Top 5 Mardi Gras Recipes

The Best recipes for Mardi Gras

We have been to many Mardi Gras celebrations in our travels. My husband went to a crawfish festival in Gillette WY before I started joining him on the road. He was out there building our nations biggest Power plant. I was so jealous that he got to go without me a few months later I decided that I was going to start traveling with him. That same year we attended a Mardi Gras Festival in the streets of Deadwood South Dakota. It was so much fun but none of this compared to the southern experience of Mardi Gras that we were able to be a part of when we were working in SETX building one of our nations biggest fuel refineries.

Crawfish Etouffee for Mardi Gras

With this recipe PMGK had me at Crawfish. Add in one of his amazing sauces and you are in for a real treat. I’ve been calling him the sauce man for years. He knows his sauces and with this dish he has taken traditional Etouffee to the next level. If you don’t already know what I mean you need to make this recipe for Mardi Gras. You’ll soon be calling him the sauce man too.

Bourbon Chicken for Mardi Gras

Bourbon Chicken is a dish named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana and for the bourbon whiskey ingredient. The dish is commonly found at Cajun style and Chinese restaurants. When we were living in the south we ventured into Louisiana a few times. For some good food and some gambling. The horse races and the buffets were a few of our must haves. Southern food is like nothing else and the people are such a breath of fresh air. Plus, it was only 20 minutes from where we were living so we couldn’t pass up the experience.

Jambalaya for Mardi Gras

What I love about Jambalaya is that you can just throw all the ingredients in one pot and it comes out with such a great flavor and ready to dish up. It’s so simple anyone can make this recipe. Plus, sausage and shrimp all in one dish. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius.

Oysters Rockefeller for Mardi Gras

My favorite thing about Oysters besides eating them, of course, is shucking them. I’ll admit I was intimidated when I was helping PMGK shuck these for the video but after the first two, I felt like a pro. I’ll never be even half the cook he is but he really makes it seem so easy. When I’m in the kitchen with him I feel empowered like I can make any dish. When you’re done preparing a recipe like his Oysters Rockefeller you’ll wonder how you managed to pull off making something so fabulous. Your guest will also be in awe.

Crawfish for Mardi Gras

We Chose this Crawfish video for the top five for a few reasons. It’s our newest crawfish video and most people don’t have access to live crawfish. We really do recommend getting them live if you can. The experience is what it’s all about. Just watch my daughter and husband in this video it’s priceless. We’ve had some really good times showing the little ones how to prepare live crawfish. We have caught them ourselves in the gulf coast and we’ve been able to buy them live at amazing deals. Once we got such a good deal on a bag that was way more crawfish than we needed. We made half the bag and used my resources from my side business to sell the rest. We had them in the bath tub to keep them alive until the person came to pick them up but they were such a good deal they were sold within the hour. This is what PMGK is all about. Using what you have to make cooking and eating not only a Gourmet experience but also a fun one.

Are you ready for your Mardi Gras party?

If we’ve helped you decide what you’re going to make for your celebrations then we’ve done our job. If you’re still undecided I’d like to make just one more suggestion that didn’t make the list. Boudin. I tried it for the first time when we were in the south and I fell in love. It has such a unique flavor that you just can’t find anywhere else. To me it’s not Mardi Gras without it.

Frozen Crawfish Boil – How to cook Frozen Crawfish

The Best Crawfish Boil

If you’re a fan of Crawfish, you’re going to love this recipe. The problem is that there are a lot of places that don’t have access to live Crawfish, if they have access to them at all. If you’re lucky, you can at least find them frozen in your seafood department at your local grocery store. “Lucky” may be a loose term because any good cook knows that any pre-cooked anything, let alone frozen, is a recipe for disaster. But, if you consider the fact that King and Snow Crab legs don’t get shipped, practically, any other way, then believe me when I say, you’re in good hands with this post. The trick is to reconstitute and reheat these mud bugs without over cooking them and to be sure to add enough flavor. When it’s done right, no Cajun will ever know the difference.

How to Season Crawfish

Just to be clear, this recipe can be used for both Live or Frozen Crawfish. It will flavor and season them both, properly. The only difference will be the amount of time live Crawfish need to cook before they soak and to get good flavor into either/or you definitely need to soak. Frozen crawfish are the easiest to prepare because the cleaning and purging have already been done for you. All you need now is the right ingredients and they’ll get the re-heat they need, along with a good soak, and all of the flavor you would expect great Crawfish to have in just a matter of minutes.

So, you need to make a broth that is out of this world and it’s generally made with a ton of spice. The good news is that these ingredients can be purchased in an all in one product, so you don’t have to dive deep into your pockets for every individual spice. Companies like Slap Ya Mama, Zatarain’s or Old Bay have put together excellent Crab, Shrimp and Crawfish Boil Seasoning packages that are great for this sort of thing. And you can buy the liquid too, if you prefer. My only complaint is that the suggested water to seasoning ratio amount is generally way to spicy for most folks. I mean, it’s too spicy for me and I even like foods hot. A simple solution would be to add less seasoning but then you loose to much flavor. So I came up with the idea of adding bouillon and, let me tell you, it makes all of the difference in the world. It’s got the right heat, with a nice medium kick and all the flavor you need from a good Crawfish Boil.

I use Knorr Tomato Bouillon, because it just makes sense. You should know that I’m not affiliated with them in any way, I just like their product. Why Tomato, and not Chicken, Beef or Vegetable? Well, I have found that some of my favorite recipes that have a good spice usually have a tomato base. Mexican and Indian food are both great examples of this so, you’re just going to have to trust me. Besides, I add an Onion and full stick of butter as well. Crab Boil seasoning has Onion, Garlic, Paprika, Cayenne, Pepper, Lemon and Salt so you really don’t have to add anything else, unless you want to. Ginger is a nice addition if you want more of an Asian flavor. But, what’s great is you can really control the flavor and the heat by seasoning your Crawfish Boil this way and preparing them the way I show you in the video.

And, what ever you do, be sure to strain and save the broth for other recipes. It can be used in sauces, soups and many recipes that require broth. And if you’re looking for more Cajun recipes, be sure to check out my Crawfish Etouffee, Jambalaya, Oysters Rockefeller, Bourbon Chicken or Boudin Recipes. I have more Cajun recipes than this and, if you’re interested, you can search for them by category on this website or just watch and flip through this Cajun Playlist I have on YouTube.

Crawfish Boil Ingredients:

5 lbs Crawfish
1 Gallon Water
1 Onion
1/3 cup Tomato Bouillon or more
1/8 cup Crawfish Boil Seasoning
1 stick Butter

Be sure to watch the short video Tutorial and I’ll show you just how easy this boil is to make.

Fried Frog Legs – Extra Crispy Recipe

Frog Legs are Sexy

This Extra Crispy Fried Frog Legs recipe is awesome, sleek and, yes, SEXY! I put together a marinade and breading that would make any finger licking fried chicken fan go Goo-goo for Frog Legs. So if you’ve never tried frog legs or you’re a die hard fan, this Recipe is for you because this is the absolute best way to have them. Just look at this pic straight out of the fryer and try not to drool.

Frog Legs in Restaurants

My personal experience with Frog Legs has been, up close and personal, in the South, where all good things seem to get bigger, better and bolder with egos and good old fashioned Southern Hospitality(which is amazing by the way). Frog Legs are on the menus at many of the localized restaurants, including Chinese Buffets. So I’ve had my fair share of recipes out there and I have learned a lot about what folks expect them to taste like. So trust this recipe, because, I think you’re really going to enjoy it!

If you’re interested in another bizarre recipe, check out my Fried Chicken Feet. And while you’re busting out the fryer for these frog legs, consider making my Crispy Fried Onion Rings or my Sweet Potato Fries. Both recipes are excellent.

Fried Frog Legs Ingredients:

6 whole Frog Leg halves or 12 Legs total

Marinade
1 egg
1/2 pint Buttermilk
1/4 cup Hot Sauce

Breading
1 cup Self Rising Flour
1/2 cup Corn Flour
1/4 cup Potato Starch
1/4 cup Panko
1 tbsp Crab Boil Seasoning (Zatarain’s or Slap Ya Mama)
Oil for Frying

Fry the Frog Legs at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until golden brown.