Cajun seasoning

Flavour and aroma

salty, peppery, garlicky, hot. Savoury, garlicky and peppery with clear chilli heat; often salty.

Heat

Mild

Forms

ground

How to use it

• use raw

  Rub onto chicken, shrimp, fish or pork before cooking; if the blend contains salt, reduce added salt.

• bloom in fat · Tadka (tempering) technique

  Add to the trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) in fat for gumbo or jambalaya and cook for 1 minute before adding liquid.

• fry · Tadka (tempering) technique

  For blackening: dip fish or meat in melted butter, coat with seasoning and cook in a very hot cast-iron pan for 2–3 minutes per side. It smokes heavily; ventilate well or do it outdoors.

• Coating fish or chicken for blackening
• Seasoning jambalaya, gumbo and dirty rice
• In seafood boils and fried-chicken flour
• On fries, popcorn and roasted potatoes

Identifying good quality

A rust-red mixed powder with flecks of herbs. Check the label: many commercial blends list salt first.

• Not to be confused with Chili powder (blend): American chili powder is built on ground mild chillies with cumin and oregano.

Origin and history

Origin: Louisiana, United States.. Grown and used: Used in Cajun and Creole cooking in Louisiana and throughout the US..

Commercial Cajun seasoning is a modern packaged version of the paprika, cayenne, garlic, onion, pepper and herb seasoning used in south Louisiana cooking. Chef Paul Prudhomme's blackened redfish in the early 1980s made Cajun seasoning nationally popular in the US.

Well documented