Cajun & Creole

This simple boiled crawfish recipe kicks it up a notch for shrimp cocktail lovers.

Pro Tip: Look for a Cajun seasoning with salt, onion, garlic, chiles, black pepper, mustard, and celery. It may also include bay leaves, nutmeg, and paprika. You can find it in the spice section of most supermarkets.

This red beans and rice recipe contains bacon, but you can easily omit if you want to make it vegetarian.

Cajun-Creole shrimp is combined with a light cream sauce, and two together are off-the-charts delicious. It’s full of flavor without being too spicy.

In Louisiana, rice dressing, which combines rice, ground meat, and aromatics, is served alongside turkey and all of the trimmings at Thanksgiving.

A smoky, spicy broth makes sure every grain of rice in this vegan jambalaya is penetrated with flavor.

Bananas Foster, a flambéed dessert of halved bananas in a syrupy rum sauce, is a New Orleans favorite that never fails to please. Don’t forget the ice cream.

This cheesecake is silky, tangy, and mousselike, thanks to Creole cream cheese. (You can sub a mix of sour cream and buttermilk.) The tart-and-sweet apple topping makes it perfect for fall.

Creole cream cheese is Louisiana's answer to ricotta or burrata cheese. Traditionally, it’s eaten with cream, sugar, and fruit spooned over the top or used as a substitute for yogurt.

This Caesar salad works in flavors from the African American kitchens in the Lowcountry. That means fresh tomatoes, fried okra, cornbread croutons, and a zesty red bell pepper dressing that ties it all together.

Pile this creamy seafood salad into hot dog buns for an easy summer sandwich or serve over greens for lunch.