Peel & dice 2-3 medium red skinned spuds. Boil together with 2 cloves peeled garlic until spuds & garlic are soft. Mash lightly and stir in 1/2 stick butter, seasoning salt, California pepper, and a dash of cayenne.
Fish and Seafood Creole sauce
Melt 1/2 stick butter in large skillet. Chop 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 sweet onion, 1/2 red bell pepper, and 1 stalk celery. Add seasoning salt, black pepper, basil, parsley, and 3 dashes cayenne. Sauté until soft, then remove. Do not clean skillet.
Season-salt & cali pepper** 4 tilapia fillets, then dredge in flour. Add 2-3 Tbs olive oil to the skillet with the goodie* and quickly sauté the fish until done through and edges are crispy. Remove to a plate.
Return the veg-roux mixture to the skillet and throw in a handful each of frozen scallops and frozen cooked cleaned shrimp. Chop a medium tomato and throw in. Take 2 servings of asparagus and cut into bite-sized pieces and add to veg-seafood sauté. Cover and cook over med-low heat until asparagus is done and seafood is thawed/cooked through.
At the last minute, add a couple pinches of gumbo filé powder, just enough that it thickens slightly.
Plate the fish and potatoes. Serve the chunky veg & seafood sauce alongside.
*"Goodie" is our household word for the cracklin's/roux/drippings or any other flavorful yuck that's left in the pan after you cook something. Used to flavor the next something.
**"Season-salt" is a verb. So is "cali-pepper." California pepper is a mixture from Penzey's that contains, among other things, black pepper and dried bell pepper. Very useful flavor shortcut, especially in Mexican, Italian, or Cajun dishes.
