Shrimp and Crab Hoppin John
by Fred Neuville- Fat Hen

Yields: 10 servings

Ingredients

2 cups dried black eyed peas

1 ham hock

4 cups water

1 cup long grain rice

1 medium yellow onion (diced)

7 strips apple wood smoked bacon (diced)

2 tablespoons sweet butter

1/2 cup green onion (minced)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Hot Sauce

Salt

Pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 ounces white wine

3 ounces chicken stock

1/4 ounce julienne zucchini

1/4 ounce julienne squash

1/4 ounce julienne carrot

1 ounce garlic butter

50 shrimp

2 ounces jumbo lump crab meat

Directions

1. Rinse beans

2. Put beans in medium sauce pot and cover with water.  Add ham hock.

3. Bring to a boil and cook until tender (to speed up cooking time, soak beans overnight).

4. When beans are tender, strain and cool. Reserve ham hock.

5. when cooled, pick meat off of ham hock and add back to the beans.

6. Render the bacon and sweat the onion until tender. Add butter and melt.

7. Add rice and cook for 30 seconds.

8. Cover rice with water (about 1 inch).

9. Cook until all liquid is gone and rice is tender.

10. spread rice mixture on a sheet tray and cool.

11. Mix rice, beans and green onion together.  Season with hot sauce, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

*Remember, the mixture is cold, so do not over season. When the dish is heated back up, the flavors will awaken.

12. In a saute pan, add olive oil and heat to smoking point.

13. Add shrimp, saute on both sides just to color, then remove from pan.

14. Deglaze pan with white wine.  Add julienne vegetables, hoppin' john and chicken stock.

15. Add shrimp back to the pan along with the crab meat.

16. Finish with garlic butter and season with salt and pepper.

17. Check seasoning.  Place on your favorite serving platter and garnish with chopped parsley.

Special Notes:

This recipe aired 09/17/09