Dirty Rice {From a New Orleans Local} | Swanky Recipes (2024)

Dirty rice, commonly referred to as “Cajun rice” or “dirty rice dressing” is a regionally famous rice recipe from Cajun country, Louisiana. The classic rice dish is golden brown in color from browning meat and simmering the rice in a well seasoned and flavorful stockpot full of herbs, and vegetables.

Louisiana cuisine is famous for its deeply rich flavors that develop from using classic herbs, vegetables, and spices paired with its long and slow cooking methods used to lock-in that classic deep taste. Today, New Orleans remains a top tourist hot spot thanks to its one of a kind flavorful food dishes and Mardi Gras festival season you’ll only find here.

Dirty Rice in the South

If you’ve ever visited the French Quarter then you know that the food scene is trendy with hundreds of highly recommended top of the line restaurants. The warm aroma of good food wafting through the air with a hurricane in hand and a bag of beignets is hard to match. It’s easy to fall in love with New Orleans. From the local food scene to its rich southern history, and Bourbon Street fun, tourists never get sick of the city. One thing that my friends always mutter when leaving the city is that they wish they had some food to bring back home. Over the years, I have been sharing authentic NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) recipes left and right. Many of them come from my fiancés family who has long deep roots in his home state like this authentic Red Beans and Rice recipe and this famous Jambalaya dish.

HOW TO MAKE DIRTY RICE

1. Dice andouille sausage and brown it in pan.
2. Saute onions, celery, bell peppers.
3. Stir in seasonings and herbs.
4. Add stock and water to pot.
5. Bring to boil, stir in rice.
6. Cook on stovetop until rice is tender.
7. Serve with green onions and hot sauce.

Jambalaya vs. Dirty Rice

Are jambalaya and dirty rice the same thing? No, they are not. Jambalaya is a traditional Creole dish that has deep roots among the Creoles in Louisiana. My Jambalaya recipe features the use of tomatoes, while real dirty rice does not. Creole cuisine uses other vegetables and seasoning that cajun cuisine does not use, most notable is the use of tomatoes in a recipe.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE DIRTY RICE

■ ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE:Smoked and seasoned cajun or creole pork sausage. The pork sausage gets cooked in butter. The fat from the pork adds deep flavor to this dish.

■ RICE: Use Zatarain’s long grain white rice. Rinse the starch off in the sink using a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Then, simmer the rice in chicken stock and water with traditional cajun seasoning.

■ VEGETABLES: Cajun and Creole cooking use a variety of classic vegetables to season dishes. In Louisiana, and especially New Orleans, nearly every dish features the use of a trinity of vegetables that include bell peppers, celery, and onions. In addition, garlic adds a lot of taste. Green onions add crunch and a mild onion flavor to the finished dish.

■ SEASONING: Use a good quality seasoning like Tony Chachere Seasoning. Then, add bay leaves, paprika, salt, pepper, dried parsley, and hot pepper sauce to the stock pot.

■ STOCK:Chicken stock is added to the dirty rice to give the rice extra flavor while it cooks. I use part chicken stock and part water.

HOW TO SERVE DIRTY RICE

Cajun Dirty Rice dressing is typically served as an appetizer, side dish or main dish in New Orleans. In NOLA, it’s served with fried chicken, fried fish, shrimp po’boys, crawfish etouffee, charbroiled oysters, seafood gumbo, roast beef debris, boudin, and other classics. If cooking at home, serve with seasoned chicken and vegetables or try it with these other NOLA recipes you’ll only find in the city.

■ JAMBALAYA: If you like flavorful rice dishes, try this Creole Jambalaya recipe next. It’s flavored in Creole spices and herbs with pieces of chicken and andouille sausage with a classic spicy tomato flavor.

■ RED BEANS AND RICE: This classic Creole rice and bean dish is typically served on Mondays. The dish uses dried red kidney beans simmered in creole spices and herbs with ham and andouille sausage. It is served with steamed rice, green onions, and hot sauce.

■ GUMBO: One of my favorite New Orleans recipes. I make my Chicken Gumbo Recipe on the regular during soup season. Gumbo starts with a dark brown roux that we call “gravy” in Louisiana. It is then simmered on the stovetop with a trinity of vegetables and spices. I like to dip saltine crackers in this classic southern soup recipe.

■ CREOLE KOLACHES: Bite-size Buttery Creole Kolaches start with a flaky puff pastry filled with seasoned cream cheese, and buttery creole spiced sausage rolled in the pastry, baked until golden brown, and served with creole mustard.

■ CORNBREAD: If you are not eating cornbread with your meal, you’re doing it wrong. Cornbread is the butter and bread of the south. Do yourself a favor and try this classic Cornbread recipe with all your NOLA meals.