This traditional cajun three pot meal consists of fried catfish, hush puppies, and cajun cabbage with sausage. Besides the three recipes, this post will explore cajun ingredients. The 3 grains used in cajun cuisine and the Acadian food culture are corn, rice—long, medium, or short grain white and popcorn rice, and wheat. Rice proved to be a valuable commodity in early Acadiana. With an abundance of water and a hot, humid climate, rice could be grown practically anywhere in the region. Some rice grew feral in the area. Rice became the predominant starch in the diet: easy to grow, store, and prepare. The oldest rice mill in operation in the United States, the Conrad Rice Mill, is located in New Iberia. Wheat was used for baking bread.
Some more dreaded photos of yours truly from my college days:
Thanksgiving 1968 at a friend's home
Summer of 1967
Fall of 1967 at the Buffalo Zoo
Other Ingredients Used in Cajun Cuisine:
Fruits and Vegetables: bell peppers, blackberries, cayenne
peppers, celery, cucumbers, figs, limes, lemons, mirlitons
(also called chayotes or vegetable pears,) muscadines, okra, onions, pecans,
satsuma oranges, scallions (also known as green onions
or onion tops,) squash, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tabasco pepper, and
tomatoes
Meat and Seafood: cajun folkways include
many ways of preserving meat, some of which are waning due to the availability
of refrigeration and mass-produced meat at the grocer. Smoking
of meats remains a fairly common practice, but once-common preparations such as
turkey or duck confit (preserved in poultry fat, with
spices) are now seen even by Acadians as quaint rarities. Game and
hunting are still uniformly popular in Acadiana. The
recent increase of catfish farming in the Mississippi
Delta has brought about an increase in its usage in cajun
cuisine in the place of the more traditional wild-caught trout and redfish.
Freshwater Fish: bass, catfish, sac-au-lait (white perch or
crappie,) and yellow perch Saltwater or Brackish Water Species: trout, redfish,
pompano, drumfish, flounder, grouper, many varieties of grouper and snapper
Shellfish: crawfish (either wild swamp or farm-raised,)
shrimp, oysters, and blue crab Trash Fish: also included in the seafood mix are some
so-called "trash fish" that would not sell at market because of their high bone
to meat ratio or required complicated cooking methods. These were brought home
by fishermen to feed the family. Examples are garfish, gaspergou, croaker, and
bream. Poultry Farm Raised: turkey and turkey confit,
chicken and guinea hens Game Birds: dove, goose, quail, duck and
duck confit Pork Andouille--a spicy dry smoked sausage,
characterized by a coarse-ground texture Boudin--a fresh sausage made with green
onions, pork, and rice. Pig's blood is sometimes added to produce "boudin
rouge." Chaurice--similar to the Spanish
chorizo Chaudin--a pig's stomach, stuffed with
spiced pork and smoked. Also known as ponce. Ham Hocks
Head Cheese Gratons--hog cracklings or pork rinds; fried, seasoned pork
fat and skin, sometimes with small bits of meat attached. Similar to the Spanish
chicharrones. Fresh Pork Sausage --not smoked or cured, but highly
seasoned. Mostly used in gumbos. The sausage itself does not include rice,
separating it from boudin. Salt Pork Tasso--a highly seasoned, smoked pork shoulder Beef and Dairy: though parts of Acadiana are well suited to
cattle or dairy farming, beef is not often used in a pre-processed or uniquely
cajun form. It is usually prepared fairly simply as chops, stews, or steaks,
taking a cue from Texas to the west. Ground beef is used as is traditional
throughout the southern US, although seasoned differently. Dairy farming is not
as prevalent as in the past, but there are still some farms in the business.
There are no unique dairy items prepared in cajun cuisine. Traditional southern
US and New Orleans influenced desserts are common. Other Meats: alligator, frog legs, nutria, rabbit,
farm-raised turtle The recipes again are courtesy of Cajun Cuisine of the
Bayou. CAJUN THREE POT MEAL [Makes 6 Servings] Fried Catfish
Ingredients: 3 lbs. of fresh-water catfish 2½ cups of flour 1½ cups of corn flour [available in health food stores] 1½ cups of corn meal 1 cup of milk 2 eggs ¼ cup of Creole or brown mustard Vegetable oil for frying Seasoning Mix Ingredients: 2 tsp. of salt 1 tbsp. of red cayenne pepper 1 tbsp. of sweet paprika 2½ tsp. of garlic powder 2½ tsp. of black pepper 1½ tsp. of onion powder 1½ tsp. of dried oregano leaves 1½ tsp. of dried thyme leaves Preparation: Combine the ingredients for the seasoning mix in a small bowl. Set aside. In
a cake pan, combine 1½ tsp. of the seasoning mix with 1 cup of flour. In
another pan combine 2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. of the seasoning mix with the remaining
1½ cups of flour, the corn flour, and the cornmeal. In a third pan, beat
together the milk, eggs, and mustard. Cut the catfish fillets into pieces about
2-inches long, 1-inch wide, and ¼-inch thick. In a heavy skillet, heat 4 inches
of vegetable oil to 350°. Sprinkle remaining seasoning mix onto each fillet.
Dredge the fillets into the flour first, then dip into the egg mixture, and then
into the cornmeal mixture, pressing the mixture well into the fillets. Fry in
the hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Hush Puppies
Ingredients: 1 cup of cornmeal ½ cup of flour ½ cup of corn flour 1 tbsp. of baking powder ½ tsp. of red cayenne pepper ½ tsp. of salt ½ tsp. of black pepper ½ tsp. of dried thyme leaves ¼ tsp. of white pepper 1/8 tsp. of dried oregano
leaves ¼ cup of green onion tops, finely chopped 1½ tsp. of garlic, minced 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup of milk 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil or unsalted butter Vegetable oil for frying Preparation: Combine all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir in the green onions
and garlic. Add the eggs and blend well. In a small saucepan, bring the milk and
oil or butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add to the flour mixture, ½ at a
time, stirring well after each addition. Refrigerate one hour. In a large, heavy
skillet or deep fryer, heat 4 inches of oil to 350°. Drop the batter by
tablespoonfuls into the hot oil. Do not crowd. Cook until dark golden brown on
each side. Drain well on paper towels. Cajun Cabbage with
Sausage Ingredients: 2 cans of chicken stock or canned chicken broth 1 tsp. of salt 2 tsp. of freshly ground pepper 1 head of cabbage, cut into pieces 1-inch wide by 3-inches long 1 lb. of ham, cut into bite-sized pieces ¼ cup of bacon drippings 8 links of chaurice sausage or other spicy, hot sausage 2 medium onions, sliced ½ tsp. of red cayenne pepper ½ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper Salt to taste Preparation: Combine the stock, 1 tsp. of salt, and 2 tsp. of black pepper in a heavy
saucepan; bring to a boil. Put cabbage into stock mixture, and simmer until
cabbage is tender, about 35 minutes. While cabbage is cooking, prick several
times with a fork. In a heavy 5-quart kettle, heat drippings; when hot, add
sausages and ham pieces; cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the
onion, and cook until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain cabbage, reserving
1 cup cooking liquid. Add the cabbage to ham mixture; add ¼ cup of the reserved
cooking liquid. Season with cayenne, black pepper , and salt. Reduce heat. Cover
and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add more reserved cooking liquid
as needed. Cabbage should be fairly dry when served. Next: a contemporary cajun three pot meal and information on
cajun seasonings.
