight renowned chefs who treasure the sport.

Next, we send you a postcard from Susan’s book launch event, where chefs and guests gathered together to enjoy incredible seafood dishes. We speak to several of the chefs at the book launch, including John Besh, John Currence, and Kelly English.

Finally, we meet Peter Kaminsky, who authored the foreword to Susan’s book. Peter is a writer, food critic, and film producer whose first love is fly fishing. Peter's interest in fishing has over the years become something of an accidental triumph, propelling him to the vanguard of gourmet food criticism.

We’ve gone fishing on this week’s Louisiana Eats! For more of all things Louisiana Eats, be sure to visit us at PoppyTooker.com.

Credit Maura McEvoy

PICKLED SHRIMP

Serves 10This recipe requires high-quality wild shrimp. Of course, I prefer wild Louisiana shrimp from the water.

I know. It’'s better to find the best shrimp than to worry about whether they’'ve been frozen or not. Unless the shrimp come straight from the net to your kitchen, sometimes the highest quality options are frozen. This is where a trusty fishmonger makes all the  difference.

You can mix up your vegetables with the shrimp, using whatever’s fresh and local. I love to add cauliflower, carrots, daikon, beans, onions, militon, and/or okra.

FOR  THE BRINE:

●        2  CUPS RICE  WINE VINEGAR

●        ZEST A ND JUICE OF 1  LEMON

●        ZEST A ND JUICE OF 1 ORANGE

●        ½  CUP SUGAR

●        5  GARLIC  CLOVES, THINLY SLICED

●        1   TABLESPOON  CORIANDER SEEDS

●        1   TABLESPOON  MUSTARD SEEDS

●        1    TABLESPOON   PEPPERCORNS

●        1  TABLESPOON RED CHILI FLAKES

●        2  BAY LEAVES

●        PINCH  OF  KOSHER SA LTCOMBINE all the ingredients in a  large saucepan. Add 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool  slightly.

FOR  THE SHRIMP:

●        1 2 BABY CARROTS

●        1 2  BABY  BEANS

●        1 2   PEARL   ONIONS, PEELED

●        1 2 OKRA PODS

●        2 POUNDS BOILED WILD AMERICAN SHRIMP, PEELED AND DEVEINED

Pack all of  the vegetables and shrimp into a very large glass jar, alternating layers. Pour the hot brine into the jar to cover. Cover the jar and let cool. Refrigerate overnight. Serve right from the jar when you’'re ready.

JOHN BESH  REEL MASTERS

Recipe from My Family Table (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011)

Lisa Buser /

Lisa Buser /

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