Steaks Ste. Kathryn

Steaks Ste. Kathryn

Years ago, my son and I were vacationing in the bayous of South Louisiana, staying in a little cabin near Pierre Part. One day, when we were fishing with a local Cajun, a short fellow with white hair and a long white beard, we were talking about the local restaurants. 

He recommended Café LaFourche in Donaldsonville. He said we have to try their Swamp Steak. We did and we were treated to a real feast. It was a large ribeye steak, charred medium rare, served smothered in Crawfish Étouffée. It was a real decadent way to over-indulge! That was always one of my son’s favorite meals. 

Last year, he and I were camping on Lake Ste. Kathryn in the Ottawa National Forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. One day during that trip, we caught a basket of large bluegills and other sunfish. He asked me if I could use the fish to make a version of the swamp steak. I had two big porterhouse steaks in the cooler and I said we could try. Thus Steaks Ste. Kathryn came into being, and if I say so myself, they were delicious. Here's what we did.

2 large, thick porterhouse steaks

Cajun seasoning

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of flour

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1 stalk of celery, chopped fine

1 medium bell pepper, chopped fine

3 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

1 can of beer

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1-1/4 lb. blue gill fillets

Preparation

Light a charcoal grill. Season the steaks on both sides with cajun seasoning. Set them aside. While the coals are getting ready, heat a large cast iron skillet. Add the oil and flour and stir with a wooden spoon over medium high heat until the flour approaches a carmel color. You can’t let this scorch, keep stirring until the right color is reached and then immediately add the chopped vegetables.

Stir and let the vegetables soften. Add a good sprinkling of the cajun seasoning along with the white pepper and cayenne. Add the beer and stir. After it simmers for a minute or two, you should check to see that it isn’t too thick. If needed, add a little more beer. You want this to simmer for fifteen minutes, stirring often. It should have the consistency of gravy. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

When the charcoal is ready for the steaks, add the bluegill fillets to the étouffée and stir. Let them simmer gently while you cook the steaks. Grill the steaks directly over the hot charcoal until they are charred on the outside and medium rare inside, about three or four minutes per side.

Serving

To serve Steaks Ste. Kathryn, place a steak on a dinner plate next to a big pile of rice. Now smother both with loads of the étouffée. All you need now is some fresh bread and butter, a bottle of Tabasco and a good bottle of Bordeaux. The only thing that would make this meal better is to eat it overlooking Lake Ste. Kathryn. I know this from experience!