I was lucky to get to visit Memphis recently. It had been years since I had visited. So much had changed, so much growth. There were many new restaurants I was having a difficult time choosing one to try.
After looking over the different cuisine offerings, I set my eyes on Red Hook Cajun Seafood. They are a New Orleans style place, offering a wide range of seafood, po’ boys, oysters, and NOLA favorites.
The atmosphere was fun inside the restaurant. It was a great place to bring a family.
I started off with a half dozen of their chargrilled oysters. These are my favorite and I have written about these many, many times.
The oysters were tender. The slight briny taste was masked by the flavor of the garlic and parmesan cheese. They used a lot of cheese which added great saltiness but also a creaminess. They were hot when they came out, so if you order them, make sure to let them cool off before you touch the shells.
On this cold Memphis evening, I thought a bowl of gumbo would help warm me up. This gumbo had a little of everything, peppers, sausage, some shrimp, and rice. The flavor was fantastic. There was a rich savory taste with a hint of salt. The shrimp and the sausage were very tender. The rice helped thicken up the gumbo.
For my dinner I went for one of their seafood boils. Each boil came with corn on the cob and potatoes. The seafood choices were endless, everything from the traditional shrimp and crawfish to crab, lobster, or mussels. I was feeling traditional, so I went for the crawfish.
The boil came out in an interesting way. All the crawfish, corn, and potatoes were sizzling in a giant plastic bag. This helped keep it really hot and prevented too much of a mess before it got to the table.
I made sure to keep on the gloves and the bib. I knew I would end up being messy. I cut open the bag and let all of the ingredients fall onto the metal tray. Then I dug in. The crawfish were seasoned wonderfully. They were juicy and the meat was so tender. These were large crawfish too so there was a lot of meat. The potatoes soaked up a ton of the seasoning flavor. The corn on the cob added a nice, sweet element.
I cannot believe I finished this whole thing by myself. I am glad I wore the gloves because my hands got dirty. Now I would not smell like the boil for the rest of the evening.
I really enjoyed the seafood at Red Hook. I would go back and try one of their other boils. Check their menu out at www.redhookseafood.com
Enjoy!
T
