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Mariner's Fried Seafood Tower

This is definitely a recipe meant to be shared! This epic array of fried seafood from Mariner's in Natchitoches, Louisiana is served on a three-tier tower, with two kinds of French fries and onion rings. The trick to making sure everything gets crispy and golden brown is not overcrowding the fryer. That can lower the temperature causing the food to absorb oil and cook unevenly. Keep everything warm in a low oven while you fry your food.
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Ingredients
  

Creole Remoulade Sauce

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup Creole mustard

Fried Seafood Tower

  • Canola oil for frying
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • 2 Tablespoons hot sauce
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups cornmeal
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 2 pounds french fries
  • 2 pounds sweet potato fries
  • 1 pound onion rings prebreaded
  • Four 5 ounce catfish fillets cut in half lengthwise
  • 2 soft-shell crabs
  • 2 lobster tails
  • 12 ounces prebreaded calamari
  • 12 tail-on shrimp 16–20 count
  • 12 ounces crawfish tails
  • 16 oysters shucked
  • 12 premade hush puppies
  • 12 mini crab cakes
  • 12 ounces alligator tail meat
  • ¾ cup cocktail sauce
  • ¾ cup tartar sauce
  • ¾ cup sweet Asian chili sauce
  • ¾ cup Creole Remoulade Sauce (recipe below)

Instructions
 

Make the Creole Remoulade Sauce

  • In a small bowl, combine ingredients and mix until smooth.

Prepare the Fried Seafood Tower

  • Preheat a deep fryer with oil to 350° and preheat the oven to 180°. Cover two large rimmed baking sheets with clean paper bags for draining.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the hot sauce. Put the flour and the cornmeal in two separate large bowls for dredging. Season each with salt and pepper.
  • Fry the french fries and sweet potato fries. French fries will take 7 to 10 minutes, and sweet potato fries will take 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and transfer the fries to the prepared baking sheets. Place in the oven to keep warm. Fry the onion rings until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to the oven with the fries.
  • Dip the catfish in the buttermilk mixture, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Then dredge in the cornmeal, shaking off any excess. Fry the catfish until brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Let excess oil drain and keep warm in the oven.
  • Place the soft-shell crabs in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the cornmeal. Fry the soft-shell crabs until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Let excess oil drain and keep warm in the oven.
  • Cut the lobster tails in half lengthwise and remove the meat from the shell but leave it connected to the shell at the base. Place the lobster tails in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the flour. Fry the lobster tails until brown and crispy, about 6 minutes. Let excess oil drain and keep warm in the oven.
  • Place the shrimp in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the flour. Fry shrimp until brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Let excess oil drain transfer to the oven.
  • Place the crawfish tails in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the cornmeal. Fry the crawfish tails until brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Let excess oil drain and transfer to the oven.
  • Place the oysters in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the flour. Fry the oysters until brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Let excess oil drain and transfer to the oven.
  • Place the alligator meat in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the cornmeal. Fry the alligator meat until brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Let excess oil drain and transfer to the oven.
  • Fry the hush puppies, mini crab cakes, and calamari until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let excess oil drain and transfer to the oven.
  • On the bottom layer of the tower, arrange the french fries in an even layer as a base. On top of the fries, place the catfish, hush puppies, shrimp, and alligator. On the second tier, layer the sweet potato fries. Top with the crab cakes, oysters, crawfish tails, and calamari. On the top tier, layer the onion rings. Top with the soft-shell crabs and lobster tails.
  • Serve the seafood tower with small bowls of cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, sweet Asian chili sauce, and the Creole Remoulade Sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe and photo courtesy of Mariner’s Restaurant.
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