Building a Seafood Totem Pole: Layers of New Orleans Flavor
“I’ve got a big imagination, man.” That’s how Jason Seidler describes the thinking behind his signature creation at Seidler Seafood — a dish so architecturally ambitious it earned its name: the Totem Pole. Layer upon layer of New Orleans seafood favorites, stacked into a sculptural masterpiece that had Guy Fieri calling it “a road sign in Flavortown.”
Don’t Judge This Book by Its Cover
When you drive by Seidler Seafood, your first thought might be “shrimp and po-boy joint.” Guy’s advice? Don’t judge a book by its cover. This place has “chapters of culinary good that you just got to read about.” From boiled seafood platters to pee-paw salads to all your favorite New Orleans-style dishes, Jason Seidler — who grew up in the Bayou boiling crawfish with his dad and cooking in the kitchen with his mom — is bringing serious Cajun-Creole credentials to every plate.
Jason’s secret weapon? His connections. “It was like a seafood market,” he explained, “so I got all these different awesome connections with crabs and shrimp.” He’s calling on them all to build his seafood sculpture.
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How the Totem Pole Comes Together
The foundation starts with homemade crab stuffing. Jason hits the pan with butter, celery, garlic, onions, and peppers, then adds lump crabmeat straight out of Lake Pontchartrain. The seasoning blend is pure Louisiana: crawfish boil, crab boil, blackening seasoning, and gumbo filé — that’s ground-up sassafras leaf for those unfamiliar. Breadcrumbs, water, and lemon juice bind it all together.
Next up: soft-shell crabs. Jason takes them through buttermilk, then into fish fry seasoning, and into the hot oil. Guy, a self-proclaimed “huge soft-shell crab fan,” noted that when you get a chance to try true soft-shell crab done the right way, it’s a “game changer.”
The tower builds from there: crab stuffing, fried eggplant, more crab stuffing (and yes, it’s hot), soft-shell crab, more stuffing, more eggplant. A cream sauce holds everything together, secured by a shrimp kabob running through the center. The finishing touches? Parmesan, greens, and what Jason calls a “sea horse” garnish.
The Money Bite
Guy admitted he didn’t want to like the crab stuffing at first — to him it seemed like “a crab cake that didn’t get the love texture on the outside.” But stacked in the totem pole? “This right here works perfect,” he said. “You get this smooth creamy texture with the crunch of the eggplant… and then you get the gravy, then you get that money bite.”
His verdict on the whole dish: “The totem pole was my favorite. I love the soft-shell crab, loved the eggplant.” Much like other memorable Triple D moments featuring bold seafood preparations, like the Hot Rotisserie Chicken and Cornbread or the Goat Stew at La Catedral in Cuba, this dish proves that the best bites come from chefs who understand their ingredients deeply.
A Local Favorite
Regulars at Seidler Seafood are devoted. “Table nine, it’s our very favorite restaurant,” one customer declared. “It’s just heavenly goodness all the way through.” Another diner captured it perfectly: “When you look at this place you don’t expect this kind of food… but I would drive for this.”
Guy summed it up to Jason: “The way you treat food and the imagination you have as a chef and the appreciation you have for fresh seafood — good job, man.”
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