Cajun and Creole cuisines have deep ties to the state of Louisiana. In the United States, Creole food arose in and around New Orleans. (The word “Creole” derives from the word “criollo,” meaning “born in the colonies.”) Cajun recipes are rooted in the cooking of the Acadians, a group of French Canadians that resettled in Louisiana west of New Orleans in the late 1700s. (The word “Cajun” derives from the word “Acadians.”) Today, both cuisines have influenced each other and are embraced throughout the state, especially in the melting pot of modern New Orleans. From traditional gumbo and jambalaya to classic beignets, here are some of our favorite Cajun and Creole recipes.
Barbecue Shrimp Po’boy
Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman
Get a taste of New Orleans without leaving your home with this po’boy sandwich. Here, chef Erick Williams stuffs spicy, seasoned-to-perfection shrimp, pickles, and lettuce inside crackly-crusted French baguettes.
New Orleans-Style Jambalaya
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
Jambalaya starts with a foundation of briny stock made from shrimp shells and rendered fat from andouille sausage, bacon, and smoked sausage. From there, this dish’s flavor depends on taking the time to cook each of the successive elements before they are added to the pot, building savory, caramelized depth with every addition.
Crab-and-Shrimp Étouffée
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi maximizes the flavor of each ingredient when he makes this exceptional étouffée, inspired by his grandmother’s version of the dish. Get a head start by preparing the shrimp stock in advance — it can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Monday Night Red Beans and Rice
Victor Protasio
The late Pableaux Johnson’s red beans and rice recipe is famous in the South. Creamy, long-cooked Camellia beans integrate the flavors of onion, green bell pepper, and celery, south Louisiana’s aromatic trinity. Savory pork adds richness, and garlic gives the dish a kick.
Fried Oysters with Remoulade
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Elegant, fun, and endlessly delicious, these crispy fried oysters are sure to disappear quickly — serve them as an appetizer, or use them to make oyster po’boys. You’ll need Creole mustard, such as Zatarain’s, to make the creamy rémoulade.
Seafood Gumbo
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Top Chef’s Tiffany Derry’s excellent gumbo has it all — chicken breasts and thighs, andouille sausage, blue crabs, shrimp, and a heaping helping of okra. Derry suggests serving it with cornbread and rice, though it’s also tasty with hush puppies.
Couche Couche (Cajun Breakfast Cereal)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
For this Cajun breakfast staple, chewy crumbles of lightly fried cornbread are served with milk and cane syrup, softening in the liquid with each bite.
Shrimp Creole
Greg DuPree
When he was still the chef at the legendary Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, Emeril Lagasse honed his expertise for “haute Creole” cooking, a complex blend of Creole and Cajun. In this now-classic recipe, the spicy Creole sauce has layers of flavor built on a foundation of the Cajun flavor trinity — onion, celery, and green bell pepper.
Grillades and Cheesy Grits
Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
New Orleans chef Michael Gulotta cooks succulent beef top round low and slow to serve the city’s classic grillades with cheesy grits and a velvety gravy made with the fond from the beef.
Creole Crawfish Pie
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox
Like many other Creole dishes, this savory double-crusted pie starts with a roux, cooked until it’s the color of peanut butter. “Relax, have a sip of wine, and enjoy this process. If you can make a roux, you’ve mastered the key to good Creole cuisine,” say Louisiana sugarcane farmers Angie and June Provost.
Seafood Boil with Cajun Seasoning
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Enjoy a one-pot family-style Cajun feast complete with shrimp, king crab legs, clams, sausage, corn, and potatoes, all served alongside a warm bowl of seasoned butter sauce for dipping. The key to ensuring everything’s cooked to perfection is to take it one step at a time, adding the ingredients to the pot in successive stages.
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Carson Downing / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco
Chicken breasts, linguine, and a variety of fresh veggies combine with a custom blend of eight herbs and spices for a delightfully smoky, savory, and slightly spicy dish. This easy, filling meal is perfect for weeknight dinner.
Mirliton and Gulf Shrimp Casserole
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
This recipe from 2009 F&W Best New Chef Kelly English features mirliton, or chayote squash, which tastes like a blend of cucumber and crisp zucchini. (“It just sings with seafood,” English says.) The tender squash and sweet shrimp are paired with Creole seasoning and savory andouille sausage for a fresh, filling casserole.
Fried Boudin Balls with Creole Mustard Dipping Sauce
Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman
A Louisiana signature, Cajun-style boudin balls are formed with pork, chicken liver, rice, vegetables, and aromatic seasonings before getting fried to a golden crisp. The Creole mustard dipping sauce completes this Southern delicacy.
Beignets
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Fry up beignets at home when you want an irresistible, puffy treat. The extra-tender dough, made with butter and evaporated milk, makes for soft interiors with delightfully crispy outsides.
Jambalaya with Andouille Sausage, Chicken, and Shrimp
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford
Here, deeply flavorful jambalaya comes together entirely in your Dutch oven — in less than an hour. This recipe starts on the stovetop, where the chicken thighs and smoky andouille sausage are browned, then moves to the oven to bake with the rest of the ingredients, until both chicken and shrimp are cooked through.
Crawfish Étouffée
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Use fresh or frozen crawfish for this luscious tomato-based Creole stew. Their tender meat, along with the stew’s rich flavors and vibrant herb garnish, makes this dish ideal for special occasions but simple enough for every day.
Chicken, Shrimp, and Andouille Gumbo
Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Lauren Mcanelly / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali
This spicy gumbo boasts chicken, shrimp, and the smokiest andouille sausage you can find. Cool off with a glass of Pinot Grigio or a light Latin American beer.
Salmon Croquettes with Creole Aïoli
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Tender and flaky on the inside while crispy on the outside, these salmon croquettes lean on a homemade Creole spice blend for a piquant kick. Chopped cornichons and their brine bring a bit of salty crunch to the creamy aïoli.
Shrimp and Grits with Mustard Seed Chowchow
Victor Protasio
New Orleans chef Isaac Toups uses Bellegarde Bakery’s stone-ground grits for their buttery popcorn flavor and creamy consistency, pairing them here with Cajun-seasoned sautéed shrimp. Chowchow, a tangy relish of tomato and bell pepper, can be made up to a week in advance.
Creole-Style Catfish Stew
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
Balanced, full-flavored, and lightening-fast to prepare, this Creole-seasoned stew features flaky catfish, which cooks up beautifully in the tomato-white wine broth.
Creole Crawfish Nachos
W&P Design
New Orleans Bounce music icon Big Freedia slathers her signature nachos in spicy cheese sauce and buttery, Creole-seasoned crawfish. “Crawfish is something my mom made all the time when I was a kid, so I can make crawfish in many forms,” she says. “It’s so New Orleans.”
Louisiana Lump Crab Cakes
Denny Culbert
The key to New Orleans chef Melissa Martin’s fantastic crab cakes is using leftover boiled shrimp as a binder instead of breadcrumbs. This recipe makes eight — you can freeze them ahead if needed.
Okra Gumbo with Blue Crabs and Shrimp
John Kernick
Called the “Queen of Creole Cooking,” the late Leah Chase’s definitive seafood-packed gumbo recipe is proof of her right to reign eternal. Instead of making a roux here, Chase relied on okra as her thickening agent. This dish is extra special if you can source fresh Gulf shrimp and blue crab, but it’s quite delicious regardless of where you purchase your crustaceans.
Creole Shrimp with Garlic and Lemon
Quentin Bacon
The shrimp really shine in this simple dish, so find the best that you can. Tory McPhail, former longtime executive chef of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, recommends wild American shrimp.
Roasted Corn and Pepper Maque Choux
Reed Davis
This popular Creole side consists of white corn, red bell pepper, garlic, onion, and bacon that’s cooked in the rendered bacon fat, then simmered in heavy cream.
Gluten-Free Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
Russ Crandall
Browned butter and toasted mochiko rice flour are swapped in for a traditional wheat flour-based roux in this gluten-free variation of the Creole stew. Shrimp shells, clam juice, and chicken broth deliver deep umami flavor. After a hefty seasoning and simmering, enjoy over rice.
Blackened Tilapia with Cajun Remoulade
Emily Farris
Mix up your own Cajun seasoning using spice cabinet staples like garlic powder and paprika to boost the flavor in these pan-seared tilapia filets and an accompanying remoulade. This quick, delicious dish comes together in less than half an hour.
Dining and Cooking