Lafayette Louisiana: Home Of Cajun Food

February 18, 2013
Written by Rita Cook in
The Welcoming Table
Login to rate this article
Louisiana Bisque made with crawfish. Photo Credit: buy.louisianaseafood.com

Lafayette offers some great choices for spicy food and there are plenty of restaurants to visit, many with the local delicacies like seafood gumbo, crawfish étouffé, and jambalaya.

One favorite Cajun past times is the good, old- fashioned crawfish boil. Considered sacred in these parts and called "mud bugs" or "crawdads," crawfish are served with potatoes, onions and corn or you might also find crawfish served in the local gumbo, bisque, étouffée, or jambalaya.

Some of the best foodie finds in town include Meche's Donut King where folks line up for the freshest lemon-filled glazed donuts. For slow-smoked barbecue ribs, its Johnson’s Boucaniere also served with sticky jambalaya, or maybe Prejean's Restaurant, where since 1980 the chefs have won culinary competitions, and holds the record for the most medals captured by any culinary team in the south.

For a quintessential Louisiana Bisque, use any fresh seafood and the flavor when simmered in the cream is worth every calorie.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup blond roux (1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 cup flour)
3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup cooked corn
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 pound lump crabmeat
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
16 crab claws, optional

Directions:
Heat the butter over a low to medium heat in a 4-quart saucepot. Add onion, green bell pepper, celery, red pepper, and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, white wine, and thyme. Bring to boil. In a small bowl, make blond roux by combining oil and flour and stirring until a smooth paste is formed. Whip in roux until mixture begins to thicken. Whip in cream, reduce heat to a simmer, and continue to cook until cream is blended in and beginning to thicken. Add salt, hot sauce and corn. Simmer 5 minutes. Carefully so as not to break up lumps, stir in lump crabmeat, parsley and green onions. Simmer until heated. Divide into 4 large bowls. Garnish with crab claws.

Sources: https://www.lafayettetravel.com/  
 

 

Tags:
The Welcoming Table