It’s festival season in Louisiana!

From smoky Cochon de Lait Po-Boys to creamy Crawfish Pasta, our unique festival foods tell the story of our culture. And, they’re just one more reason to cook with the good stuff – Blue Plate Mayo! When you’re not out “festing,” tune in to WWOZ.org for authentic Louisiana music including livestreams from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Then get festive in the kitchen with these Louisiana festival food and drink recipes and enjoy a taste of the bayou, no wristband required.

Grab a free koozie on your way into Jazz Fest.

We’re proud sponsors of WWOZ.org, the local radio station that broadcasts music live from the Fest, and the Blue Plate Crew will be out on the streets between Liuzza’s By The Track and the Sauvage Street Fest Entrance giving out lots of good stuff! Look for us on your way into Fest and grab some free merch including Blue Plate bandanas, tee shirts and koozies. See y’all there!

Look for the Blue Plate Crew on these Fest Days: April 24, 25 and May 1, 2

Fried Shrimp Po-boy

Cochon de Lait Po-Boys

Crawfish Hand Pies

Crawfish Pasta

New Orleans Crawfish Bread

Crabmeat Beignets

Fest-Style Rosemint Iced Tea

 

The Gulf Coast is so abundant with fresh seafood that we’ve built our food traditions around it – starting with the classic Friday fish fry, served up during Lent with hushpuppies and coleslaw. And whether we’re cooking fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs or crawfish, we use bold seasoning and tasty dipping sauces to complete a seafood feast. Blue Plate Mayo is the ingredient that brings local flavor to the next level, as a baste or marinade locking in moisture and flavor, in spice rubs and batter mixes to create a golden and crispy fried crust, and for rich ’n creamy dipping sauces and delicious side dishes like slaw and mac ‘n cheese. Explore our seafood and sides recipes, all made extra tasty with Blue Plate – That’s the good stuff!

Fried Fish with Remoulade Sauce

 

Shrimp Patty Sandwiches

Fish Fry Sides

• Buttermilk & Sweet Onion Hushpuppies – No Southern fish fry is complete without cornbread hushpuppies. These are served with a creamy remoulade sauce.
• Buttermilk Coleslaw – Tangy, creamy, and perfect alongside crispy fried fish.
• Traditional Coleslaw –  A well-balanced slaw that hails from an old Southern recipe.
• Crab Boil Potato Salad – Tastes just like the potato salad that Maw-maw makes with leftover potatoes from a seafood boil – spicy, zesty and unapologetically full of classic Louisiana flavor.

Seafood Salads & Specialties

• Shrimp Remoulade Salad – This is a French or classic white remoulade with cornichons, capers, lemons and herbs to give it a bright, tangy flavor, perfect with Gulf shrimp.
• Fancy Cajun Crab Dip – A rich and creamy appetizer featuring succulent crab meat. Serve as a dip with crackers, pita chips or veggies.
• Creole Shrimp Cocktail – Blue Plate Creamy Cocktail Sauce has a zesty horseradish kick that makes it the perfect dipping sauce for shrimp cocktail, the classic Southern appetizer and light luncheon dish that never goes out of style.
• Crawfish Hand Pies – So tasty, there are songs written about them. Filled with spicy crawfish tails in a creamy Creole sauce, they’re a taste of the bayou that can be made ahead of time and frozen.
• Grilled Blackened Shrimp Skewers – Plump Gulf shrimp are a classic on the grill, and these are full of Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole flavors. Serve them with chilled coleslaw for an easy family meal.
• Crawfish Fritters with Spicy Comeback Sauce – Springtime is both crawfish season and festival season in Louisiana, which is why hot, crispy fritters stuffed with crawfish are a mainstay.

Seafood Po-Boys

• Shrimp Salad Po-Boy – Shrimp salad is served on French bread in the style of po-boy sandwiches, dressed with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and dill pickle.
• Fried Shrimp Po-Boy – Fresh jumbo Gulf shrimp fried crispy and piled on French bread, dressed with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and sliced pickle.
• Catfish Po-Boy – A classic! Or forego the French bread, add a squeeze of lemon, and start dipping your fried catfish.\
• Fried Crawfish Po-Boys with Remoulade Sauce – Light, flaky French bread stuffed with spicy fried crawfish, dressed with shredded lettuce, tomato and a tart French-style remoulade sauce.

Dipping Sauces

Southerners know every seafood feast needs the perfect dip. Whether fried, boiled, or grilled, it’s all about the sauce. Blue Plate Creamy Cocktail and Tartar Sauces and Hot & Spicy Mayo are ready to go anytime, or use Blue Plate Mayo as a base to create your own signature sauces!

• Tartar Sauce – Quick and easy, this sauce offers a hint of cayenne, making it perfect for dipping fried fish or dressing a po-boy.
• Pink Fry Sauce – A close cousin to Sriracha Comeback Sauce, this one features Blue Plate mayo, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings.
• Sriracha Comeback Sauce – A Mississippi favorite for dipping boiled or fried seafood, this Comeback sauce doubles as a great salad dressing.
• Louisiana Style Remoulade Sauce – In Louisiana, remoulade is a staple at any fish fry or seafood meal.

Whether they’re hitting the streets or staying in and hosting their own “Yardi Gras,” New Orleanians make their own fun, from decorating their front porches to look like Mardi Gras parade floats to serving up the best home-cooked food in the world. Here are some top recipes to help everyone pass a good time during Carnival on the porch, on the patios or in the yard. And they’re all made extra rich and tasty with Blue Plate Mayo – That’s the good stuff! Happy Mardi Gras, y’all.

Ham and Swiss Po-Boy

A simple ham and cheese po-boy wrapped in foil is synonymous in New Orleans with family get-togethers (however large or small) and carnival parades (even if it’s a parade of homes!). Serve the ham thin-sliced (we used a local NOLA brand, Chisesi’s Pride® Ham) on flaky New Orleans-style French bread dressed with mayonnaise, a swipe of yellow mustard, ripe tomatoes and plenty of lettuce.

French Fry Po-Boy

New Orleanians love their po-boy sandwiches – locally baked French bread stuffed with any number of cold cuts or fried seafood – but the simple french-fry po-boy still reigns as the original comfort food meal. It’s traditionally dressed with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and pickle with the option to be drenched in brown gravy.

Spicy Marinated Chicken Wings with Creamy BBQ Dipping Sauce

Crispy and bursting with spicy, sweet & sour flavor, these wings are dangerously addictive! Marinate them overnight and serve with our Alabama-Style White BBQ Sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Pork Chop Po-Boy

Pan-fried pork chops on French bread are a corner-store special, found on the menu in small neighborhood groceries and convenience stores across New Orleans. They make an easy lunch, dinner or snack to go – a traditional food to fill up on for a big day at work or play.

Bacon and Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

Pimento cheese and deviled eggs are two down-home favorites, now combined into one delicious easy-to-make appetizer that will be the hit of any gathering.

Crispy Chicken Fingers with Sriracha Comeback Sauce

Always a crowd-pleasing favorite, crispy chicken fingers are an easy Yardi Gras win. Combine with  Sriracha Comeback Sauce 0r pink fry sauce, for the kids, they’ll keep coming back for more.

Pimento or pimiento? However you say it, this Southern classic’s a must-have spread and always a crowd pleaser. Serve it with crackers, celery, carrots, or your favorite sturdy chips, and pile it on toasted sandwiches and deviled eggs. Make it your own with Blue Plate Mayo for the perfect pimento party. That’s the good stuff!

Pimiento Cheese Dip

Bacon Pimento Cheese Dip

Pimento Cheese Toasties

Bacon and Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

Grilled Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

Jalapeno Pimento Cheese Dip

Pimento Cheese Patty Melt

Pulled Pork and Pimento Cheese Sandwich

Ham Mousse and Pimento Cheese on Saltines

The iconic New Orleans sandwich – call it “poboy” or “poor boy” (and that depends on who’s asked) – has more than one origin story, but well-accepted is the legend of the 1929 New Orleans streetcar strike, when the Martin brothers, owners of a small coffee stand and restaurant, fed the strikers free French-bread sandwiches. Today it’s served citywide on the same New Orleans style French bread, with all sorts of fillings from sliced ham to fried seafood, sausage, French fries, or roast beef. And when they ask if you want it “dressed,” most locals agree that if you say “yes,” your sandwich is likely to receive generous portions of the four essentials: shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, mayonnaise and sliced pickle. Innovative new poboy recipes are created every day across New Orleans, but here are five that have become New Orleans poboy classics:

New Orleans Style Roast Beef Debris Poboy

Debris (pronounced day-bree) is all of the tiny, tasty bits of beef that fall off a roast while it’s cooking, smothered in rich beef gravy.

Fried Shrimp Poboy

Plump, fresh Gulf shrimp, fried crispy and golden, make this sandwich a local favorite. It’s found on just about every po-boy shop menu in town, but it’s easy to make at home, too.

Vietnamese Spicy Cilantro Pork Poboy (Banh Mi)

This delicious fusion of New Orleans and Vietnamese cuisines features marinated roast pork, creamy mayonnaise and a garnish of fresh cucumber, cilantro and sweet-tart pickled vegetables – all loaded onto airy French bread.

Meatball & Onion Gravy Poboy

Bring on the napkins, because they’ll be needed for this messy po-boy. Use toasted, thick-sliced bread or a French loaf and enjoy the knockout flavor combination of beefy meatballs, bread, mayonnaise, gravy and onions.

New Orleans Crawfish Bread

This popular take on the famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Crawfish Bread features Louisiana crawfish tails tossed in a generously seasoned, cheesy cream sauce, all piled on French bread and baked in the oven.

 

When the weather warms up, it’s time to fire up the grill. But no matter how much oil you use, there’s always that moment when your delicate fish, perfect pork chop or beautifully marbled beef burgers flare up and stick to the grill. Why? Oil and water don’t mix, so when foods are cooking on the grill, the oil runs off and often causes flaming. Those flare-ups also cause delicate proteins to dry out and stick to the grill. 

The Non-Stick Power of Blue Plate Mayo

Try using a thin layer of Blue Plate Mayo spread evenly over your fish, chicken or beef. Here’s why it works:

• Blue Plate Mayo has a high smoking point, so it will not burn like butter or smoke like oil.

• Blue Plate Mayo is made with only the egg yolks, oil and vinegar, forming a delicious emulsion that adheres well to food, allowing it to grill without sticking.

• Blue Plate Mayo encapsulates the foods you’re cooking, sealing in flavorful juices and helping to prevent food from sticking or getting dry. 

A vehicle for flavor – Now that’s the good stuff!

Think of Blue Plate Mayonnaise as a vehicle for flavor. Add any number of spices, herbs or citrus (finely grated peel or juice) to a couple tablespoons of Blue Plate Mayonnaise, infusing it with flavor. Coat the meat, fish or vegetables with the mayo mixture before grilling. As the liquid from the coating evaporates, the flavor condenses and the juices are sealed in. It is a win-win-win situation for keeping foods from sticking, adding flavor to your foods and grilling like a pro. 

Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Caper Aioli

 

Perfectly Grilled Rib-Eyes with Tarragon Mayonnaise

Grilled Red Snapper with Avocado Mayonnaise and Salsa Verde

Our recipe for making creamy and delicious mac ’n’ cheese takes just a few ingredients, and involves a super simple hack: replace the flour, milk and butter mixture (also known as Bechamel sauce) with Blue Plate® Mayonnaise! This shortcut doesn’t just save time – it guarantees a rich, velvety consistency with minimal effort.

No stovetop stirring required

Say goodbye to the stovetop stirring and waiting game. Instead of putting together a Bechamel sauce, all you need to do is combine Blue Plate® Mayonnaise with sour cream, cream cheese, and freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese. This blend melts perfectly, delivering a creamy texture and a deliciously tangy twist.

Pro Tip: For the best results, always shred your cheddar fresh – pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as smoothly!

 

The secret to easy, irresistible mac ‘n cheese

Our recipe couldn’t be simpler. After cooking your macaroni, mix it with the rich cheese sauce, pour it into a baking dish, and bake to perfection. The result? A creamy, cheesy dish with a golden, bubbly finish – sure to be a hit with your family and guests alike.

It’s versatile: Use what you’ve got!

This simplified recipe is as flexible as it is flavorful. Feel free to adapt the ingredients based on what’s in your kitchen, but for the creamiest results, stick with full-fat options. Get ready to serve up smiles – this mac ’n cheese disappears fast!

RECIPE: Creamiest Ever Macaroni & Cheese

Prep Time: 20 mins.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni (½ of a large package)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 pound (about 4 cups) freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Cook the Pasta: Bring 6 quarts of water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Add macaroni and cook 9 to 11 minutes (or follow the package directions) until pasta is al dente. Drain and rinse.
2. Make the Sauce: In a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
3. Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 11×7-inch or 12×12-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
4. Assemble the Dish: Pour the drained macaroni into the bowl with the cheese sauce. Stir well to coat the pasta evenly. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake to Perfection: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the mixture sets and does not slosh when the dish is gently shaken. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

 

An easy way to make Southern style Drop Biscuits

With this Southern biscuit baking hack, making light, fluffy homemade biscuits is much easier than you might think. Our recipe has just 3 ingredients and features a simple hack for replacing the butter and fat.

No need to knead

There’s no need to roll, cut or knead the dough. With these drop biscuits, simply combine self-rising flour with milk and Blue Plate® Mayonnaise, mix well, and drop 2 tablespoons of dough at a time onto a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes.

Blue Plate Mayo = Great texture & flavor

The biscuits offer a deliciously moist and fluffy texture, thanks to Blue Plate Mayonnaise. Yup, that’s the good stuff! They should come out of the oven golden on the outside, soft on the inside, and perfect for spreading with butter and jam.

Add a seasoning, herb or cheese

For extra flavor, add minced chives, basil, or garlic powder and Parmesan cheese to the mix. Our recipe is so easy to personalize, you and your family can enjoy homemade biscuits just the way you like them.

RECIPE: SOUTHERN DROP BISCUITS

Ingredients

1 cup milk

1/3 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise

2 cups self-rising* flour

Preparation

Preaheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray, or cover with parchment or a silicone mat.

Mix the milk and mayonnaise with a whisk in a large bowl. Whisk in flour slowly, whisking just enough to combine. Scrape down sides. If mixture is too thin, add additional flour in ¼ cup increments until dough can be scooped.

Drop about 2 tablespoons dough at a time onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm. Wrap leftovers and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.

*If you don’t have 2 cups self-rising flour, substitute 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt.

How to make crispy baked chicken fingers

Who knew that one ingredient that could make chicken fingers faster and keep the crispy outer coating in place? There’s a hack that really does the trick, and it uses Blue Plate Mayo. Now that’s the good stuff!

1-Step quicker

While other chicken finger recipes usually call for a coating of flour and egg before adding the breadcrumb mixture, our recipe is one step quicker by going straight for the mayonnaise. The whole family will love this fast, easy and delicious dish.

The breading sticks better

Simply brush your chicken pieces with a creamy mixture of Blue Plate® Mayonnaise and
Creole seasoning, and then press into a savory coating of Panko bread crumbs, shredded Parmesan and spices. You’ll find that the breading sticks better to the chicken, and the finished dish offers up great tangy flavor – as well as a golden crust.

Comeback Sauce for dipping

To top it off, be sure to serve the chicken fingers with our Sriracha Comeback Sauce – a mayo lover’s dipping sauce that’s also delicious with boiled seafood.

RECIPE: CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN FINGERS WITH SRIRACHA COMEBACK SAUCE

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch-wide strips

Favorite chicken seasoning

1/3 cup Blue Plate® Real Mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon Creole seasoning

1 cup panko bread crumbs

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon white pepper

Preparation

COAT a shallow baking pan and a rack that fits inside it with nonstick spray.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

DRY chicken pieces with paper towels and season lightly with chicken seasoning.
Let sit while mixing the mayonnaise and bread crumb mixtures.

COMBINE mayonnaise and Creole seasoning in a small bowl. In a pie plate or large
shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese, onion and garlic powders and white
pepper.

BRUSH chicken pieces with mayonnaise mixture on both sides. Use the one-wet
one-dry method for hands: Hold chicken in one hand and brush on the
mayonnaise; use the other hand to press it into the crumbs and turn it, pressing
the second side into the crumbs to adhere. Put the coated chicken on prepared
rack.

BAKE 25 to 30 minutes, just until juices run clear or an instant-read thermometer
reads 160 degrees. Do not overbake. Serve hot with the sauce.

Sriracha Comeback Sauce

1 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika

MIX all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Keeps well for 1 week. Serve with boiled seafood, fried seafood, chicken fingers, wings, or as a salad dressing. Keeps well for 1 week.

The easy way to make moist, delicious Banana Bread

Here’s a hack that’ll surprise you. Blue Plate Mayo is the secret ingredient you’d never think to use to make banana bread oh so moist and delicious. That’s the good stuff!

Wait, Blue Plate in banana bread?

Most baked goods, including banana bread, call for butter or oil. But if you don’t have any on hand, mayonnaise is a great replacement. As an added bonus, it alters the texture, making the banana bread super moist. Baker’s Tip: no need to worry, there’s no mayo taste at all in the final product!

Add mayo to mashed bananas

It’s as simple as mashing the bananas and adding enough Blue Plate® Mayonnaise to equal 2 ½ cups. Then beat in an egg, sugar, and vanilla extract. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, and add pecans. Oh, and don’t forget the chocolate chips, even though they’re optional.

Bake, cool and cnjoy

A yummy after-school snack and a great way to keep your coffee company, our banana bread recipe stays fresh for up to 5 days, and freezes well, too. But it’s so good, it probably won’t last that long!

*Tip: Always keep ripe bananas on hand so you’re ready to make banana bread anytime: peel ripe or over-ripe bananas, and freeze in a zip-top plastic bag. Then thaw before using.

RECIPE: OVER-THE-TOP BANANA BREAD

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas

1 cup Blue Plate® Mayonnaise

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pecans

½ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 5-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.

Mash bananas with a fork in a large measuring cup. Medium bananas should measure about 1 1/2 cups. If this is the case, add the entire 1 cup mayonnaise. If the bananas are larger, add slightly less mayonnaise, probably about ¾ cup, to equal 2 1/2 cups total bananas and mayonnaise.

Beat in a large bowl the egg, sugar, banana-mayonnaise mixture and vanilla, until mixed well. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into banana mixture with pecans (and chocolate chips, if using) just until no streaks of flour can be seen. Turn into the prepared baking pan.

Bake 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool on a rack 15 minutes, then remove from pan. Cool completely, then wrap in foil. Keeps well up to 5 days. Freezes well.