Posts Tagged boiled seafood

The Galley Seafood Restaurant

IMG 0585 300x225 The Galley Seafood RestaurantThe Galley is aptly known as a no frills seafood joint.  If you are looking for white linens and other fancy amenities, this is not your place, but if you want great seafood, cold beer, and a home-y atmosphere, this is the place.

Due to the somewhat small dining area, waiting for a table can be very common.  This is especially so during the Lenten season as locals flock to the Metairie Road establishment to chow down on great seafood.

The Galley serves up the typical appetizers of a seafood restaurant.  The crawfish hushpuppies, their twist on the traditional variety, comes with a great crawfish sauce that adds a great layer of flavor to an otherwise normal hushpuppy.

When in season, the boiled seafood is usually the go-to option.  They serve up boiled shrimp, crawfish and crabs.  I generally don’t order boiled seafood from a restaurant because they never seem to be seasoned correctly…either too bland or over salty.  The Galley is the exception…

The crawfish and crabs are always seasoned to perfection with just the right amount of spice and salt to compliment.  Besides the great flavors, the boiled shrimp peel easily signaling that they have been cooked well.  There is nothing worse than getting a bunch of boiled shrimp that are over cooked and a struggle to peel.  No worries at the Galley.

Seafood baskets consisting of fried shrimp, catfish, oysters, softshell crabs, and stuffed crabs are always a good bet too.  These dishes are served with french fries but can be substituted for any side item.  Some of the choices are sweet potato fries, baked macaroni, and corn grits.  I am a sucker for corn grits and they have a pretty good version that is quite creamy with ample amounts of corn.

photo 300x225 The Galley Seafood Restaurant

In the mood for a poboy?  They are whipping out several of the great New Orleans sandwiches…..catfish, oyster, and shrimp.  But the poboy that they are known for is their softshell crab poboy.  If  you have ever been to JazzFest and tried the softshell crab poboy, then you know what I am talking about.  This has been a crowd favorite at JazzFest since 1977.  The first thing I do as soon as I enter the Fair Grounds for JazzFest is to head over to the Galley’s food booth to get one.  No matter how long the line is (and it always the longest of all the food booths), I will always hit it up first.  I can promise you that the end result is worth the wait and it seems to make the music that much better.

jazz fest soft shell close 300x224 The Galley Seafood Restaurant

While waiting for your food to be cooked and served, order yourself an Abita Amber on draft.  Not that the Galley has some special version of this delicious Louisiana brew, it’s just that they serve it in a huge, ice cold frosty goblet that makes the beer taste so much better.

Next time you are in the mood for good seafood and a relaxed child friendly atmosphere, do yourself and your taste buds a favor and head out to Metairie to dine on all the tasty dishes the Galley has to offer.
Galley Seafood on Urbanspoon

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BIG AL’S – Where It’s At for Seafood in Houma

Big Al'sLocated on the East side of Houma, Big Al’s Seafood is my favorite place to go for boiled seafood around town.

Many people know that I’m indecisive about lots of things in life, but when it comes to food and when I’m hungry, there is absolutely no hope for a decision to be made.  I want a little of everything.  Everything looks and smells so good.  So many choices… it’s just hopeless.

Well – at Big Al’s, we had the most fabulous waitress who saved me from anguish and let me have a little bit of everything!  You can basically customize your own boiled seafood platter! How cool is this? We ordered 2 lbs of boiled shrimp, 1 lb of boiled crawfish, 2 crabs, and the sides of course (potatoes, corn, and sausage).

We were able to order a crab at a time and a pound of crawfish at a time after that when we still just hadn’t had enough.  It was perfect!  Everything was boiled to perfection: easy to peel, juicy, and spicy enough to feel the kick in your mouth, but not too spicy.

I’ve been a loyal fan of Big Al’s for years now, and every visit leaves me 110% satisfied.  They’re never off.  The menu offers a wonderful selection of fried and boiled seafood along with savory sides to compliment the seafood, and they have just about any style pasta and poboy you can imagine.  There’s also a kid-friendly menu.

Everything about Big Al’s makes you feel right at home: the booths and picnic tables, the Cajun ’decor’, the genuine Southern hospitality from the staff, and the always ice cold Abita beer.  (They DO serve Abita Strawberry, which is also a plus!)

Big Al’s original location can be found at 1226 Grand Caillou Road in Houma.  Their second location is on the Westside of Houma at 1377 West Tunnel Blvd.  For those folks in and around New Orleans, check out Big Al’s location on Annunciation Street in Uptown New Orleans.

Big Al's Seafood Market on Urbanspoon

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The Real Deal: Bayou Delight Restaurant in Houma

O.K Foodies, if you’re looking for authentic Cajun cuisine, you won’t find better than at Bayou Delight Restaurant in Houma, LA ( really “off the beaten path” in Houma). It’s located on what locals call Bayou Black Hwy., which is actually La. Hwy. 90.  The first time I ventured out to find it I got lost, but boy am I glad that I persisted in my quest for “real” cajun delights.  Many restaurants boast authentic Cajun specialties, but you’ll know the first time you feast at Bayou Delight, that you’ve found the bona fide stuff.

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The most envied guy in the room at a BYOB

 The most envied guy in the room at a BYOB

I often get looks of jealousy and envy from other guys, what can I say, my wife’s gorgeous!  Unless, she’s by my immediate side though, those looks are few and far between.  The other night when we went to eat boiled crawfish, I strolled in by myself and guys were looking at me like I was the new SI cover model.  Of course, it was not me they were looking at however…it was the six pack of cold Bud Select I had in my hands.

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