Cajun Grilling

Cajun food if the folk cooking of the French-Canadians that settles in the swamps and bayous of southern Louisiana. As with any people who move to a new place the Cajuns adapted their native methods to the indigenous ingredients of the region. In southern Louisiana they found crab, river shrimp, oysters, crayfish and a wide range of game that included everything form wild turkeys to frogs. Rice is however the staple of Cajun cooking.

Now while most people associate Cajun cooking to the one pot meal (one really big pot), the true flavors of Cajun cooking can be used in most anything. First of all we'll look at those one pot meal, dishes like Gumbo and Jambalaya. These are thick, hearty dishes filled with meat and vegetables like sausage, ham, yams, okra and tomatoes. To truly step up these dishes you want to grill the primary ingredients before you put them in the pot. People don't believe me but the best way to really make the meat of any such dish stand out you want to grill it first. This adds so much flavor that it's a crime not to.

Of all the cooking traditions of the United States, Cajun has been the one to see the most evolution. From these one pot classics to Cajun fried turkey, blackened fish (and everything else), and the whole list of Cajun spices, sauces and seasonings. Cajun has come to mean heat with flavor. By this I mean that the typical Cajun seasoning has a good source of heat from a variety of chilies and peppers and a whole load of flavors that rely on herbs and spices like Fennel seeds, cinnamon and cumin. This gives you the ability to add that Cajun flavor to almost any dish you want. I personally give credit to Justin Wilson for this popularization of the Cajun flavor.

Of course the purist will say that, that isn't Cajun. Well, look at what most of the world calls Italian, then go to Italy and eat. The ethnic flavors of food emerge while the recipes evolve. The Cajuns settled in the United States hundreds of years ago but there is no know record of deep fried turkey until the turn of the century. Justin Wilson himself said he first say it in the 1930's. Doesn't exactly sound like an age old recipe to me, but there you go. Cajun cooking evolves and will continue to evolve of a long time yet.

To give you an idea of how to get Cajun flavor into whatever you grill try this simple rub:

• 1 cup paprika
• 1 cup chili powder
• 3/4 cup whole fennel seeds
• 1/2 cup ground cumin
• 1/2 cup garlic powder
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons dried basil
• 4 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 2 tablespoons white pepper

Grind it all together in a spice grinder and sprinkle over practically everything. I like this one on eggs as well as everything I grill.