Sheepshead Sauce Piquante
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • 3 cups seafood stock
  • 2 tablespoons dark Cajun roux, such as Rox’s Roux
  • 1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
  • 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained, such as Rotel
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • 3 pounds sheepshead fillets, all bones removed
  • 4 cups cooked Louisiana long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
  • 1 cup diced green onion tops
Instructions
  1. In a large Dutch oven or cast-iron pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, add the oil along with the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and garlic. Season with cayenne and Cajun seasoning.
  2. Add the stock and roux; stir to dissolve the roux and bring to a boil.
  3. Add the tomatoes, Rotel, and stir.
  4. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Remove the lid, taste the sauce; adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
  6. Just before serving, add the fish fillets and submerge them in the sauce. Bring the pot to a simmer and cook until the fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Be sure not to stir the fish to prevent it from breaking up.
  7. For serving, spoon pieces of fish and sauce over a mound of white rice; garnish with green onion tops.
Notes
Sheepshead can be substituted with a variety of white-fleshed fish (catfish, snapper, drum, or redfish). Feel free to use a quality, jarred roux like Rox's Roux or make your own by following our roux recipe video. This is a basic sauce piquante recipe that can be adapted to alligator, rabbit, or most any wild game.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://www.acadianatable.com/2022/03/07/sheepshead-sauce-piquante/