CAJUN TASSO CORN MAQUE CHOUX WITH GRILLED SHRIMP

Cajun Tasso Corn Maque Choux with Grilled Shrimp image

Provided by Jay Ducote

Time 2h30m

Yield 50 servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

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Ingredients

8 ears corn
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds Tasso ham
Canola oil, for cooking
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, diced
2 jalepenos, diced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 cups white wine
3 dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon paprika, plus 2 teaspoons
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups heavy cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
50 large shrimp (21-25 count), peeled and deveined with no heads or tails
Green onions, chopped on the bias, for garnish

Steps:

Prepare a grill for medium heat. Shuck the corn, being sure to remove all the silk. Season the ears with some olive oil, salt and black pepper. Grill, rotating the ears regularly, so as to char but not scorch, 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve.
Dice the Tasso into approximately 1-centimeter cubes. Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the Tasso with a little bit of canola oil and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until evenly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove and reserve, leaving any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Add a little more canola oil to the Dutch oven. Add the garlic, celery, jalapenos, onions and bell pepper and sautee until the onions are sweated, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan, until all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons cayenne, 2 teaspoons chili powder and some salt and black pepper. Stir.
Using a knife, cut the kernels off the corn cobs, then milk the cobs using the back of the knife. Add the corn to the Dutch oven. Reserve about 50 pieces of Tasso, then add the rest to the Dutch oven. Add the heavy cream and butter, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture until thickened with a slight creamed corn consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
Combine 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon chili powder in a small bowl. Toss the shrimp with 1/4 cup olive oil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the shrimp on both sides with the spice rub. Grill the shrimp over medium heat until pink and slightly charred, but not overcooked, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
To serve: Place 1 tablespoon of corn maque choux in an Asian soup spoon. Top with a grilled shrimp and a piece of the reserved Tasso. Garnish with some green onion. Repeat with the remaining maque choux, shrimp and Tasso.