Great Recipes from Top New Orleans Chefs

From Emeril Lagasse's muffuletta to a shrimp-and-crab gumbo, here are great recipes from top New Orleans chefs.

1 of 15

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 delicious muffuletta is packed with briny olives and pickled vegetables.

F&W's New Orleans Travel Guide

2 of 15

Vermouth-Poached Shrimp with Ginger Remoulade

Go to Recipe

Jason McCullar reinvents shrimp remoulade, the classic New Orleans cocktail-party dish. Instead of tossing his vermouth-poached shrimp with a mayonnaise dressing, he makes a ginger-spiked dipping sauce.

3 of 15

Shrimp-and-Crab Gumbo

Go to Recipe

This gumbo from chef Donald Link owes its flavor to the roux, a mix of flour and oil that’s cooked until it’s coffee-colored.

4 of 15

Oysters Rockefeller

Go to Recipe

This renowned baked oyster dish was created at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans in 1899 by the proprietor, Jules Alciatore. According to legend, the dish was created as a substitute for baked snails, which were hard to obtain from France. It was named in honor of John D. Rockefeller, at that time one of the world’s richest men, because of the sauce’s intense richness. The following recipe is the old Delmonico restaurant’s take on the dish, with the Rockefeller sauce base used not only to make the Oysters Rockefeller appetizer, but also used as a spread on toast to create canapés.

Video: Michael Symon's Favorite U.S. Restaurants

5 of 15

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Go to Recipe

Southern red velvet cake is usually a tall layer cake, slathered with cream cheese icing and studded with pecans. In Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing’s deconstructed version, the cake is low (like a torte), the pecans are coated in caramel to make pecan praline and the cream cheese icing is transformed into cream cheese-flavored ice cream.

6 of 15

Oyster Tartlets

Go to Recipe

Oysters are a prominent part of many Gulf Coast meals. As a child, John Besh loved when family friend Mrs. Slaughter made little puff pastry cups and filled them with oysters in cream sauce. In this version, he places the oysters in mini tartlet shells, then tops them with a creamy horseradish sauce and crispy bread crumbs.

7 of 15

Spicy and Sticky Baby Back Ribs

Go to Recipe

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.

8 of 15

Creole Shrimp with Garlic and Lemon

Go to Recipe

Eco-minded chefs are cooking with wild American shrimp, but not just for ethical reasons. As Tory McPhail of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans says, “They taste cleaner and crisper, since they swim in the tides.”

Sustainable Seafood Recipes and Tips from F&W

9 of 15

Chile-Lime Crab Salad with Tomato and Avocado

Go to Recipe

The mix of fresh crab, avocado and juicy heirloom tomatoes here is a classic combination. But Sue Zemanick makes it seem new by tossing the salad with a vibrant, spicy dressing spiked with jalapeño.

10 of 15

August Chopped Salad

Go to Recipe

At his flagship New Orleans restaurant, August, John Besh makes his chopped salad with 21 different kinds of vegetables and herbs. This easier recipe cuts the number of vegetables back to eight, but the salad is still fantastic.

11 of 15

Cardamom-Cheddar Straws

PHOTO PHOTO © CON POULOS

Go to Recipe

Justin Devillier upgrades classic Southern cheese straws with Sharifi’s Iranian spices at his New Orleans restaurant La Petite Grocery. He sometimes swaps out the cardamom for equal amounts of ground coriander or fennel seed. “I’ve always assumed cheese straws originated in the Carolinas,” says Devillier, “but that may be because my mother-in-law always brings them when she visits from South Carolina.”

F&W's Ultimate Comfort Food Guide

12 of 15

Mango-Peach Sangria

John Besh serves this lightly sweet, fruity white-wine sangria over plenty of ice cubes. “Use Viognier—it has a nice balance of fruit and acidity,” he says.

13 of 15

Crème Fraîche Biscuits

Go to Recipe

When they’re not adding a Southern ingredient to a French recipe, chefs Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing are adding a French ingredient to a Southern recipe. Here, crème fraîche takes the place of buttermilk in these extremely fluffy biscuits.

F&W's Ultimate Guide to French Cooking

14 of 15

Root Vegetable, Pear and Chestnut Ragout

Go to Recipe

John Besh’s ragout—slightly sweet and not too rich—is a wonderful mix of winter vegetables and fruit and an excellent accompaniment to a beef rib roast.

F&W's Ultimate Guide to Cooking with Vegetables

15 of 15

New Orleans-Style Chicory Beignets

Go to Recipe

David Kinch playfully combines two New Orleans classics: chicory coffee and beignets.

Cooking with Coffee

Replay gallery

Your Profile

Great Recipes from Top New Orleans Chefs

1 of 15

Emeril's Muffuletta

1 of 15

2 of 15

Vermouth-Poached Shrimp with Ginger Remoulade

2 of 15

3 of 15

Shrimp-and-Crab Gumbo

3 of 15

4 of 15

Oysters Rockefeller

4 of 15

5 of 15

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream

5 of 15

6 of 15

Oyster Tartlets

6 of 15

7 of 15

Spicy and Sticky Baby Back Ribs

7 of 15

8 of 15

Creole Shrimp with Garlic and Lemon

8 of 15

9 of 15

Chile-Lime Crab Salad with Tomato and Avocado

9 of 15

10 of 15

August Chopped Salad

10 of 15

11 of 15

Cardamom-Cheddar Straws

11 of 15

12 of 15

Mango-Peach Sangria

12 of 15

13 of 15

Crème Fraîche Biscuits

13 of 15

14 of 15

Root Vegetable, Pear and Chestnut Ragout

14 of 15

15 of 15

New Orleans-Style Chicory Beignets

15 of 15

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery