What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen: Seafood Pan Roast

Serves: 7–8

This is a very important recipe for me as a cook. Ever since I can remember, I have eaten a version of this dish at least 30 times. Now after tinkering with it and serving it for numerous catering events and dinner parties, it is finally ready.

In a small locals’ casino, one that’s off the beaten path in Las Vegas, exists a restaurant that has stood the test of time. The Palace Station Oyster Bar has only 18 seats, is open 24 hours a day, and does not take reservations—instead you have to wait in line. More often than not, this line is at least two hours long; however, the food is so good that people do indeed wait for it.

The signature dish for this renowned oyster bar is the Seafood Pan Roast. Cooked in a steam kettle, this boiling hot, decadent seafood stew combines the Holy Trinity of Creole and Cajun cuisine, with a creamy tomato-based sauce that’s finished with brandy.

Today, I bring you my version of the classic Pan Roast that I have eaten so many times before, and it is the dish that I truly cherish in life. This is not an easy recipe—yes, it has a lot of ingredients. But I’ve scaled the recipe up so you can cook this dish for a small dinner party to impress all of your guests.

My advice is to cook and blend the soup base together ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to finish the seafood and serve. This dish is traditionally served on top of perfectly cooked white rice.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups yellow onion, small dice
• 2 cups celery, small dice
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 6 basil leaves
• 24 fl. oz. chicken stock (homemade or low sodium if store bought)
• 24 fl. oz. canned tomato sauce
• 10 fl. oz. heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons jasmine rice, for thickening
• 8 fl. oz. clam juice
• 4 fl. oz. vermouth, extra dry
• 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tablespoon Creole/Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1½ lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb. Dungeness crab meat, cooked
• Holy Trinity (1 cup onion, 1 cup celery, and 1 cup green bell pepper, all small dice)
• 4 tablespoons brandy
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons garlic, minced
• Parsley, to taste
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 7 cups cooked jasmine rice, warmed for serving

Directions:

1. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a pot on medium-low heat and add 2 cups celery, 2 cups onion, 2 cloves of sliced garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sweat until translucent.
2. Add the tomato sauce, chicken stock, and jasmine rice. Stir together, turn up the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice has softened.
3. Transfer the soup base to a blender, add heavy cream and basil leaves, then blend until smooth and set aside.
4. Add 4 tablespoons of butter to a sauté pan on medium-low heat. Once melted, add 4 tablespoons of minced garlic and cook until aromatic.
5. Add the shrimp to the garlic butter. Gently sauté until cooked through, then add the crab meat, stir, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Clean out the same pot. Return it to the stove, melt the final 4 tablespoons of butter, then add the Holy Trinity, a pinch of salt, and sweat on low until translucent (about 5 minutes).
7. Once softened, add the spices (Old Bay, cayenne, paprika, Creole/Cajun seasoning) and sweat for another minute. Add vermouth, clam juice, Worcestershire sauce, brandy, and the blended soup base.
8. Bring the pan roast liquid to a simmer, then add the cooked seafood. Season with salt to taste.
9. Garnish with finely chopped parsley and serve over cooked jasmine rice.