10 Best Mardi Gras Recipes (Slideshow)
Although considered a delicacy, oysters truly are an acquired taste. For fans and non-fans alike, try this recipe for fried oysters. Just the simple act of frying gives oysters that crunch and heartiness the skeptics might be craving.
Jambalaya
Similar to Spanish paella, this rice dish is central to Louisiana-Creole cuisine. With a hearty mix of seafood and pork sausage, this dish tastes like it's been stewing all night long. Luckily, it's a quick and easy take on the classic recipe.
Cajun Boiled Peanuts
If you thought salted peanuts are enough to keep you snacking, think again. Simple, yet generously flavored with a crab boil, this dish takes peanuts to a whole new level.
Chicken Over Grits
Celebrate your one last night of indulgence with this decadent chicken and grits recipe. Between the hickory-smoked BBQ flavors and the southern hominess of grits — this rustic dish redefines comfort food.
Click here to try this Shredded Barbecue Chicken Over Grits Recipe
Shrimp and Grits
This dish is the essence of Cajun cooking, using double-smoked andouille sausage and wild caught shrimp atop a bed of steamy grits. Finished off with some butter and cheddar cheese, this dish will make you wish Mardi Gras was everyday.
Click here to try this Southern Art's Wild Caught Georgia Shrimp and Grits Recipe
King Cake
Holidays are all about tradition and Mardi Gras is no exception. Everyone will delight in King Cake, the multi-colored dessert with a small, plastic baby figurine baked inside. Whoever gets the slice with the baby then gets to be King or Queen for the day. Surprise!
Cajun Catfish
As a staple of Southern cuisine, catfish is bound to make its way into your Mardi Gras menu. Try the Cajun Catfish Supreme, a lush and creamy dish, perfectly flavored with a blackened fish seasoning.
Baby Buttermilk Beignets
Everyone loves an after-dinner treat, especially when its fried and covered in sugar. Falling somewhere between a doughnut and a churro, this dessert is tangy, but mostly sweet.
Maque Choux
This side dish stands out on its own because of its Cajun spiciness and heat. Vegetables are left to simmer just long enough to create a tender accompaniment to any entrée dish for the holiday.
Creole Seafood Gumbo
Perhaps the defining dish of Creole cooking, the base of this recipe is a savory, homemade crab stock. Between that and roux, the homemade thickener, this dish is practically gourmet.