Great Recipes from Top New Orleans Chefs
New Orleans is a city rich with many things, not the least of which are its culinary traditions. If you find yourself in the Crescent City, the list of must-visit restaurants is decidedly long, from iconic mainstays like Commander's Palace to legendary neighborhood spots such as Dooky Chase and relative newcomers Campère Lapin and Turkey and the Wolf. Many of these destinations originated or re-create classic dishes among our best New Orleans recipes, from gumbo to Gulf shrimp and grillades.
If a trip is not in the cards anytime soon, or if you're looking to serve a memorable New Orleans dining moment for Mardi Gras or a themed meal, this recipe roundup features dishes from some of the city's best chefs. Try your hand at Emeril Lagasse's Oysters Rockefeller, Kelly Fields' King Cake with Caramel Crunch, or Isaac Toups' shrimp and stone-ground grits — whatever you choose, it's bound to be delicious.
Grillades and Cheesy Grits
Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
A New Orleans classic, grillades rely on succulent beef top round that’s cooked low and slow for hours until it becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender. Served with savory, cheesy grits and a luscious gravy using the fond from the beef, chef Michael Gulotta’s grillades and grits is comfort food at its finest.
Louisiana Lump Crab Cakes
Melissa Martin of Mosquito Supper Club in New Orleans shared this recipe from her book, Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou. “When you grind shrimp in a food processor, it becomes sticky, and just a small amount will hold crabmeat and smothered vegetables together well enough to form into patties,” she advises. “You’ll need a pound of crab meat for this recipe.”
Oysters Rockefeller
First created at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans in 1899, this famous baked oyster dish was named for the Rockefeller family because of its incredibly rich sauce. Try making it at home with star chef Emeril Lagasse's expert recipe.
Okra Mac and Cheese with Andouille Sausage
Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell
New Orleans chef Kevin Belton brings okra’s thickening power and a little Louisiana flair to his baked mac and cheese. It's loaded with andouille sausage, okra, Creole seasoning, and white cheddar and Gruyère cheeses.
Blue Crab Beignets
Chef Justin Devillier's beignet batter thinly coats a creamy, warm crab filling with a crisp, light crust. The batter is loose and can be tricky to shape at first; keep frying and practicing — your beignets will improve with each batch. These are ideally eaten while still very hot, so make them while enjoying aperitifs in the kitchen.
Grilled Gulf Shrimp with Sweet Corn Coulis
Tender, juicy sweet peas and yellow corn kernels make for a light and refreshing salad atop a silky, creamy corn coulis in this easy-to-double recipe by Meg Bickford of Commander's Palace in New Orleans. Tangy sour cream and buttermilk balance the natural sweetness of the vegetables and Gulf shrimp.
Sweet Potato Pie
Chef Susan Spicer's sweet potato pie is seasoned with cinnamon, allspice, and freshly grated nutmeg, but it's the bourbon-pecan praline sauce poured on top that gives this pie a New Orleans accent and sets it apart.
Mirliton and Gulf Shrimp Casserole
Mirliton, or chayote squash, tastes like a blend of cucumber and crisp zucchini. Paired with warming Creole seasoning and savory andouille sausage, the tender squash and sweet shrimp bring balancing freshness to this hearty casserole from 2009 F&W Best New Chef Kelly English.
Okra Gumbo with Blue Crabs and Shrimp
In this recipe from The Dooky Chase Cookbook, the legendary New Orleans chef Leah Chase used okra — and lots of it — to thicken this no-roux gumbo, along with the traditional Creole trinity of onions, bell peppers, and celery.
Shrimp and Grits with Mustard Seed Chowchow
New Orleans–based chef Isaac Toups loves Bellegarde Bakery's stone-ground grits for their creamy texture and buttered popcorn flavor. Chowchow can be made up to a week in advance and is delicious with grilled meats or other rich dishes.
Emeril's Muffuletta
The muffuletta is the quintessential New Orleans sandwich of cured meats, cheese, and tangy olive salad piled onto a sturdy Italian loaf. Emeril Lagasse's deluxe version includes several upgrades: Capers and kalamatas are added to the olive salad; capocollo (or prosciutto) is layered in with Genoa salami and mortadella; and slices of fresh mozzarella add creaminess, texture, and a little tang to the usual provolone.
Shrimp and Crab Gumbo
This gumbo from chef-owner Donald Link of Herbsaint in New Orleans owes its flavor to the roux, a mix of flour and oil that's cooked until it's coffee-colored.
Pasta Salad with Feta and Herbs
This Southern-inspired pasta salad from Mason Hereford’s Turkey and the Wolf gets a touch of tangy heat from hot sauce and loads of crunch from nutty sunflower seeds. Use Duke’s mayonnaise for an extra-tangy bite to the dressing.
Creole Shrimp with Garlic and Lemon
Eco-minded chefs are cooking with wild American shrimp, but not just for ethical reasons. "They taste cleaner and crisper, since they swim in the tides," says Tory McPhail, former longtime executive chef of Commander's Palace in New Orleans.
King Cake with Caramel Crunch
Pastry chef Kelly Fields of NOLA's Willa Jean bakery makes this traditional Mardi Gras dessert with a caramel crunch layer to give the rich cake more texture. "With cream cheese icing for a less-sweet approach, I find myself craving this cake year-round," she says.
Smoked Ham Hock and Lentil Soup
"I love making this lentil soup when the weather begins to cool," says 2017 F&W Best New Chef Nina Compton, chef-owner of New Orleans hot spot Compère Lapin. "The ham hock aroma hangs around the kitchen beautifully; the smell alone makes you warmer. Adding a little ginger and lemongrass brightens the soup and reminds me of being back home in St. Lucia. Using local okra reminds me of my Louisiana home and adds a different texture."
Crème Fra?che Biscuits
When they're not adding a Southern ingredient to a French recipe, chefs Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing (former executive chef of Brennan's) are adding a French ingredient to a Southern recipe. Here, crème fra?che takes the place of buttermilk in these extremely fluffy biscuits.
Louisiana Cheese Fries with Crayfish and Gravy
In chef Kelly English's Southern twist on Canadian poutine, the fries are topped with spicy pimiento cheese, andouille gravy, and crawfish, crab, or shrimp.
Sweet & Sour Crab Claws
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Amelia Rampe
This sweet and sour crab claws recipe comes from chef Kristen York of Seaworthy oyster bar in New Orleans. York takes prepared cocktail crab claws and marinates them in a sauce made of umami-rich gochujang, lightly sweet rice wine vinegar, and ketchup.
Spicy and Sticky Baby Back Ribs
To create the flavorings for these ribs, chef Donald Link combines eight spices for a rub and prepares a barbecue sauce with homemade pork stock. An easier way is to cut back the number of spices in the rub to the five essentials and use canned beef broth in the barbecue sauce.
Spiced Pickled Beets
Chef Martha Wiggins spices her pickled beets with cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, and cloves for the perfect cocktail snack.
Spicy Crab Spaghetti
At Pêche in New Orleans, chef Ryan Prewitt uses a light sauce to dress his housemade whole-wheat pasta recipe. Look for fresh crabmeat, not pasteurized, as well as fresh basil.
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