I called chef Kelly English, who is originally from New Orleans and owns Restaurant Iris and The Second Line in Memphis, and asked what his favorite dish to celebrate the holiday is.
He says Jambalaya is his go-to recipe for Mardi Gras.
Here are his top tips for making this traditional Creole dish.
First, he says it’s important to remember that Jambalaya is a one pot dish, not rice with toppings added later.
Second, Jambalaya is based on the Spanish tradition of paella, so you want to stir this as little as possible when you are cooking it.
Third, he says the method is what is sacred about this dish and it was built on using up small amounts of ingredients to feed many people as well as being adaptive, so use what you want for main ingredients as long as you honor the method.
Fourth, left over fried chicken (which is what people actually eat on Mardi Gras day according to Kelly) makes a killer jambalaya.
Lastly, Kelly says he never passes up the opportunity to remind anyone who will listen that blackened food is only for tourists and that’s nobody eats seafood on Mardi Gras day…that is for lent which starts on Wednesday.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Happy Mardi Gras!
Kelly English’s Shrimp, Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya
Serves 8
There are few things that take me back in time like a legit bowl of jambalaya…this is one of those dishes that hugs you like a childhood friend that you haven’t seen since you moved away from home.
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 pound Andouille sausage, diced
- 1 pound bacon, diced
- 4 each chicken legs, cut the thigh from the drumstick
- 2 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 1 1/2 pound crawfish tails, peeled and de-veined
- 3 each large onions, diced
- 2 each bell peppers, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 6 clove garlic, minced
- 4 1/2 cups converted Louisiana white rice
- 3 cups crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth or stock (low or no sodium if store bought)
- 1 each dried bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp celery salt
- 2 bunch green onions, chopped
Method:
1. Heat a large cast iron pot over high heat until hot and reduce to a medium/high
flame.
2. Add the bacon and andouille to the pot.
3. Render the meat while stirring slowly, making sure it cooks as evenly as
possible.
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pot and sear over a high
flame.
5. Once the chicken has browned, add onions and continue to stir so that the
onions will brown uniformly.
6. Add the celery, onions, bell pepper and garlic to the pot. Continue to stir
allowing the ingredients to brown without burning.
7. Add all dry ingredients to the pot, stir and add the rice. Stir the rice for 5-7
minutes over medium heat.
8. Add the crushed tomatoes and chicken stock to the pot, raise the heat to a
high flame, until the liquids boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cover for 15
additional minutes.
9. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, remove the cover and fold the shrimp
into the contents of the pot.
10. Again cover the pot for an additional 5 minutes before removing from heat
and adding the crawfish tails and chopped green onions.
11. Check for seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe used with permission from Kelly English.
