If you’re lucky enough to live in Louisiana, you know what good food tastes like. Cajun food is easily the best food in the country, but eating out every day can be expensive. Get your Cajun fix at home by trying these recipes.
Dirty Rice
Dirty rice is one of the most popular Cajun dishes out there. You’ll need:
- ½ pound of chicken giblets
- ½ cup of melted butter
- ½ pound of chicken livers
- 1 cup of diced onion
- 1 cup of diced celery
- 1 cup of diced bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons of diced garlic
- 1 cup of chicken stock
- 6 cups of cooked white rice
- ½ cup of sliced green onions
- ½ cup of chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pepper sauce to taste
Throw some water in a pot, add some salt, and lightly poach the giblets for 45 minutes. Then let them cool and chop them up. Remove the membrane from the giblets. Take out a saucepan and throw in the butter. Heat it up over medium heat. Add the chicken livers and sauté them for about 15 minutes, until they are golden brown. Remove them, let them cool, and chop them.
Throw onions, celery, garlic, and bell pepper into the same pan and sauté them until they wilt. Then, throw in the chopped chicken giblets and livers. Then, add the chicken stock, along with just a bit of the poaching liquid. Bring it to a boil and wait until the liquid reduces to approximately ¼ cup. Then throw in cooked white rice, and mix it up. Add the green onions and parsley for garnishment, and then season it with salt, pepper, and pepper sauce.
Crawfish Boil
You can’t get more Louisiana than a crawfish boil. You’ll need:
- 20 pounds of live crawfish
- 5 gallons of water
- 26-ounce box of salt
- 6 tablespoons of cayenne pepper
- 4 lemons, halved
- 10 bay leaves
- 6 onions
- 12 new potatoes
- 6 ears of corn, shucked
First, rinse the crawfish off in cool water. Then put the five gallons of water in a pot, and add everything into the pot except for the crawfish. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add in the crawfish. Wait until the water returns to a boil. Then, cook it for an additional 8–10 minutes. Finally, drain the pot and serve your crawfish.
These recipes will certainly ignite your senses and make you want to explore more of the cuisine the state has to offer. First, stop by Barker Buick GMC in Houma, Louisiana, and pick up some new wheels. Then, you’ll be ready to take a culinary tour of the state.
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