Smoked Shrimp Boudin Recipes

SEAFOOD SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute shallots until soft and sweetened, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• Combine sole, salmon, and shrimp in a food processor. Add bread crumbs. Pour in egg whites and whole egg. Season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Add the cooled shallots and parsley.
• Cover processor and pulse on and off, starting with short pulses and transitioning to longer ones, until mixture is well blended and clumps together at the blade. Transfer mixture to a bowl, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
• Transfer 1/4 of the sausage mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into a log with dampened fingertips. Roll in the plastic, twisting the ends to seal. Lay the log onto a piece of aluminum foil and roll it up. Twist the ends in opposite directions, but not too tightly. Fold the ends back. Repeat with the remaining sausage mixture.
• Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add the sausages and submerge them with a plate. Cover pot and simmer on low for 20 minutes.
• Transfer sausages into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the water and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Peel foil off of the sausages over a piece of paper towel. Snip off 1 end of the plastic wrap and squeeze the sausage out through the opening. Trim off any unsightly chunks.
• Melt remaining butter in a pan over medium heat. Cook sausages in the hot butter, turning until browned all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the sausages reads 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), 5 to 6 minutes more. Repeat with remaining sausages.
• Pour water and lemon juice into the same pan and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by 1/2, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add cold butter and parsley. Swirl pan until butter is melted; season with salt and swirl once more. Spoon sauce over the sausages.

LOUISIANA BOUDIN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Chop the meats, liver and fat into chunks that will fit in the grinder. Mix the meats, liver and fat with the onion, celery, poblano peppers and garlic, then the salt, curing salt (if using) and either the Cajun seasonings or the spice mix you made from this recipe. Put it all in a lidded container and set in the fridge at least an hour, and up to a day.
• Put the contents of the container into a large pot and pour in enough water to cover everything by an inch or two. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until everything is tender, at least 90 minutes and up to 3 hours. Strain the cooking liquid (you'll need it later) and spread the meat, fat and veggies out on a sheet pan to cool.
• When everything is cool enough to handle, grind it through the coarse die (6.5 mm) on your grinder. You can also hand chop everything.
• Put your meat mix into a large bowl and add the cooked rice, parsley and green onions. Mix well, and add up to 4 cups of the reserved cooking liquid. Mix this for 3 to 5 minutes so you make a more cohesive mixture to stuff into a casing. You now have boudin.
• You can just shape the mixture into balls and fry them (they're awesome), or use your boudin as stuffing for something else, like a turkey. Or you can case it. Stuff the boudin into hog casings, and while you're doing it, get a large pot of salted water hot -- not simmering, just steaming. You want the water to be about 165ºF to 170ºF. Poach the links for 10 minutes, then serve. If you are not serving them right away, no need to poach the links yet.
• Boudin does not keep well, so eat it all within a couple days. It does freeze reasonably well, however.

SMOKED SHRIMP BOUDIN

Steps:

• Cook the onions in the butter in a large rondeau, skillet or Dutch oven over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 45 minutes. Add the shrimp, 3 tablespoons of the salt, 2 tablespoons of the black pepper and 1 tablespoon of the cayenne. Cook until the shrimp are pink and fully cooked, about 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
• Wrap the bay leaves, sage and thyme in a cheesecloth and tie with twine. Add the sachet to a large stockpot or Dutch oven along with the crab stock, crab boil seasoning, MSG and the remaining 4 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons pepper and 2 tablespoons cayenne. Bring to a boil, add the rice and stir once. Lower the temperature to medium low, cover the pot and cook until the rice is done, 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix the cooked rice together with the reserved shrimp mixture and the green onions and parsley. Let cool briefly. While still warm, pipe the mixture into the hog casing with a sausage stuffer and twist into 6-inch sausages.
• Prepare a smoker for smoking at about 200 degrees F. Smoke the sausages until the internal temperature has reached 155 degrees F, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. Serve immediately.