While we can’t travel to New Orleans to celebrate Fat Tuesday in person this year, we can take you to the Big Easy from the comfort of your kitchen!

These three Mardis Gras-inspired HelloFresh dishes deliver on the big, bold flavors of the Bayou. We’re also sharing a recipe for Hurricane cocktails and an easy King Cake because Fat Tuesday is all about decadence, and how could we not?! They’re both absolute musts for getting the party started at home. Gather up your ingredients (and your beads), cue the brass band, and laissez les bons temps rouler (aka let the good times roll)!

This first Mardi Gras food recipe is as delicious as it is easy to whip up. Simply rub your chicken legs with Blackening Spice and pop ’em in the oven. While they turn golden, crackly, and juicy, you’ll be cooking rice, stewing smoky red beans, and stirring together a kickin’ hot sauce crema for drizzling over the finished dish.

Bayou Blackened Chicken Legs (serves 2 or 4)

Red beans and rice is a total Creole staple. You can find this dish cooking in countless kitchens across New Orleans every Monday. The following is a quick and easy version (no bean-soaking required!) that’s sure to satisfy. With bold seasonings like blackening spice, smoked paprika, and celery salt, you can expect a flavor *explosion.* Plus, we’ve added braised kale for, you know, balance.

Louisiana-Style Red Beans & Rice (serves 2 or 4)

Is there anything more delicious than fried fish? Short answer: Nope. This dish features ultra-crunchy, spiced tilapia fillets with sides of red cabbage-carrot slaw and crispy spiced potato wedges. It’s all finished with a drizzle of an iconic NOLA condiment: remoulade. It’s zingy, creamy, and bespeckled with fresh chili pepper. Psst, we highly recommend turning this dish into a po’ boy by sandwiching together the fish, slaw, and sauce between crisp-fluffy French bread buns. 

Louisiana-Style Tilapia (serves 2 or 4)

Now for the best part: Hurricanes! You’ll find this classic New Orleans cocktail just about everywhere you turn on Bourbon street. It’s sweet and fruity, making it the perfect complement to any of the spicy dishes above. According to NewOrleans.com, “The name for the drink came from the glass it’s served in that resembles a hurricane lamp.” Whatever glass you serve it in, it’ll be just as delicious. 

HelloHurricanes (makes 2)

Ingredients:
Ice

2 oz Light Rum

2 oz Dark Rum

4 oz Orange Juice

4 oz Passion Fruit Juice

2 TBSP Grenadine

2 Orange Slices

2 Maraschino Cherries

Instructions:

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice (or in a large liquid measuring cup), add light rum, dark rum, oranges e juice, passion fruit juice, and grenadine. Shake or stir to combine. Fill two hurricane cocktail glasses (or two stemless wine glasses) halfway up with ice. Divide drinks between prepared glasses, then top with a maraschino cherry. Garnish each glass with an orange slice and serve. 

Finally, no Mardi Gras celebration is complete without a King Cake! Don’t miss this easy recipe made with crescent rolls.