Chef John's 12 Best Mardi Gras Recipes

Photo:

Mart

Key Takeaways

Chef John's best Mardi Gras recipes feature New Orleans favorites such as jambalaya, po' boys, and dirty rice.
These recipes are great for the Mardi Gras season and beyond.

True, these are the best recipes for celebrating the Mardi Gras season—but these simple and reliable recipes for New Orleans classics like gumbo, étouffée, po' boys, jambalaya, and Bananas Foster are perfect for any Tuesday of the year (not just Fat Tuesday). Try them for Wednesday and Thursday dinners, too.

01
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Banana Bread Pancakes

Chef John

Shrove Tuesday is Pancake Day, but if you want to celebrate Pancake Week, Chef John has enough variety to feed you until Lent. Try his Banana Bread Pancakes, pictured above, or his other varieties, from buckwheat and lemon-poppyseed to Dutch babies and a twist on Japanese-style soufflé pancakes.

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More Pancake Day Ideas:

Buckwheat Pancakes
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
American-Style Souffle Pancakes
Chef John’s Blueberry Dutch Baby
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Apple Fritter Pancakes

02
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Chef John's Sausage & Shrimp Jambalaya

Allrecipes

For this one-pot rice dish, you'll sauté smoky andouille sausage with spices and aromatic vegetables to create a very flavorful base.

"While true jambalaya is really more of a thicker rice stew than a soup, it's one of those dishes that more stock can be added to easily make it into a soup recipe," says Chef John.

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03
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Baked Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Chef John

Leave the stovetop behind with Chef John's baked gumbo!

"Gumbo doesn't have to be hard," says Chef John. "Instead of slowly cooking and stirring a roux for what seems like forever, try this alternative baked method. It's not a shortcut per se, but cooking it in the oven will save you from having to stand over the stove for hours. Serve hot with a spoonful of white rice."

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04
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Shrimp Etouffée

Mart

Here's Chef John's take on a spicy New Orleans classic. You can also make this tremendous all-purpose gravy with chicken or pork.

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05
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Chef John's Red Beans and Rice

Christina Dygert Lackey

There are any number of ways you can make red beans and rice. Chef John amps up the spice slightly by using poblano peppers, but you can use green bell peppers instead—the andouille sausage will still give it a pleasant amount of heat.

Reviewer Paul raves, "I made this with Chef John's shrimp étouffée and steamed rice and thought I was in heaven. Well, hopefully this wasn't my last supper but if it is, I went out happy. Best ever combination."

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06
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Firecracker Shrimp Po' Boy with Crab Aioli

Chef John

Chef John created this recipe to celebrate the Fourth of July. But he'll tell you, it's actually a thinly disguised shrimp po' boy sandwich.

"I decided to do an extra spicy version, and give it a 4th of July-friendly name, but the soul of the sandwich is the same, and features an insanely great combination of hot, crunchy shrimp, and cold crabby mayo," says Chef John.

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07
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Chef John's Duck, Sausage, and Shrimp Gumbo

tcali319

Chef John adds a flavorful ham hock to aromatic vegetables, along with the smoky andouille sausage and braised duck legs, and finishes things off with okra and shellfish.

"This can be made with hundreds of different combinations of smoked meats, game, poultry, and seafood, and in my opinion, the more the merrier," says Chef John. "The procedure is pretty straightforward, although you're talking about a full day's project. Serve in a large soup plate with a scoop of cooked white rice, a sprinkle of green onion, and a pinch of cayenne."

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08
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Chef John's Bananas Foster

Bryan W. Kelly

"When you think show-stopping special-occasion desserts, you usually don't think simple-and-fast, but that's the case with bananas Foster," says Chef John. Invented at Brennan's Restaurant in the French Quarter, "This delicious New Orleans classic only has a few ingredients, and takes just minutes to make."

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09
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Cajun Dirty Rice

Allrecipes

"After trying dirty rice, I started to crave it with even more 'dirt' (liver, pork, and aromatic vegetables)," says Chef John. "While the traditional method cooks the rice first before 'soiling' it, here we add all the 'filth' at the beginning and cook it into the rice." Review PYE loved it: "Very close to the rice we had in New Orleans."

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10
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Cajun Chicken Ragout

jwalks80

Pulled chicken, Cajun sausage, and peppers stew in a rich, spicy gravy.

"This is an old, personal favorite recipe of mine," says Chef John. "While not totally authentic, it celebrates the fabulous flavors of Cajun cuisine. Serve this thick sauce over rice."

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11
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Creole Crab and Corn Chowder

Wyattdogster

As Chef John says, "Let the Good Clichés Roll!"

This New Orleans-friendly crab and corn chowder is the perfect soup for celebrating Mardi Gras. "Ideally you [will also] make this in the middle of summer with ears of fresh, sweet-as-sugar corn," says Chef John. "You can also make a perfectly fine version of this chowder using a premium-quality, extra-sweet, frozen corn."

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12
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Ham and Shrimp Gravy

Cookin Up A Storm

Chef John serves this Cajun-inspired dish over over rice or mashed potatoes "because I’ve already done a [recipe] called 'shrimp and grits'," but "even pasta would make for a deliciously effective delivery system." However you serve it—over toast?—it's delicious. Reviewer Niki agrees: "Put on top of potato pancakes! Was a huge hit."

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13
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Chef John’s 12 Best Mardi Gras Recipes