-Funding for "Louisiana Coastal Cooking" was provided by... ...and by the Plaquemines Parish Tourism Commission.

A short drive from New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish offers a diverse variety of fishing, fresh seafood, rich history, and environmental activities in Louisiana's Delta Country.

Learn more at visitplaqueminesparish.com.

[ Birds chirping ] -Today on "Louisiana Coastal Cooking," we'll take a look at an initiative that continues a long-standing tradition of returning oyster shells to the wild, creating a living shoreline that helps protect Louisiana's rich coastal environment.

Then we'll sample sustainable seafood dishes from coastal advocates who live by the motto, "Once you shuck 'em, don't just chuck 'em."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, or CRCL, was established in 1988 and made coastal protection a top priority in the state.

The nonprofit group began an oyster shell recycling program in 2014.

CRCL Communications Director James Karst explains the collaboration with New Orleans area restaurants.

-Oyster shell recycling is something that has been occurring for probably thousands of years.

I think that it is intuitive to many people who pull oysters out of the water that if they put those shells back into the water, new oysters will grow on them.

The restaurants would get rid of the shell in the cheapest and easiest way possible, which was to throw it into their trash, their regular trash.

So this natural process had been broken, and we recognized that we could correct that by partnering with New Orleans restaurants and putting that shell back into the water.

-Restaurants discard the shells into bins.

Then they're hauled to a curing site in St. Bernard Parish, where they sit in the sun for several months until they're ready to be placed along Louisiana's coastline.

-We'll take the boat to the reef site, and we'll usually have people in the water, and we'll hand them a bag of shell, and they'll stack it in the water, building a wall of shell.

Almost immediately, we'll see baby oysters attach to those old shells.

-Frustrated that tons of oyster shells were being discarded in trash bins, New Orleans restaurateur Dickie Brennan became an advocate for the program from its conception, receiving a Distinguished Achievement Award from CRCL in 2023.

Bourbon House was the first restaurant to join the team effort.

-So this restaurant alone has done several hundred tons of recycling oyster shells.

We go in front of a marsh that is receding, and within a short period of time, it has filled in.

It's going in the right direction.

It's rebuilding a marsh, rebuilding the coastline.

It's amazed me that we've actually been able to pull it off.

It's with volunteers, and it works, you know.

So it makes you realize, I mean, we can do some good stuff if we just get the village together and let's go do it.

-In 10 years, CRCL has recycled 15 million pounds of oyster shells, with participating restaurants contributing about 1.5 million pounds per year.

-We've built five oyster reefs so far.

We're going to build our sixth reef this September, this one at Grand Bayou Indian Village in Plaquemines Parish.

Louisiana has hundreds of indigenous mounds, some of them very old, older than the pyramids.

It's really a remarkable thing to have in our state.

But unfortunately, as one of the states most affected by rising sea levels and land loss, the mounds are disappearing or at risk of disappearing.

We partner with indigenous communities to protect their mounds and their communities by building oyster reefs around them.

-CRCL teamed up with the Pointe-au-Chien tribe of the Terrebonne Basin to save their sacred sites.

-Pointe-au-Chien was very close to where Ida made landfall, and we've built a couple of reefs down at Pointe-au-Chien, and they survived the storm completely intact.

-Reefs are monitored to assess shoreline changes and biological development.

-Oyster reefs do a number of good things that are beneficial to the people of Louisiana and beneficial to the environment of Louisiana.

So first of all, oysters filter water.

Oyster reefs grow new oysters on them, so it helps to sustain the oyster fisheries.

Oyster reefs slow the rate of land loss by up to 50%, according to research that we have done.

And during a hurricane or a tropical storm, the reefs help to knock down storm surge.

I think it's very interesting that it will grow with sea-level rise.

It will adapt for it, so if the water level goes up, because baby oysters are attaching to the reef and growing on it, the reef will grow vertically as well.

So it's really a fascinating thing that we're building.

And then, of course, it comes full circle, because oysters eventually can be harvested from an oyster reef and taken to a restaurant and served to customers.

-When we opened, we were kind of confronted with what to do with the oyster shells.

In my sort of naive understanding, I thought that we could just get one of our fishermen to back-haul the shells and dump them off their boat.

Doesn't quite work that way.

Fortunately, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana came along shortly thereafter and developed a program for recycling oyster shells, which we continue to use to this day, along with a number of restaurants around town.

You know, so that's one small piece.

And, you know, I think that the philosophy of restaurant like Pêche is that we feel that we have to be part of a chain, that we're part of a system, and it's incumbent upon us to behave appropriately and responsibly to maintain that system.

-I think you should eat oysters as often as possible because they're delicious, and it supports Louisiana oystermen.

This is our culture, you know.

This is one of the things that has made Louisiana famous.

And so we should do everything that we can to help keep it around.

-We head now to Terrebonne Parish to meet Donald and Theresa Dardar, elders of the Pointe-au-Chien Indian tribe.

We're joined at the tribe's headquarters on Bayou Pointe-au-Chien by Dickie Brennan to cook and discuss the challenges faced by the French-speaking tribe that has lived along the Louisiana Gulf Coast for centuries.

The Dadars are leaders in the effort to protect Pointe-au-Chien's ancestral sites in the low-lying community.

Working with CRCL, the tribe's historic mounds are being shored up with recycled oyster shells to build an artificial reef.

For their work, Donald and Theresa received CRCL Coastal Stewardship Awards in 2023.

Theresa, who grew up in Houma, learned to cook from her mother.

She has lived in Pointe-au-Chien since 1973 with her husband, Donald, a commercial fisherman who was born and raised on the bayou.

With assistance from Dickie, Theresa prepares a family favorite -- pot-fried shrimp.

-First of all, we're gonna put some oil in here.

And I don't measure -- -Canola oil?

-Yeah.

-No measuring.

-I don't measure.

I just put about when I think I have enough.

-Just covering the bottom of the pan.

-Right.

And then I'm gonna add my shrimp.

-All right.

So these are Louisiana Gulf shrimp?

-These are Louisiana -- not Gulf.

They're, uh, inshore.

-Inshore.

I love it.

-So this is lake.

-Look how sweet, yeah.

-These are lake shrimp.

-Are these brown or white?

-These are mixture.

-Mixture?

-They have some white... -Some brown?

-...and some brown.

-Yeah.

-See, like, this is a brown shrimp.

-Okay.

Yep.

-That.

You can tell the difference by the colors.

So I don't know how I got that mixed.

I guess I got these in the August season.

-Well, that's Louisiana.

I mean, the brown and the whites like each other, you know?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-They hang out together.

-Yeah.

We have to hang out.

We have to -- We have to love each other as brothers and sisters, right?

-I love that size.

Those are gonna be really sweet.

-Well, these are, uh -- these are a mixture.

That's what I told Donald as I was peeling them.

I said, "I don't know why..." See how they have some little-bitty ones?

-Love it.

-And then the other ones are bigger.

So, see, that's a baby.

-Yeah, that's a baby because... -Yeah.

-...it's natural and it's fresh.

Said your grandmother grew up eating this dish.

So this dish has been around a long time.

-Oh, yeah.

My grandma, my grandpa, my mom.

-It's been passed down.

-This is -- yep.

We ate this growing up.

And we learned how to cook by just watching.

-Oh, yeah.

-Yeah.

My mom did the peeling.

Before I married Donald, I had never peeled a shrimp or fixed a fish or fixed a crab.

-Oh, you're kidding.

-Nope.

All I did was open oysters.

We're gonna put our onions.

-Can't have too much onions, huh?

-No.

So... You know what?

I'm gonna ask a favor of you.

-Okay.

-You salt it.

-You want me to give a little salt action over there?

-Yeah.

And I'm gonna go rinse my hands.

-I don't do a lot of salt when I cook shrimp.

-Yeah.

Okay, I'll put it on six, and then we're gonna cover the pot and just let it do its thing.

And it's gonna do like, uh... it'll make probably too much water.

So we'll have to come back and take the cover off because, uh... -Then you let it reduce down?

-Yep, because otherwise they're gonna -- -Keep steaming.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Gotta get rid of the moisture.

-Yeah.

It's gonna get too tender and... -Right.

-...tear it up and you won't be able to pot-fry them.

-No, that's -- I like your technique.

-Yeah.

-No.

That's good.

And I think you get a whole different flavor.

I mean, it's very simple, but, you know, you got beautiful seafood, the best you can get, and you're just adding a couple of things and keep it real simple.

A little bit of salt and the onions.

I mean... -And, like, like, uh... -I'm ready to eat.

-Yeah, yeah.

That's right.

And it's pretty quick.

-It's simple.

-It's simple.

-But it's... -And it's filling and it's good.

-Because you got great ingredients and you don't need to do anything else.

-Right.

-While the shrimp cook, Theresa talks about working with Donald as his deckhand.

-I shrimped with him from '73 to '92.

When I went back -- I don't remember how long it was before I could go back on the boat, but when I went back and he told me to hold the wheel and he'd point at something, and I didn't see it 'cause he sees very good on water, I don't, but I had my markings when we used to go, and he used to have -- I used to hold the wheel and drive us back in.

And I had my markings at the islands 'cause the -- the... -Yeah.

There was actually islands.

-Yeah, there were islands there.

Uh, the lakes and bays were well identified.

In other words, we used to go in Old Lady Lake and there was an opening to get into Old Lady Lake.

And whenever I went back, it was all open.

-Yeah.

Now it's all just wide open.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

No, it is hard to navigate.

-Yeah.

-No, you'll be in a boat with someone.

They're like, "We're in Bayou Rigolets right now."

And you're like... -How do you know?

-..."Where's the bayou?

This is a lake."

But it's good living being on -- on the water like that.

-Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

-Good memories.

-Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

A lot of good memories.

-All right.

Boy, it's really smelling great.

-Yeah.

-So what's -- what's now?

-Need to take the top off because it's got so much water in it.

We don't want it to be mushy.

-Okay, so you want to... -So... -...reduce the liquid?

-We're just gonna, yeah, let it boil out.

-Look how beautiful those shrimp are.

My goodness.

-Yeah, gets a pretty color.

-Oh, wow.

-And if you notice the Brazil -- we call them Brazil -- brown shrimp... -Yeah.

-...they get a darker -- -A little redder than the... -A little redder.

-...than the white.

-Yeah.

And they're tougher shrimp.

So that way it'll boil out faster so my shrimp don't fall apart, 'cause that's a lot of water.

When you cook, the more shrimp you put in the pot, the more water it makes.

-Sure.

-So, yeah.

-You're gonna naturally reduce it down with the heat.

-Yeah, and it's gonna eventually boil out, and then it'll cook all that onions into the shrimp.

Make it a good flavor.

-So will the onions end up being caramelized, too?

-Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Maybe I need to stir it to make sure it's not sticking.

-Good gravy.

-Ooh.

-Want me to help you?

-Maybe.

-Put me to work?

-I'll put you to work.

-Put me to work.

It's only gonna get nicer the more it reduces down.

-Right.

-My goodness.

-You want them to, uh... to fry a little bit, you know?

-Okay.

-See, they stayed firm even though we had all that water.

-It's amazing.

-Yeah.

You have to watch them whenever they first start boiling, if they got a lot of water.

But if you put them to strain before, they won't make as much water.

-Right.

-He's stirring the last part of it.

It's pot-fried enough, I think.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

That's, uh...

But I think that's good.

It's gonna have a good -- -I mean, the onions are just in it.

-Yeah.

-I mean... -Looks good.

-You're really gonna taste shrimp.

-Yeah.

-I mean, this is... That's beautiful.

Look at that.

-Ready to serve it up.

-Is it time to eat?

-It's time to eat.

-Thank goodness!

-Hurricane Ida hit the Louisiana coast in 2021 as a cat-4 storm, causing catastrophic damage that can still be seen in Pointe-au-Chien as the community slowly rebuilds.

Over pot-fried shrimp and crabs, Dickie talks with Theresa and Donald about the struggle to protect the coastal home of the tribe.

-We need the marsh.

-Yeah, right.

-That's -- the mouth of the Mississippi River is the most fertile fish grounds in the world.

-That's why we need to save, you know, our coast.

Because if we're gonna continue our fishing industry, we have to be protected, especially after a hurricane.

Just about every reporter that came here, that was one of their questions.

"Why do you stay?"

And I asked them, "Where would you have us go?"

But not only that, why should we leave?

You know, we should be protected.

Our ancestors -- a lot of our ancestors are buried, you know, down the bayou, which is not protected.

But, and this is their, you know, their land that they always lived on.

So, I mean, it would be like abandoning our people if we was to leave the land.

Eventually, I guess, if nothing is done, the land will be just water.

But until then, you know, we're gonna do whatever we can.

-No, I'm staying by, staying here.

-Yeah.

And that's how everybody down here feels.

-Look, this is your land.

You were here before any of us came.

I don't think we've done a good job of communicating that this estuary is the most fertile fish ground in the world.

And in this day and age, if you say I want to eat wild-caught, sustainable seafood, it's not the East or West Coast.

We still have this bounty here.

-Our next destination is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Course.

The festival is known for its extensive menu of food items that star Louisiana seafood and produce.

In the Cultural Exchange area, Chef Dana Honn's Carmo and the pop-up Waska serve food with South American influences, including ceviche.

And in another booth, Chef Dana and the Carmo kitchen crew prepare a seafood specialty that's a Jazz Fest staple -- a trio of tacos that are on the fest Eat Fit list.

Here's your ticket to Chef Dana's Gulf shrimp and vegetable tacos.

-These are homemade tortillas we do in-house -- handmade, and they're a little bit thicker, a little bit more like you might find in Jalisco.

You don't need two of them.

These are one-tortilla tacos.

You know, it's good just to toss them on the grill real quickly or on a griddle.

You just want to warm it up a little bit.

That also helps it make it a little bit more pliable.

And we'll get a couple of these tacos going here.

These are corn tortillas -- Maseca and water, the basic corn-tortilla recipe.

So I'll get started kind of putting this together.

First, we have some vegetables here.

I just have some -- some zucchini.

This is all local stuff.

Some sweet potatoes.

Just kind of give those a -- you can chop it, cut it in slices.

I'm just gonna kind of slice these a little bit.

That way, if you're slicing, it also makes it so that they don't fall out of the tacos quite as easily.

Um, in this case, I'll plate a couple at a time.

So it's an easy way to do it if you're plating for a bunch of people at the same time, you want to give them each a couple tacos.

So there's nothing really to this.

I'm gonna turn these guys.

Don't want to overcook your shrimp.

And these are almost ready here.

They've just curled and they have a nice pink color to them.

And all we've done with these is marinate them very quickly, a little bit of passion-fruit juice, some -- some seasoning, which does have some cumin and chili powder, has a little bit of coriander, which gives kind of a nice, nice little flavor.

Um, we do put a little bit of garlic powder, like I said, oregano.

But it's very simple.

You can do a lot of different variations on that.

And also think about the fact that, you know, Mexico is very big, it's very regional.

There are all different types of chilies that come from different regions.

And experiment with that, just like with curry.

Curry powder isn't one thing, and Mexican seasoning isn't one thing either.

So these are Gulf shrimp, white shrimp, and you'll even see on the base of these they have a little emerald-green color.

And depending on the time of the day or evening that they catch shrimp will help determine the color that you see them when they make it to the market.

These were probably caught during the day.

They have a little bit less pinkish color to them, so it depends on what they're in the process of eating at the time.

Let me get these off of here.

Um, yeah, so you can see the color with the marinade is also kind of nice.

It makes for a nice plating.

So we'll just get it -- get started putting these together.

A little bit of the vegetables in each one.

With your sweet potatoes, what we do -- we actually boil them in a little -- with -- in water that has a little bit of cinnamon and a little bit of salt.

We like what that cinnamon does to the dish, uh, you know, when it -- when everything comes together.

And let's say that you're making veggie tacos.

You can very easily just add, say, some pinto beans to this.

Um, you could do some -- some grilled tofu.

There are a lot of different ways that you could make this dish veggie as well, but we're sticking with the shrimp today.

So we got -- let's start building these.

We don't want to be, uh, cheap with the shrimp here.

We, you know, work as much with -- directly with fishers as we can.

And, you know, especially with shrimp, that's something that's very possible because there are a lot of shrimpers who can sell directly to restaurants in Louisiana.

These we received head-on, full, and we peeled them shrimp by shrimp.

But I'll tell you what, it's -- at the end of the day, you know, the texture and the flavor of these shrimp cannot really be duplicated in a factory-peeled shrimp.

It's just not possible.

So, um, now that we have our shrimp in there, just gonna hit it with some curtido, which is the slaw that gives a nice, cool texture to it.

♪♪ This curtido just has some, uh... a little bit of cabbage, carrots.

I put some scallions in there because I actually like the contrast with that and the red onions, um, and a little bit of lime, salt, pepper.

Keep it simple.

That's the best.

And then we also have a little salsa fresca, so we'll hit that.

It's kind of on top there.

It's basically a pico de gallo.

And, again, this -- our recipe is pretty simple.

But this has a little bit of red onion, tomato, cilantro.

We actually roast our poblanos, put them in here, a little bit of oregano, lime, vinegar, salt, pepper.

And that's all you need.

If some people like it a little bit sweet, you can add some agave to it.

I'm gonna use a little bit of, um, crema.

Some -- take a little bit of sour cream, some lime, a little bit of salt and pepper, and kind of mix all that together.

We're not using cheese on this.

If you prefer to use some cheese, that's okay.

I would -- I would tend to use something like a Cotija or something, just a little dusting.

That will give a nice contrast of the dairy or the creaminess with all the other flavors.

But in this case, again, we don't need much of it, just enough to kind of provide contrast.

So that is our Gulf shrimp tacos.

-The living coastline created through oyster recycling reduces erosion, protects cultural-heritage sites, and enhances local fisheries.

-We are blessed with one of the richest, most abundant fisheries on Earth.

It may be the most abundant.

I don't think a lot of people realize how essential what's happening down on the coast is to what we do here on a daily basis.

Literally, if that ceases, much of what we know as a region, and as a city especially, will just go away.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -You can find recipes for all of the dishes in this series, chef profiles, and more information about "Louisiana Coastal Cooking" by visiting wyes.org.

Funding for "Louisiana Coastal Cooking" was provided by... ...and by the Plaquemines Parish Tourism Commission.

Nature, tradition, and culture come together in Plaquemines Parish, where the Mississippi River and the Gulf meet in Louisiana's Delta Country.

Learn more at visitplaqueminesparish.com.

[ Birds chirping ]