Viet-Cajun Boil

Fusing Vietnamese flavors with the art of the Cajun crawfish boil, Vietnamese-Cajun is perhaps one of the greatest new American cuisines of the 21st century. Like its Cajun inspiration, the Southeast Asian rendition of a boil starts simply with a Cajun spice blend. But once the seafood is boiled and left to cool, Vietnamese cooks will toss it in a plethora of sauces, spices, and fresh ingredients, creating intense spice and flavor. 

Longtime friends and native Houstonians Sean Wen and Andrew Ho brought Vietnamese-Cajun with them to San Antonio when they opened their restaurant—Pinch Boil House—in 2017. One of the most popular items on their menu is their take on the Vietnamese-Cajun boil: an original blend of Southeast Asian ingredients like coconut and lemongrass. With plenty of garlic, fragrant lemongrass, and a hint of cayenne pepper, this sauce is a perfect balance of sweet, salty, and slightly spicy. 

Tip: Start with low heat. This dish really stands out thanks to the low and slow cooking method, which allows all of the flavors to really come together and caramelize. Instead of dumping all the ingredients together, to get the same flavor as the Pinch Boil House signature dish, it's important to take your time adding the ingredients: the fragrant lemongrass, garlic, cayenne, and creamy coconut milk. If you'd prefer, you can use light coconut milk, but it will have slightly less flavor.

For their boil, Wen and Ho use fresh mussels, Gulf shrimp, sausage, corn, and baby red potatoes. But this signature sauce will go great with almost any seafood you’d like, from crawfish to crab. 

Tried this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!