To make Cajun and Creole cuisine even easier, Frontier offers two pre-mixed seasonings designed specifically for Louisiana-style cooking. Cajun Seasoning (organic paprika, onion, garlic, marjoram, thyme, fennel seed, cumin and cayenne red pepper) and Blackened Creole Blend (onion, garlic, paprika, chili peppers, fennel, black pepper, thyme, lemon peel, oregano, white pepper, and cayenne red pepper) both offer genuine combinations of traditional Southern herbs and spices. If you're new to preparing "blackened dishes," it's good to know ahead of time that these will produce intense smoke during cooking and should be prepared in a well-ventilated area or outdoors.
You may also want to try Frontier's Seafood Boil Seasoning Blend or Shrimp n Crab Boil Salt-Free Seasoning when preparing soups, stews or gumbos. Having a selection of Frontier dried vegetables on hand -- green bell peppers, celery, carrots, and corn -- or some Frontier dried lemon peel might come in handy when time is limited or you're short on one or two fresh ingredients.
Often, the best way to learn is to just dig in -- and that's especially true of Cajun and Creole cooking, which relies on ingredients you have on hand, personal tastes and preferences, and a willingness to be a little creative and experimental. No two cooks will prepare a traditional Louisiana recipe the same way, and more often than not, the "recipe" will be "a little of this, and a little of that." So, maybe you'll want to just get out your cast iron pots and skillets, put on a little Zydeco music, and have at it!
But if you'd like a little more structure to your cooking, we have a vast repertoire of Cajun and Creole recipes you can try, a few of which we've included here to whet your appetite.
When it comes to gumbo and many other southern dishes, it's all about the roux -- a cooked mix of flour and fat that is used to thicken the stock and serve as the basis for the gumbo. Depending on which type of fat or oil is selected (butter, lard, vegetable oil, bacon fat, or other), the end result will differ in color, flavor and thickening ability. Creole cuisine often calls for a brown roux made from butter or bacon fat, while Cajuns prefer a lighter colored roux made with vegetable oil or lard. The gumbo recipe below calls for a roux, and gives instructions on how to prepare it. Once you've gotten the roux-making process down, try experimenting with other types of oils or fats to find out which one best suits your personal taste!
