Louisiana Seafood Sausage

This recipe is presented with expressed permission from Chef John Folse of Gonzales, Louisiana. Chef Folse's works and enterprises include a series of Cajun and Creole cookbooks as well as television and radio shows, restaurants and culinary institute. Louisiana Seafood Sausage is featured in his Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine. To learn more about Chef Folse and order his products, check out his website at www.jfolse.com. You will be amazed at what you can learn!

Prep Time: 45 Minutes

Yields: 80 Links

Comment: You'll find hundreds of combinations and variations of sausage here in Cajun Country. Although this recipe contains primarily pork, shrimp is the dominant flavor.

Ingredients:

10 pounds ground pork
7 pounds ground shrimp
3 pounds whole shrimp
1 cup minced pimiento
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning
4 cups minced onions
3/4 cup minced garlic
1/3 cup dried thyme
3 cups sliced green onions
1/3 cup dried basil
2 cups ice water
60 feet (38 mm) hog casing

Method:

Place all ingredients, except ice water and hog casing, into a large mixing bowl. With such a large amount of mixture, it is best for two people to mix the ingredients using their hands. After blending 5-10 minutes, add the ice water and continue mixing 5 minutes longer. No salt or pepper is needed in this recipe because of the Old Bay seasoning, which has the perfect amount of each for this volume of ingredients. Using commercial hog casing, stuff ingredients into 6-inch links of approximately 4 ounces each. NOTE: Hog casing can be purchased in bulk from any local meat market or butcher shop.