Doing it Cajun Style

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Doing it Cajun Style

Cajun cooking is one of my favourite cuisines because of its distinctive blend of flavours and its adaptability to many foods.  A unique cuisine evolved from the marriage of the Acadian and Southern cultures, Cajun is at its best when prepared and eaten with lots of enthusiasm, love, and a good dose of humour.  This is food that is meant to be enjoyed and in addition to being plain old mouthwatering, there is a definite Southern "comfort food" quality to the cuisine.

The basis for much Cajun cooking is the Cajun spice mix.   There are never two blends alike, each cook refining their own to include just the right amount of their preferred spices and always the well-guarded secret ingredient.  Over the years I've come up with different blends and the recipe below is a terrific basic Cajun Spice Mix which works well for gumbo, jambalaya and blackened fish or chicken (recipe also below).  This spice mix is great as a soup base, sprinkled over buttered popcorn, in a Cajun omelette, or sprinkled over potato wedges tossed in olive oil and roasted to make Cajun home fries.  Experiment with the blend, adjusting it to your individual taste and remember - another important quality to Cajun cooking is to have fun with it!

For more recipes, tips and information, visit my web site at www.AlliumFoodworks.com.

Cajun Spice Mix

1. Combine all ingredients in a container - shake to mix well.   If stored in a sealed mason jar, it will last several months.

Tip:     If necessary to accommodate diet needs, the sugar can be omitted. Do not replace with artificial sweetener.
Tip:    15 ml = 1 tbsp          5 ml = 1 tsp

Blackened Salmon

1. Rub each side of the fillets with the Cajun Spice Mix spice.
2. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (or spritz with cooking spray).  Add fillets and allow to cook until fish starts to become opaque and the underside has a nice dark colour.
3. Flip the fish over and continue cooking until the other side is also beautifully coloured. 
4. If the fillets are quite thin, they should be done at this point - if they are very thick, add a bit of water and cover the pan to steam cook them to finish.
5. Serve with lemon wedges.

Tip:    15 ml = 1 tbsp          30 gr =  1 oz
Tip:    Chicken or shrimp can be substituted - the cooking time will vary.  Slices of firm tofu also works well.