37 Fat Tuesday Recipes to Celebrate Mardi Gras

This jambalaya is packed with rich, deep flavors, and stars smoky andouille sausage and juicy chicken thighs.

This humble Southern stew represents the marriage of cultures, subtleties of tradition, local ingredients, and, above all, community. Gumbo is often enjoyed with a scoop of white rice, scallion garnish, filé powder, and a few spurts of Tabasco hot sauce. Gumbo is often made in bulk, as the roux is such a labor of love — so serving groups of people is ideal!

It's really not Mardi Gras season without at least one slice of this colorful cake. New Orleans king cakes take after the Southern French tradition of a ring-shaped cake made with a rich yeasted bread similar to brioche bread.

Save this simple and extra-flavorful recipe because you’ll want to make it every week. Serve it with cooked white rice or toasted French bread.

Invented in New Orleans, the muffuletta sandwich features an olive salad, Italian deli meats and cheeses. One giant sandwich is known for feeding several people.

Bananas foster — caramelized brown sugar bananas served with vanilla ice cream­ — is a classic New Orleans dessert bursting in banana flavor and literal flambé flames.

Thanks to crispy fried shrimp and a tangy, zesty remoulade sauce, this sandwich is packed with flavor and texture.

This recipe for crispy, beer-battered fried okra features two equally delicious ways to prepare the pods. A side of remoulade sauce is a must!

Creamy, tart, and a tad bit spicy, remoulade is tartar’s amped-up sister sauce. Pair it with po’ boys, crab cakes, salmon (or any fish fillet), or fried shrimp; drizzle it over fried green tomatoes; or dip french fries into it.

This beautifully saucy shrimp is cooked in a stew of tomatoes, aromatics, spices, and homemade stock.

If only all veggies could taste like this. This warm sauté of corn, peppers, and onion enriched with heavy cream and topped with crispy bacon is a Louisiana classic.

Get a taste of New Orleans with this bold-flavored jambalaya made in the slow cooker.

If crab cakes and hush puppies had a baby, it would be this one-bite snack.

Learn how to make the best classic Southern shrimp and grits at home with cheesy, creamy grits.

Here, pairing a combination of meats; your favorite Cajun spice blend; and the savory Southern holy trinity of onions, celery, and bell pepper creates a complex and delicious flavor that’s hard to resist.

The best (and tastiest!) way to make classic Southern fried green tomatoes.

One sip of this iconic cocktail will make you understand just how special it is (psst — it’s not your average Old-Fashioned).

Baked salmon fillets are broiled with an herbed cream cheese that’s made with fennel to mimic the flavor in the original dish, along with parsley and scallions to give the spread freshness and the green hue you’d expect from a dish named Rockefeller.

This hearty gumbo, chock full of peak winter greens, represents warmth, community, and love.

Learn how to make easy, golden, deep-fried hush puppies at home. Split them open, add a pat of salted butter, and serve with anything you’ve got on the menu.

Tossed with Cajun seasoning, shrimp, and andouille sausage, this creamy one-pot pasta is irresistible.

A gumbo that's abundant with seafood and will make your kitchen smell incredible.

It’s everything you know and love about bananas Foster, transformed into a decadent French toast.

Here's the French 75 from New Orleans' legendary Arnaud's.

Today, oysters Rockefeller can be found on countless restaurant menus but the idea can be traced back all the way to the 1800’s at Antoine’s restaurant in New Orleans. Here, they're topped with a combination of watercress and parsley in a buttery sauce made with a splash of Pernod. Panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese make for a crisp topping that becomes golden and bubbly in the oven.

Celebrate Mardi Gras with these crab cakes with Creole seasoning, red bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro.

The word étouffer means “smothered or braised,” and is a technique often used with crawfish. This shrimp etouffée features a nutty dark roux, shrimp stock, slow-cooked vegetables, a hit of spice, and tender shrimp.

With an Instant Pot, the most time-consuming part of making red beans (pre-soaking overnight) can be skipped entirely.

A unique spin to the already popular Southern dish, fish and creamy grits.

All you need to bring the flavors of New Orleans right into your kitchen is a dozen oysters and a few simple ingredients. It's perfect with creamy remoulade sauce.

Banana bread pudding is a delectable new way to use up slightly ripened bananas and day-old bread.

Take dinner up a notch with a minimalist creamy pasta with a rich, smoky, spicy Cajun flavor. You'll be deeply satisfied by the the chewy al-dente penne against the sweet shrimp and snap of andouille sausage.

A seafood boil never fails to please. With ingredients like shrimp, crab legs, and lobster, seafood-lovers will be RSVPing real fast to your boil.

This year, for Mardi Gras, do yourself a favor and sample the original version of this classic New Orleans cocktail. It has just three ingredients: dark rum, passion fruit syrup, and lemon juice. That’s it!

This delicious vegetarian version of the Southern classic is made with homemade mushroom stock, beans, okra and tofu.