Native Southerners are familiar with the many crawfish+cream sauce recipes–crawfish Julie, crawfish Diane, crawfish Monica. They’re all similar but unique with slight differences in the seasoning and ingredient amounts. We created our very own version into an oyster topping. We named it after Kyle and Mike’s maternal grandfather, Raoul Lozano, who they were very close to as children. He passed away about 12 years ago.

Raoul loved to hold family and friend gatherings at his and his wife Gloria’s home in Gretna, LA. And even more, paw-paw Raoul loved to cook. This is Raoul at his retirement from Marine Service Supply, Co. which he owned and operated on the Westbank after his father.

This recipe is for him, and for y’all, that combine two of the most loved and treasured seafood delectables produced from the rich and bountiful waters along the Gulf Coast–oysters and crawfish! What could be more perfect during the onset of crawfish season?!

 

Don’t these just get your mouth watering?!

What you’ll need:
You can do these on the grill or in the oven. If on the grill, build fire or set flame to medium heat. If you’re finishing them off in the oven then you’ll use the broil setting.

2 Tbsp butter (the real stuff y’all, not margarine)
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 c vidalia onion (it’s the sweeter kind)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
8 ounces crawfish tails
1 pint of already shucked oysters from you local seafood market

dash of Worcestershire sauce (we call it whisker sauce in our house because who the hell can really pronounce this correctly?)
2 ounces of vodka–you betcha!
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 C whole milk
1/4 C chopped green onions for garnish.

Directions:
1. melt the butter in  a pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, and add the flour to make a roux.
2. Add the crawfish tails and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the dash of whisker sauce.
3. Stir in the vodka and allow sauce to come to a soft boil. Then carefully with a long-neck lighter set fire to the sauce to burn off the vodka. See video below.

Next, add the S+P, red pepper flakes, and whole milk. Let thicken, usually 6-8 minutes. Place the oysters in our shells and spoon about a 1/4 C topping over each. Broil at 5-7 mins or grill for 8 mins until bubbly and slightly golden.

Here’s how they came out looking from the oven.

#OysterLove, ya’ll-The Loftins