Voodoo Stew

In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat saute the garlic and vegetables in the butter until the onions become translucent. Do not let them brown. Add the water, lemon juice, chicken base, and seasonings and bring to a low boil. Let simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Set this stock aside and keep warm until ready to serve.

In a bowl or resealable plastic bag toss the seafood with the blackening seasoning until all the seafood is well coated. In a large saute pan heat the vegetable oil over a high heat and cook the seafood until done.

To serve, place about 6-8 ounces of hot cooked rice in the center of a large pasta bowl and arrange the cooked seafood in a ring around the rice mound. Ladle 8 ounces of the hot stock over the seafood and rice. Garnish the top of the rice mound with 2 tablespoons of the pico de gallo and then sprinkle the top of the entire dish with the chopped parsley and fried tortilla strips. Serve immediately so that the chips don't get soggy.

cook's notes

Firmer fish such as salmon, snapper, tuna, swordfish, and mahi-mahi are preferred in this dish. Flakier species such as trout, sole, or orange roughy are not recommended, as they will fall apart too easily when cooking. The addition of any other seafood such as shrimp, scallops, squid, crawfish, or even lobster is purely at the discretion of the chef! All seafood should be as fresh as possible and cut into bite size pieces.