Shrimp Mosca is a dish that originated at Mosca’s Restaurant in Algiers. The owner opened the business in 1946 and immigrated to the U.S. from San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy, with his first stop in Chicago. The restaurant is small and a bit outside of New Orleans in Avondale, LA.
My grandmother and family are from the Avondale area and down the bayou. I grew up cooking this simple yet flavorful dish. If you’re not looking to take a trip, you can follow the recipe link to the Tour Louisiana page.

Contains shrimp, garlic, olive oil and bay leaves. Usually served over angel hair pasta.

This dish started the Cajun food craze in the 1980s. It was served by Paul Prudhomme at Commander’s Palace and was an instant hit. You heat up that cast iron pan really hot and then add the fish after soaking it in butter and spices.

Brennan’s recipe at link with an extra recipe for BBQ Oyster sauce.

To continue a little Brennan’s Blackened Redfish & BBQ Oysters sauce recipes you can add some barbecue shrimp recipe to the meal. Just don’t forget some French Bread to soak up that sauce.  Brennan’s BBQ Shrimp recipe to add to your Cajun cooking.

We love our calories in New Orleans, but I decided to provide you with something more calorie-friendly.

This recipe is from Vivi Abeja at Familia Kitchen. She’s from Chicago. Chicago has a thriving Mexican population near Southside in the Pilsen area and throughout Chicago. These are often a go-to for her friends and family during Lent’s no-meat Fridays.

To get them to that calorie friendly place Vivi:
1) uses an air fryer instead of deep frying the fish in oil
2) doesn’t coat the fish tacos in flour but uses a lot of spices. Those spices are similar to what we use in New Orleans, with a little paprika added. You could probably use pre-made Cajun spices as a substitute to save money.
3) tops the tacos with low-fat options like Greek yogurt

Beth Moncel started Budget Bytes while living in New Orleans. There’s plenty of New Orleans style dishes broken down to the cent to help you live that frugal lifestyle over on her website.
This cod dish has a mild, slightly rich flavor with zesty fresh garlic and creamy butter. Fast and easy to make that’s also light on the wallet.

You can never go wrong with a shrimp po Boy fully dressed. This shrimp po boy recipe, which includes easy pre-made seasoning mixes Tony Chachere’s is known for, will save you money without purchasing spices individually, especially if you won’t use them often. And we all know Po Boys have become Rich Boys, so making your own could save you money. Just make sure you get those big shrimp and not no-bait shrimp.

While you’re on the website grab you a recipe for the seafood boil bag that’s become really popular these days. And check out the website for more seafood recipes for Lent.

This gumbo doesn’t start with a roux. Yeah, yeah, some people might call it a stew then. But we’ll stick to gumbo since that’s what the recipe on Emeril Lagasse’s website calls it. And they say the okra is the thickening agent. I’m sure that depends on how you cook the okra.
Gumbo is always that hot dish up for debate on how to cook it properly.
When I was younger, this dish was in regular rotation: shrimp, okra, and tomatoes over rice. We usually called it a stew as it wasn’t made with a roux. Just make sure you cook that okra properly, or it’ll come out slimy.
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This guy is a real couyon, but in the best way. This video on boiling crawfish is a year old, and a new step-by-step video is available on his YouTube page.
If you’re not having fun and laughing while having a crawfish boil, what are you even doing?
I’ll let you all argue amongst yourselves on the best way to boil crawfish. Everyone has their fave, and this guy does sell merch to help you find that right flavor. I have never tried it, but if you have, let us know.
Please submit your favorite way of boiling crawfish in the recipe submittal below. We’ll eventually start consolidating recipes and choosing our favorites to post for everyone to see. Of course, your name will be credited.

If you don’t want to cook on Friday the Archdiocese of New Orleans has a calendar listed in alphabetical order by Parish name on where to pick up a fish plate that sometimes has more than fish available.