Shrimp "Nigiri" with Creole Tomato Paste

Nigiri Sushi is a single piece of fish served over a small oval shaped clump of rice.  Layered between the fish and rice is generally a smear of wasabi.  In the United States, we often use the word sushi to reference Maki Rolls.  And as everything in America is sometimes, it is backwards and bigger.  Traditionally the rice is on the inside, leaving much smaller rolls.  Maki Rolls at most sushi restaurants in America, are "Super-Sized" for what seems to be perceived value.  Using fresh ingredients, either way you roll it, its good.  Here is my version of Cajun Nigiri.

Steam rice in oven, season with sugar, salt, rice vinegar.  Allow mixture to reside at room temperature, covered with a damp towel.  Place tomato in oven with tarragon and mint stems, until the tomatoes are roasted with little water remaining. The shrimp must be fresh.  Cut the shrimp from the bottom, removing the sand track, but allowing the shrimp to remain in one piece.  With cut side down, massage shrimp until flat, the massaging keeps the shrimp from wanting to curl.  Flash cook shrimp in seasoned water, shock in ice bath, reserve.  Make small rice ball from mixture and place in the palm of your hand, push down with your thumb creating a more linear egg-like shape.  Place rice on plate, smear tomato, then place shrimp.  Or you can buy a California roll from the super market.  

Japanese technique, Louisiana ingredients.

Brown Butter Mayonaise

Served a brown butter mayonnaise with the seafood cakes, this evening, and was very pleased with the flavor of the sauce.  Never before can you tell the difference in well made butter versus generic versions.  The brown butter tasted like the outside of a grill cheese, spread with caramel, and salted.  It symphoniously was well met on the plate by seafood cakes.  The cakes comprised of well-steeped cream, blanched/chopped arugula, leeks, fresh herbs, shrimp, crawfish, chicken-yard yolks love.  Using Wundra flour for a light dredge the cakes were then seared and roasted.  But the overall star of the evening was the sauce.  Or you could use Hidden Valley Ranch, which contains MSG, for a sauce.  Eat Well, People.

Bacon Beet Salad

Blanch beet greens in star-anise scented boiling water, shock.  Cut pancetta into medium to large dice.  Saute pancetta in brown butter until outside is crisp, reserve.
Roast beets in oven until tender, peel with towel when hot, reserve.  Cut roasted beets into slices, season with rice vinegar, salt, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, spring onion, and let sit refrigerated until ready to use.
Arrange frisee on plate, drizzle with goat yogurt, arrange beet greens, drizzle honey, salt.  Place beet slice on top and under the frisee, then use crisp pancetta on top of the beets, and around the outside with green background of the frisee.
And for the dressing, whisk an egg yolk over double broiler with a spritz of the orange juice, salt, and lemon.  Cook until still extremely golden in color, drizzle over the red, green, brown, white, amber colors of the plate.  And, if available, garnishing with some purple sage blossoms, or another delicious tasty flower.  Or you can eat at the Olive Garden where salad is unlimited.