February is a month filled with indulgent holidays. Sure, there’s Valentine’s Day, but that’s not the only day to fill up on sweets and treats. Mardi Gras is a jubilant celebration that brings together fragrant dishes, music, and art in a colorful explosion of color. With the days of the month dwindling, it’s high time to plan your celebration. Even if you’re not traveling to Louisiana, you can bring the vibrant energy of the holiday to your home with the authentic cuisines of Creole culture.

Cooked low and slow, the dishes are rich in flavor and brimming with history. They pull from the land, using local delicacies like crawfish and other seafood, and reflect the lively spirit of the city and culture. As the holiday tips closer, it’s time to bust out the jazz, bold colors, and piping bowls of seafood stews with Cajun spices. The list below is just a few of the iconic dishes that celebrate the soul of Creole cuisine. Make one or gather your friends for a feast they’re sure to thank you for later.

Shrimp & Grits

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups stone-ground corn grits
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound raw peeled and deveined large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound)
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 4 medium scallions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 to 6 slices bacon, sliced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Hot sauce
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook grits with water and salt in large saucepan. Once boiling, remove from heat and let sit.
2. Dice green pepper, scallions, and garlic. Then slice bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Place bacon in large skillet and cook until browned and crisp.
4. Transfer bacon to paper towel-covered plate, Add bell diced vegetable mixture to pan and cook until tender.
5. Add diced tomatoes, Creole seasoning, paprika, and sugar to pan and simmer.
6. Return to the grits, adding cheddar, butter, and heavy cream to the pan, stirring until well-combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Turn the heat down under the tomato mixture to simmer and add shrimp to the pot to cook.
8. Add bacon and 1 to 3 dashes hot sauce to the pot, stirring to combine—season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Spoon grits into serving bowls and top with large spoonfuls of shrimp mixture.
10. Sprinkle with remaining scallions and garnish with a few more dashes of hot sauce and lemon wedges if desired.

Gumbo

Ingredients 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup bacon drippings
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 3 quarts water
• 6 cubes beef bouillon
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 4 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2 packages frozen okra, thawed
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 pound lump crab meat
• 3 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cajun seasoning blend to taste

Instructions

1. Whisk together flour and bacon drippings in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth.
2. Cook while whisking constantly until brown gravy is formed. Then remove from heat and set aside.
3. Add celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until all vegetables are very finely chopped.
4. Stir vegetables into roux, and mix in sliced sausage.
5. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cooked, then remove from heat and set aside.
6. Add water and beef bouillon cubes to a large Dutch oven or soup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then whisk roux mixture into the boiling water.
7. Reduce heat to a simmer and mix in sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce and simmer soup over low heat for 1 hour.
8. Melt 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in a skillet and add okra and vinegar and cook for 15 minutes.
9. Remove okra with a slotted spoon, and stir into gumbo.
10. Stir in crab meat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer for about 45 more minutes.

Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients 

• 1 pound red kidney beans, dry
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 5 ribs celery, chopped
• 5 -6 cloves garlic
• 1 large smoked ham hock or ham shank
• 3/4 pound of Creole-style pickle meat or smoked ham, diced
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds mild or hot smoked sausage or andouille, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• Hot sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Creole seasoning to taste
• Red and black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Cook beans and sauté onions, celery, and bell pepper until tender and cooked. Then add garlic and continue sautéing.
2. Add sautéed vegetables to the beans along with the ham, smoked sausage, seasoning, and top mixture with water (just enough to cover it).
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 2-3 hours—season with salt and peppers to taste.
4. Once cooked fully, remove from stove and let sit or refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Cook rice.
6. Add cooked rice to bowls and top with beans.
7. Serve with hot sauce and bread.

Oysters Rockefeller

Ingredients

• 2 dozen oysters on the half shell
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and arrange oysters on a baking sheet.
2. Melt butter in a skillet and sauté spinach, parsley, celery, onions, and garlic until soft.
3. Stir in Pernod and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Spoon the mixture over each oyster, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and oysters are cooked through.

Creole Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread, cubed
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 9 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg yolks
• 1⁄4 cup whiskey

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and place bread cubes in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon until combined. Then, pour over bread and allow to soak for 30 minutes.
3. Stir in raisins and melted butter. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until set and golden brown.
5. Heat the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until mixture begins to boil.
6. Mix the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Then, slowly whisk into simmering cream and simmer 2-3 minutes.
7. Put the yolks into a fresh bowl and whisk.
8. Temper the yolks by slowly whisking 1 cup hot, thickened cream mixture into yolks.
9. Return the yolk mixture to hot cream mixture, whisking in slowly.
10. After the mixture is whisked together, cook over medium-low heat.
11. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer.
12. Add the whiskey, adjusting to taste, and keep warm.
13. Serve bread pudding in bowls topped with whiskey cream sauce.