Food Holidays & Occasions Mardi Gras 19 New Orleans-Inspired Recipes for Your Mardi Gras Party Celebrate Carnival with jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish, and a Sazerac. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 7, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Curate a menu of Mardi Gras food for celebrations throughout the season. From hearty jambalaya to spicy gumbo, fluffy beignets, and classic cocktails, these recipes originated in New Orleans or celebrate the city's trademark flavors with local chefs Justin Devillier, Kelly, English, Kelly Fields, Michael Gulotta, Emeril Lagasse, and Isaac Toups. Combine Cajun, Creole, and Gulf flavors for dishes deserving of all the beads. 01 of 19 Beignets Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Fry up beignets at home when you want an irresistibly puffy treat. Butter and evaporated milk make the dough extra tender, which is a lovely contrast when these fry up to a crisp. Get the Recipe 02 of 19 Oysters Rockefeller Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This renowned baked oyster dish was created at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans in 1899 by the proprietor, Jules Alciatore. This is Emeril Lagasse's take on the dish. Get the Recipe 03 of 19 Sazerac Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon The official cocktail for the city of New Orleans combines rye whiskey, cognac, bitters, absinthe, and a bit of sugar, with an herbal sweetness and a strong backbone of whiskey. Get the Recipe 04 of 19 Monday Night Red Beans and Rice Victor Protasio Pableaux Johnson's simple, hearty red beans and rice dinner is famous across the South. Long-cooked and creamy, properly made red beans integrate the core flavors of the south Louisiana aromatic trinity — onion, green bell pepper, and celery — along with the savory richness of pork and a kick of garlic. The true star of this dish is the Camellia beans. Get the Recipe 05 of 19 New Orleans-Style Jambalaya Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis In this New Orleans-style recipe, rendered fat from a combination of andouille sausage, bacon, and smoked sausage serves as the base for building flavors, and the Creole dish with roots in French, African, and Spanish cuisines keeps going from there. Get the Recipe 06 of 19 Crab-and-Shrimp Étouffée Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Christina Daley No flavor goes to waste in this étouffée from 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi. It's inspired by memories of his grandmother Cassie Phillips' definitive version of the dish. Get the Recipe 07 of 19 Barbecue Shrimp Po’boy Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman Smoky, spiced shrimp are the heart of this classic New Orleans-style po’boy sandwich. Get the Recipe 08 of 19 Bananas Foster Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Invented at New Orleans landmark Brennan's Restaurant in 1951. Bananas are cooked with a citrusy brown sugar and rum sauce, then topped with crispy pecans. Get the Recipe 09 of 19 Vieux Carré Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon Channel the decadence and debauchery of Prohibition-era New Orleans with a classic Vieux Carré recipe from Neal Bodenheimer. Get the Recipe 10 of 19 Grillades and Cheesy Grits Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley A New Orleans classic, grillades rely on succulent beef top round that’s cooked low and slow for hours until it becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender. Chef Michael Gulotta serves it with savory, cheesy grits and a luscious gravy using the fond from the beef at Mopho in New Orleans. Get the Recipe 11 of 19 Blue Crab Beignets Greg DuPree The beignet batter thinly coats a creamy, warm crab filling with a crispy, light crust in this recipe from The New Orleans Kitchen coauthors Jamie Feldmar and Justin Devillier, chef/proprietor of La Petite Grocery, Balise Tavern, and Justine in New Orleans. Get the Recipe 12 of 19 Creole Crawfish Pie Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox Across south Louisiana restaurants, street food stalls, and eateries, numerous chefs and cooks all claim to offer the best crawfish pie — a flaky, buttery pie filled with herbs, aromatics, and, of course, Louisiana crawfish tails. Get the Recipe 13 of 19 Okra Mac and Cheese with Andouille Sausage Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Introduced to New Orleans in the early 1700s, okra was originally referred to as ki ngombo. This Angolan word was later shortened to gombo, or gumbo, to describe the hearty soup traditionally thickened with okra. New Orleans chef Kevin Belton brings okra’s thickening power and a little Louisiana flair to his baked mac and cheese. Get the Recipe 14 of 19 Creole Crawfish Nachos © W&P Design New Orleans icon Big Freedia is a legitimate force: She's the face of bounce music, author of the memoir Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva, and star of the TV show Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce. She drapes her signature nachos in spicy cheese sauce and buttery, Creole-seasoned crawfish, saying: "It's so New Orleans." Get the Recipe 15 of 19 Shrimp and Grits with Mustard Seed Chowchow Victor Protasio At Bellegarde Bakery in New Orleans, chef Isaac Toups loves Bellegarde stone-ground grits for their creamy texture and buttered popcorn flavor. Get the Recipe 16 of 19 Chicken and Okra Gumbo © Quentin Bacon One of Louisiana’s signature dishes, gumbo is is strongly influenced by Native American, French, Creole, and African cuisines. It typically includes okra, andouille or other smoked sausage, shrimp, and other meats and vegetables. Chef Rembs Layman suggests using store-bought rotisserie chicken, canned chicken broth, and jerk paste for this quick, easy version. Get the Recipe 17 of 19 Emeril’s Muffuletta © Brian Doben The muffuletta is the quintessential New Orleans sandwich of cured meats, cheese, and tangy olive salad piled onto a sturdy Italian loaf. Emeril Lagasse's deluxe version includes several upgrades. Get the Recipe 18 of 19 King Cake with Caramel Crunch Oriana Koren This traditional Mardi Gras dessert has a caramel crunch layer that gives the rich cake even more texture and sweetness. The recipe is from James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Kelly Fields of the wildly popular New Orleans bakery cafe Willa Jean. Get the Recipe 19 of 19 Cheese Fries with Crayfish and Gravy © Jonny Valiant A crayfish boil can require a lot of time, energy and patience. Crayfish meat on top of fries is less of a commitment, but even more drool-inducing with spicy pimento cheese, andouille gravy, and crawfish, crab, or shrimp. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit