Backbone Stew is more than a meal—it reflects the people who make it. It’s an intimate dish made for family gatherings and Sunday suppers, where the chatter around the table is as important as the food on it. It’s a dish for when things aren’t perfect, but you make do when you take the scraps…
Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo
It’s Fat Monday, ya’ll! Lundi Gras (French for Fat Monday) ramps up the Mardi Gras holiday with a full schedule of parades, balls, and of course, the Courir de Mardi Gras—the rural Cajun celebration before the beginning of Lent. Break out your capuchon (a cone-shaped ceremonial hat), don a colorful mask, tank up with your…
Guinea Gumbo
From the pages of my latest cookbook Fresh From Louisiana: The Soul of Cajun and Creole Home Cooking, this Guinea Gumbo recipe is an old-school Cajun classic. Steeped in tradition and infused with rich gumbo flavors, every spoonful defines the art of Cajun cooking. I remember it like it was yesterday: the day, over 30…
Teal Stuffed with Mustard Greens and Sweet Potatoes
This hunting lodge recipe for Teal Stuffed with Mustard Greens and Sweet Potatoes combines everything I love about the glorious Cajun foodways I write about. This dish takes flight in a tough wild duck stuffed with aromatics, greens, and the sweet kiss of Louisiana yams. It’s slow-simmered in a spicy stock just long enough for…
Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew
This hearty beef stew is rich with the umami flavors of mushrooms, beef, dark roux, and Guinness. Yes, Guinness Extra Stout beer. My Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew is a bowlful of St. Patrick’s Day happiness. I’m green with envy at communities that passionately celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It is an upbeat holiday that every…
Catfish Head Stew
On a crisp, cool Friday morning on my way to Eunice, Louisiana, to stock up on my favorite garlic smoked sausage at my friend Kermit Lejeune’s smokehouse, I drove past a little market on the highway heading west out of Opelousas. I did not have seafood on my mind, but it was the colorful exterior…
How To Make A Dark Cajun Roux: The Story of Rox’s Roux
If you ask me, a dark Cajun roux is the secret ingredient that is the single most important building block of Cajun cooking. So important, that for your convenience, we developed a jarred product we call Rox’s Roux–the deepest, darkest, and richest commercially available roux. This product will add consistency and quality to any Cajun…
Redfish Courtbouillon
Diving deep into a bowl of Redfish Courtbouillon is an exploration of the spicy side of Louisiana’s culinary culture. It is a saucy and richly flavored dish that doesn’t hold back on taste. This recipe delivers a heavy wallop of deliciousness in a Magnalite pot. My friend Lee Robicheaux grew up in Houma, Louisiana at…
Catfish Courtbouillon
My Cajun recipe for Catfish Courtbouillon uses a pungent seafood stock (I make mine from dried shrimp) and the addition of a couple of spoonfuls of dark roux. Rather than the red gravy Creole version, in this Cajun recipe for courtbouillon I use a light hand on the tomatoes favoring canned diced tomatoes rather than…
Catfish Creole – The Quick and Easy Way
The blast of flavor from Atchafalaya Basin wild-caught catfish fillets bathed in a spicy red tomato gravy defines this classic Catfish Creole, an iconic Louisiana dish. But this recipe takes a few time-saving shortcuts to arrive at a delicious destination. From time to time, I receive comments for my recipes being complicated. “Too many steps,”…