The most unique city in U.S., New Orleans, is famous for its cuisine, as well as annual celebrations and festivals, especially Mardi Gras. New Orleans is world-famous for its specialties like beignets, fried oysters, crawfish, and many more. Try these New Orleans traditional dish recipes for Mardi Gras 2017. One bite will make you feel you are celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
New Orleans Traditional Dishes for Mardi Gras 2017
Shrimp Malacca with Rice Recipe
Ingredients:
- ¹⁄3 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, seeded, stemmed, and finely diced
- 1 cup tomato puree
- Generous pinch of cayenne pepper
- Generous pinch of dried basil
- 2 celery stalks, peeled and diced
- 1 can (16 ounces) whole, peeled Italian plum tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, mashed with 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves
- Boxed or canned seafood stock
- 3 pounds (36 to 40 count) shrimp, peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
Heat oil over medium heat in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes, cayenne, tomato puree, basil, garlic, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and add curry powder.
Simmer the mixture and cook covered, for about 25 minutes. If the sauce thickens, add some water or stock. Add the shrimp and simmer for about 10 minutes, until just cooked.
Remove the bay leaves. Serve over cooked white rice.
New Orleans Crawfish Bisque Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 medium-size yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) salted butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup dry sherry cooking wine, divided
- 1 pound frozen peeled crawfish tails, thawed and divided
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups seafood stock
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Directions
Melt butter in a saucepan. Add in flour and whisk for 10 minutes or until pale brown. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, celery, tomato, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Cook while stirring occasionally.
Increase the heat and whisk in stock, bay leaves, thyme, and ¼ cup cooking wine. Cook for 10 minutes and add half of crawfish. Cook for two minutes.
Blend the mixture and return to the pan. Add cream, hot sauce, lemon juice, remaining crawfish, and ¼ cup cooking wine and cook for five minutes. Serve hot.
New Orleans Smothered Okra Recipe
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 3 pounds okra, trimmed and sliced 1⁄2-inch thick
- 3 slices smoked bacon, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 large white onion, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
In a saucepan melt butter. Cook bacon until it releases the fat, about six to eight minutes.
Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until golden for 10 to 12 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Simmer and cook until okra is tender, for one to one-and-a-half hours.
New Orleans Oyster Po’ Boy Recipe
Ingredients:
- Canola oil, for frying
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 3⁄4 teaspoon Rosemary
- 40 large oysters, shucked
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 3⁄4 teaspoon oregano
- 3⁄4 teaspoon cayenne peper
- 3⁄4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 4 8-inch-long French bread rolls
- Mayonnaise
- shredded iceberg lettuce
- Tomato slices and dill pickle chips, for serving
Directions
Pour oil in a saucepan. Combine together salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, thyme, oregano, rosemary, cayenne, and chilli powder in a bowl.
Add oysters and toss to coat. Add cornmeal and toss. Dust off the excess cornmeal. Fry the oysters until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
Spread mayonnaise on the bread rolls and divide oysters among rolls. Top with tomato, lettuce, and pickles.
Here is a special dessert that is extremely simple and is a must try for Mardi Gras 2017, especially if you are in New Orleans.
New Orleans Banana Foster Recipe
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 cup banana liqueur
- 4 bananas, peeled and quartered
- 1⁄4 cup white rum
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Directions
Melt butter, sugar, and cinnamon over medium heat in a heatproof skillet and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add liqueur and bananas. Cook until the bananas caramelize, about six minutes.
Add rum and with a match or lighter, ignite to flame. Cook until the flame dies out. Spoon bananas and sauce over ice cream.
Sources:
Reed, J., “Shrimp Malacca with Rice,” MyRecipes web site, May 2016; http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/shrimp-malacca-rice.
Merhar, E., “Crawfish Bisque,” MyRecipes web site, April 2016; http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/crawfish-bisque.
“SMOTHERED OKRA,” SAVEUR web site, September 11, 2014; http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/smothered-okra.
“OYSTER PO’BOY,” SAVEUR web site, January 25, 2012; http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/crabby-jack-oyster-poboy
“BRENNAN’S BANANAS FOSTER,” SAVEUR web site, September 30, 2015;
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Brennans-Bananas-Foster.