Creole & Cajun cuisines - By food author Howard Hillman

Creole and Cajun
cuisines

Food tips you can trust

Why Creole Cuisine
and Cajun Cuisine
are special

Creole and Cajun are two of America's most original cuisines. They are also two of its best. Click Creole and Cajun insights for more info.

How many
of these famous
Creole and Cajun specialties
have you tasted?

Crawfish Étouffée

The freshwater crawfish (which look like miniature lobsters) are slowly braised in a small quantity of a seasoned tomato mixture. The Crawfish Étouffée is then served over steaming rice.

Crawfish Boil

The crawfish are steam-boiled then dumped en masse on newspaper-lined tables. Diners snap open the shells with their fingers and enjoy the communal feast.

Gumbo

Made with chicken, seafood and/or sausage. Can also be vegetarian. A gumbo is thickened with fresh okra ("gumbo" is West Africa) or ground dried sassafras leaves (filé powder).

Jambalaya

A seasoned mélange of meat (pork, seafood and/or sausage), vegetables and rice are cooked in one pan. Jambalaya is similar to and was influenced by Spain's paella.

Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters on the half shell are seasoned, set on a bed of rock salt, then broiled. Oysters Rockefeller may or may not contain spinach, depending on the chef.

Red Beans and Rice