Courtbouillon

I've been craving a lot of New Orleans dishes lately. I made red beans and rice for the Super Bowl and this week decided to make Courtbouillon. What is that you ask? Well...I first had the dish just a couple of weeks after moving to New Orleans in the summer of 2012. Courtney and I had just settled in our new apartment and decided to stay in town and wait out Hurricane Isaac. Little did we know that our power would be out for nearly a week, in the hot and humid August weather.  Our friends who lived further outside the city (and never lost power) took pity on Courtney and I and invited us over for a meal in the lovely air conditioning. 

When our host told us what she was serving, I pretended to be familiar with the dish, but secretly couldn't even understand what she was saying. She pronounced it K00-Be-Yon. I soon found out that Courtbouillon is a fish stew that is very similar to gumbo, in that it requires a roux. It also contains trinity and most of the same seasonings and ingredients. What makes it different, is the addition of tomato sauce, or tomato products of some kind. The end result has a great depth of flavor and is the perfect recipe to try if you are intimidated by cooking fish. Courtney is a pescetarian so it's a winner for us both, especially on a cold day. It would also work well with shrimp!

To get started cut the trinity first (onions, celery, peppers), so when the roux is at the perfect color, you can just throw it in the pot quickly. Next start your roux. First I heat the oil, then whisk in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until desired color. Add trinity and garlic.

Next add your tomatoes/sauce, along with thyme, parsley, worchestershire, and hot sauce, and veggie or chicken stock.