Little Pepper with a Big Story

by Candace Floyd

Tasting a sample of aging pepper mash is not something to undertake lightly. And as Took Osborn, vice president of agricultural operations at the Tabasco Company, explains, “There’s no ladylike way to do this.” His advice? Put a very little bit on the tip of your tongue, and “Spit it out immediately.”

But even after the spit, the flavor of the mash, which Osborn says is 10 times hotter than the finished Tabasco sauce, continues to develop on the tongue . . . and the gums . . . and the lips. A little goes a long, long way.

Tabasco itself has gone a long way. Starting as a hobby for Edmund McIlhenny, an out-of-work banker in the Reconstruction South, the company now employs 207 workers who produce 700,000 bottles of sauce a day in Avery Island, La. Today, most of the peppers used in the original Tabasco pepper sauce are grown in Central and South America. Growers harvest the peppers at the peak of ripeness and crush them on site. The mash is shipped to Avery Island, where it’s aged for three years in recycled whiskey barrels. The mash is drained, vinegar and Avery Island salt are added, and the mixture is churned for 28 days. Before bottling, the mixture is strained to remove solids and seeds. The company is still owned and operated by the McIlhenny family, and while the recipe itself is a closely guarded secret, Tabasco sauce has become a household term and the gold standard of hot sauce.

Crawfish, Shrimp, and Lump Crabmeat Etouffée

Photography: Mark Boughton; Food Styling: Teresa Blackburn

Printer Friendly Version

Do you like to print recipes and add them to your collection? You're in luck. Use our printer friendly version of this recipe.

add to my recipe box

Find more recipes with:
crawfish , shrimp , lump , crabmeat , etouff

Look for crawfish tails in the freezer section of your supermarket, or use 1 1/2 pounds shrimp and 1 1/2 pounds crab and omit the crawfish. Recipe courtesy of Tabasco guest chef Stanley Dry.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1 pound crawfish tails
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1 pound lump crabmeat
1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 cups cooked white rice

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat; add onions and celery and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Whisk chicken broth and flour until smooth. Add to celery mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes.
3. Add crawfish and cook 15 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt, cayenne and Tabasco. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are cooked, about 5 minutes. Add crabmeat, green onions and parsley and cook 5 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves 8.

Relish a Taste of America, "Little Pepper with a Big Story," August 2008.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 340 calories, 13g fat, 228mg chol., 31g prot., 21g carbs., 2g fiber, 770mg sodium.