Mardi Gras Seafood Rice Skillets

Blackstone-style jasmine rice layered with crispy bacon and Cajun shrimp, finished with a rich crawfish étouffée gravy and a runny fried egg. Served skillet-style with remoulade queso on the side for dipping. Bold, indulgent, and built for a crowd

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Special Equipment: Blackstone, Cast Iron Skillets

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry jasmine rice

• 3 cups water

• 8 slices bacon

• 1–1¼ lb colossal shrimp, peeled and deveined

• Cajun seasoning, to taste

• Black pepper, to taste

• Butter or oil, as needed

• 1 medium onion, diced

• ½ cup tri-color bell peppers, small dice

• 4 eggs

• Green onions, chopped

• Fresh parsley, chopped

• Lemon wedges

  Crawfish Étouffée Gravy:

• 3 tbsp bacon drippings

• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

• ⅓ cup onion, finely diced

• ¼ cup celery, finely diced

• ¼ cup green bell pepper, finely diced

• ½ jalapeño, finely minced

• 1 tbsp garlic paste or 3 cloves minced

• 1½ tsp Cajun seasoning

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• Black pepper, to taste

• 2 cups chicken stock, warm

• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1–2 tsp hot sauce

• 1½ tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp butter

• 6–8 oz crawfish tails

  Remoulade Queso:

• 16 oz Velveeta, cubed

• 1 (10 oz) can Rotel, half drained

• ¼ cup milk or cream, as needed

• ¼ cup mayonnaise

• 1½ tbsp Creole mustard

• 1½ tbsp dill pickle juice

• 2 tbsp dill relish or finely chopped dill pickles

• 1–2 tsp hot sauce

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• Black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cook the rice: Rinse rice until water runs clear. Combine with water, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low 12–15 minutes. Rest 10 minutes, fluff, spread on a tray, and chill uncovered at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. Make the crawfish gravy: Whisk bacon drippings and flour over medium heat until peanut-butter colored. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook until soft. Stir in garlic, Cajun seasoning, paprika, and pepper. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and simmer until thick. Stir in Worcestershire, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Remove from heat, whisk in butter, then fold in crawfish just to warm. Keep warm.

3. Make the remoulade queso:

   Melt Velveeta and Rotel over low heat until smooth, adding milk only if needed. Reduce heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Do not boil. Keep warm.

4. Blackstone cook: Cook bacon until crisp, chop, and reserve. Sauté diced onion until softened. Add butter or oil, spread cold rice flat, let crisp 2–3 minutes, scrape and flip once, then fold in onion and bacon. Season lightly. Sear seasoned shrimp just until cooked and remove. Quick-sauté bell peppers until tender-crisp. Fry eggs sunny or over-easy.

5. Assemble: Add ¾–1 cup rice to each skillet. Top with shrimp. Spoon crawfish gravy around the edges. Add a runny egg in the center. Finish with bell peppers, green onions, parsley, and lemon. Serve remoulade queso on the side.