Experience Louisiana's Catch and Cook program
A 4:30 a.m. wake-up call is challenging for most people, whatever day of the week. A 4:30 a.m. wake-up call after a night out in New Orleans is even more challenging. But this is a New Orleans adventure of a different breed: a fishing trip.
The weather forecast calls for rain, and despite my desperate sun salutations and pleas heavenward, the rain does indeed fall as we board the fishing skiff that's open to the elements. Joining us for the day is Galatoire’s Restaurant executive chef Michael Sichel, and captain T-Wayne with Bourgeois Fishing Charters at the helm. Over the next hour or so, the captain guides the boat through the waterways and out into the calm Louisiana bayou, where the rain stops falling and the sun begins to peek through the clouds.
Our mission for the day out on the water is clear (even if the skies aren’t): catch what chef Sichel will prepare for our dinner. The restaurant is one of 30 throughout Louisiana that participates in the state’s Catch and Cook Program, wherein sport fishermen and women can enjoy dining on their catches-of-the-day as prepared by local chefs.
“Guests who are fortunate enough to experience a guided fishing trip connect to the genuine culture of our coast,” says chef Sichel. “The unique lifestyle of fishermen, oystermen and shrimpers is just a half hour away from the city. It’s a true taste of local culture.
“When a guest takes advantage of New Orleans with the Gulf and all of the best fishing nearby, cooking and serving the fish is as important a challenge as catching it,” he adds. “Through the catch itself, the preparation takes shape, classic or inspired."
Over the next six hours or so, our group of five chats, casts our lines and catches fish — lots of fish. Fish after fish appear on our lines, and we hook ‘em into the boats. All told, we net more than 30 fish, including trout, red fish and even sheepshead — and that’s not a fish tale.
That night, chef Sichel works his magic and turns the fish we caught into delicious dishes served in a vivacious main dining room at the 100-plus-year-old Galatoire’s Restaurant.
“The catch is hand-delivered to the kitchen and we create a dish either with the classic Galatoire’s flair, or we let the preparation be inspired by the product,” says chef Sichel.
And inspired he is. For our decadent, over-the-top a la New Orleans-style, multi-course menu, chef Sichel combines a handful of the restaurant’s classic dishes with those he's prepared with the fish we caught earlier: a seafood boudin ball, a cold seafood appetizer platter, smoked trout deviled eggs, fried trout, Lobster Thermidor, trout stuffed with shrimp and crab, redfish and triggerfish in a saffron broth with savory whipped cream, a deep-fried whole redfish, Trout Almondine with redfish, and a Court Bouillon fish stew.
We won’t even go into dessert… (but if we must: New York cheesecake with cherries, Bananas Foster bread pudding, flan and a chocolate crème brûlée).
Hungry? Broswe the gallery above to see photos of some of the dishes that chef Sichel prepared with our freshly caught fish, as well as dishes prepared by other restaurants participating in Louisiana’s Catch and Cook Program.
See more summer seafood destinations below.
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