Fido, I have your gumbo recipe, and it is an absolute homerun! Thank you!

Our family does traditional Thanksgiving which my brother and I hate. It is our choice of menu for Christmas. This year we are doing Cajun. I am going to do a big pot of your gumbo; can you suggest and perhaps provide your recipes for the other dishes?

I know there are probably others that would benefit from this as well. My wife is a wizard with cornbread in cast iron, so we have that covered. Looking for more of a main dish and sides.

Thank you in advance.

**Edit, open to suggestions from others as well. I know there are some great cooks on this board.**

Backyard Gator said:

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chicken jambalaya

red beans and rice

pork chops with rice and gravy

You can always do a seafood boil.

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The RB&R recipe at Gumbopages.com is simple and absolutely delicious. It's been our go to for years and always gets rave reviews. We use deer sausage instead of Andouille but other than that don't change a thing. Make it the day before and it will be even better and give you less to worry about the day of. Be sure to remove some of the beans and smash them up and return to the pot for a traditional creamy texture just like you'd get in the French Quarter.

Always keep your Thanksgiving hambone for making a big pot of RB & R

"Cajun" potato salad would be a side I'd recommend

Maybe do some smothered cabbage or an okra-tomato stew as a side?

Keep them coming! We narrowed it last night to Fido's gumbo, jambalaya, small crab boil (corn and potatoes), and cornbread. Good jambalaya recipes are appreciated.

Thank you

Gotta make potato salad if you're having gumbo

ETA boudin-stuffed mushroom caps would be delish, too.

You've got saucy and rice covered so I'd probably pair with thing like Shrimp Brochette, Crab Cakes, Blackened Fish or Steak, Oysters Rockefeller or Grilled Oysters, Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin stuffed with andouille and pepper jack, fried catfish/crawfish, boudain balls, BBQ shrimp, or grilled andouille skewers.

The only original thing I can add is a Cajun version of Chinese shrimp toast I made a long time ago. Follow a standard recipe except sub Cajun seasoning and franks/woo for Asian ingredients and add in some shredded pepper jack. I deep fried mine, but you could spread the outside of the bread with garlic butter and air fry if you have one. Hmmm, now I want this.

The crawfish egg rolls at HEB are pretty damn good and work in an air fryer as well if you need something easy

If you do Jambalaya, try pulled pork instead of chicken. I'll never go back

FIDO*98* said:

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You've got saucy and rice covered so I'd probably pair with thing like Shrimp Brochette, Crab Cakes, Blackened Fish or Steak, Oysters Rockefeller or Grilled Oysters, Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin stuffed with andouille and pepper jack, fried catfish/crawfish, boudain balls, BBQ shrimp, or grilled andouille skewers.

The only original thing I can add is a Cajun version of Chinese shrimp toast I made a long time ago. Follow a standard recipe except sub Cajun seasoning and franks/woo for Asian ingredients and add in some shredded pepper jack. I deep fried mine, but you could spread the outside of the bread with garlic butter and air fry if you have one. Hmmm, now I want this.

The crawfish egg rolls at HEB are pretty damn good and work in an air fryer as well if you need something easy

If you do Jambalaya, try pulled pork instead of chicken. I'll never go back

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Thanks Fido. Lots to choose from.

FIDO*98* said:

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You've got saucy and rice covered so I'd probably pair with thing like Shrimp Brochette, Crab Cakes, Blackened Fish or Steak, Oysters Rockefeller or Grilled Oysters, Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin stuffed with andouille and pepper jack, fried catfish/crawfish, boudain balls, BBQ shrimp, or grilled andouille skewers.

The only original thing I can add is a Cajun version of Chinese shrimp toast I made a long time ago. Follow a standard recipe except sub Cajun seasoning and franks/woo for Asian ingredients and add in some shredded pepper jack. I deep fried mine, but you could spread the outside of the bread with garlic butter and air fry if you have one. Hmmm, now I want this.

The crawfish egg rolls at HEB are pretty damn good and work in an air fryer as well if you need something easy

If you do Jambalaya, try pulled pork instead of chicken. I'll never go back

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Do you have a preferred jambalaya recipe? I think I am going to take a shot at a crawfish pie, why the hell not. We will just make it a smorgasbord and see what happens. I am beginning to see why our wives prefer traditional dinners!

Donald Link's recipe would probably be a good jumping off point.. Sub pulled pork for chicken. If you absolutely have to use chicken, use all thighs and not dry stringy breast meat.

FIDO*98* said:

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Donald Link's recipe would probably be a good jumping off point.. Sub pulled pork for chicken. If you absolutely have to use chicken, use all thighs and not dry stringy breast meat.

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I want to make this. How do you prep the pulled pork? I assume no BBQ sauce involved for this application.

When I'm making BBQ, I usually plan for Jambalaya the next day. If not I normally walk up to the register at Rudy's and ask for 1/2-1lb of pulled pork. You can also just get a carnitas pack from HEB and give them a sear and instant pot or stovetop braise