Recipe Roundup

Our 47 Best Recipes for Mardi Gras

Get your fill on Fat Tuesday with these New Orleans–inspired favorites like King Cake, shrimp etouffée, and crawfish seafood cocktail.
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Crawfish GravyAnders Overgaard
  • Photo by Ditte Isager
    3/47

    Shrimp & Grits

    At Peels in New York City, chefs Preston and Ginger Madson tweak this Low Country favorite with two secret ingredients: a little Budweiser and a lot of tasso, a Cajun-spiced ham. You can sub in andouille sausage if tasso is not available.

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  • Ellen Silverman
    4/47

    Buttermilk Beignets

    Don't skimp on the rain of powdered sugar sprinkled over these tender Louisiana-style doughnuts.

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  • Photo by Marcus Nilsson
    5/47

    Shrimp Po'Boy

    The paper-thin crust and pillowy crumb of a New Orleans-style French roll is essential to this classic sandwich, as is Crystal hot sauce.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
    6/47

    Triple-Cherries Jubilee

    Flaming desserts-like this one were all the rage at fine dining establishments in the sixties. The title here refers to the sweet cherries, dried cherries and cherry juice-enhanced by vanilla bean and orange peel-that provide such terrific flavor.

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  • Ditte Isager/EdgeReps
    11/47

    Green Onion Sausage and Shrimp Gravy

    In South Louisiana, any sauce is called gravy. Serve this gravy over biscuits and you've really got something.

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  • Brian Finke
    12/47

    Gâteau de Sirop

    This simple "syrup cake" is a Cajun classic. The dessert's name comes from the cane syrup that gives the cake its texture and flavor. If at all possible, use Steen's syrup.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton
    13/47

    Sazerac

    This celebration deserves a Sazerac. Here's a classic recipe, though if you're looking for a twist, we also recommend this nontraditional riff on the New Orleans cocktail.

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  • Photo by Kamil Bialous
    14/47

    Fried Oysters With Bacon, Garlic, and Sage

    Holding the raw oysters in the rice-flour dredge is a genius do-ahead trick, allowing you to shuck and coat the oysters hours ahead of fry time.

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  • Chris Granger
    15/47

    Link Family Crawfish Boil

    Crawfish boils are the most treasured outdoor cooking events in Louisiana. These giant parties for adults and kids are all about having a good time, being with friends and family, and eating local food.

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  • Photo by Gentl & Hyers
    16/47

    The BA Muffuletta

    This is the ultimate version of that Central Grocery classic: Italian cold cuts, sliced cheese, and a briny olive salad squished in the middle of crusty bread and pressed to compact.

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  • Zach DeSart
    17/47

    Brad's Campsite Jambalaya

    Whether you choose to make this dish indoors or out, the bold flavors and mix of ingredients are sure to please anyone you're feeding.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
    18/47

    Diner-Style Buttermilk Pancakes

    In some parts of the world, Fat Tuesday is known as Pancake Tuesday. These extra-fluffy versions should fill the requirement nicely.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    19/47

    Buttermilk Fried Shrimp

    There is no appetizer that will go faster at a party than a pile of these tender, perfectly fried shrimp. Remoulade for dipping is not optional.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog
    20/47

    Jammy Eggs With Smoked Paprika Aioli

    This irresistible appetizer is just as delicious as deviled eggs, but a whole lot easier to make.

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  • Photo by Marcus Nilsson
    21/47

    Fried Catfish

    Brine catfish before dredging in seasoned cornmeal to keep it super moist and tender.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
    22/47

    Gluten-Free Crab Cakes With Snap Pea Salad

    A mixture of almond meal and cornmeal takes the place of traditional breadcrumbs in these scallion- and mint-studded crab cakes.

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  • Ditte Isager/EdgeReps
    23/47

    King Cake

    The fun of serving this cake is looking for the plastic baby hidden inside after baking. The person who finds the baby is named king for a day and is bound by custom to host next year's party (and provide the King Cake.)

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  • Photo by Ture Lilegraven
    24/47

    Peel-and-Eat Spiced Shrimp with Chipotle Remoulade

    The spices that are added to the shrimp cooking liquid were inspired by Cajun crawfish boils.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
    25/47

    Jelly Doughnuts

    Jelly doughnuts are equally welcome on Fat Tuesday as any beignet.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
    26/47

    Classic Seafood Boil With Lemon-Butter

    You'll need your favorite seafood seasoning and your biggest pot for this boil brimming with plump shrimp, sweet corn, smoky sausage, and tender potatoes.

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  • Photo by Jennifer Davick
    29/47

    Big Easy Pumpkin Beignets

    Can't find kefir? Substitute buttermilk or plain (not Greek) yogurt.

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  • Cedric Angeles
    30/47

    Blue Crab Beignets

    Using the best and freshest crabmeat you can get your hands on makes all the difference in these lightly battered and totally addictive fritters from La Petite Grocery, a new-school NOLA bistro.

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  • Linda Pulgiese, food styling by Chelsea Zimmer
    31/47

    New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp

    These shrimp are not actually barbequed; they are sautéed with heads and tails on in a richly-flavored sauce.

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  • photo by Michael Palumbo
    32/47

    Royal Street Red Beans

    The Creole dish of red beans and rice has been part of the cuisine for centuries. These beans are slow cooked for 8 hours with sausage, aromatics, and spices.

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  • Photo by Romulo Yanes
    35/47

    New Orleans Praline Pieces

    This irresistible brittle-like version of the famed Southern sweet is a brown sugar confection brimming with toasted pecans. They are great on their own or crumbled over ice cream.

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  • 36/47

    Bananas Foster

    Bananas Foster, a favorite New Orleans dessert, was created by the Brennan family in the 1950s when they opened Brennan's restaurant in the French Quarter. It never fails to please and is easy to prepare.

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  • Kimberly Sentner
    37/47

    Hurricane

    Is it even Mardi Gras if you don't have a tall glass of this bright-red Bourbon street concoction in one hand? (While swirling beads in the air with the other hand, naturally.)

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  • William Abranowicz
    38/47

    Oyster Casserole

    Instead of oyster dressing or scalloped oysters, try an ethereal bread-crumb pudding packed with plump, perfectly cooked bivalves. Their brininess helps to cut the richness of the custard.

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  • Photo by Lara Ferroni
    43/47

    Turkey Gumbo

    Studded with turkey meat and andouille sausage, this is a filling option for Mardi Gras. Making a solid roux is essential to gumbo, because the flour and fat mixture thickens and flavors the dish.

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  • Ellen Silverman
    44/47

    Chocolate Cupped Cakes with Coffee and Chicory

    This coffee and chicory cupped cake is made with a stiff, eggless cake batter that gets topped with a cocoa crumble and then covered with coffee. Baked in actual coffee cups, the cake soufflés up and makes its own built-in lava sauce on the bottom.

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Read More
A 6-Foot Sandwich for Mardi Gras-Sized Crowds
A 6-Foot Sandwich for Mardi Gras-Sized Crowds
Got hungry Mardi Gras revelers coming over? Super-size a muffaletta.

Adina Steiman

King Cake Old Fashioned
King Cake Old Fashioned
Abigail Gullo, the head bar chef at SoBou in New Orleans, shared this recipe exclusively with Epicurious. In keeping with Mardi Gras tradition, Gullo occasionally sneaks a plastic baby (like those found in actual King Cakes) into the glass when she makes this drink at Sobou. "I tell people if you get the baby, you have to buy the next round." At home, another option is to freeze the baby into the large ice cube that chills the cocktail. For more on Gullo and her King Cake Old Fashioned, see A Cake Cocktail That's King.
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