Dining In – Southern Food Show-Down

Everyone has an opinion on classic Louisiana dishes. How thick is your roux? Do you use okra? Is your jambalaya brown or red? The answers might determine your preference but also the region you call home or a tried-and-true method of cooking you learned from an older relative. We wanted to know: If given the choice between two types of Southern dishes, which would you choose? Two top chefs at the Louisiana Culinary Institute took our challenge and gave us their opinions. Turn the page to see how our readers weighed in on the debate.

Colt Patin, LCI chef instructor
Seafood gumbo vs. chicken & sausage gumbo
“I prefer chicken and sausage gumbo over seafood because I was raised in the country, so fresh chickens were always available, as well as homemade sausage. To me, dark chicken meat and pork sausage are a rich flavor combination that is hard to beat.”

Crawfish etouffee vs. shrimp Creole
“I will take crawfish etouffee over shrimp Creole because of the rustic nature of the dish and the simplicity. Crawfish etouffee is so versatile‚Äîyou can add tasso and cream then serve over pasta, or add Parmesan cheese and top with fried green tomatoes.”

Jambalaya vs. red beans & rice
“Jambalaya wins for me every time. My grandmother would always make chicken and sausage jambalaya, and during hunting season, she would add squirrel, which made the dish even better.”

Cornbread vs. French bread
“Who doesn’t like cornbread? I think the only thing better than a good piece of cornbread is two pieces of cornbread.”

Shrimp poboy vs. sausage poboy
“I do like a good shrimp poboy, especially on toasted New Orleans French bread with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and cocktail sauce.”

Pecan pie vs. pralines
“Pecan pie is the best. The flavor of the toasted pecans, the crust and the richness of the custard make this pie absolutely irresistible to me. Pralines are good but tend to be too sweet for my taste.”

David Tiner, LCI director and chef
Seafood gumbo vs. chicken & sausage gumbo
“Chicken and sausage. I love the smoky flavor of the sausage and the consistency/mouth feel of the gumbo that the chicken gives off. The consistency needs to be right—not too thick but not too thin. Cajun gumbo needs to be dark like dark chocolate.”

Crawfish etouffee vs. shrimp Creole
“I’m Cajun. I love crawfish etouffee made with a rich crawfish stock. I grew up making etouffee with my grandmother—we used the crawfish fat for the roux.”

Jambalaya vs. red beans & rice
“Jambalaya is my favorite. Brown or red, I love them both the same. I actually created a fusion jambalaya where I brown all my meat then incorporate tomato paste. Finish with green onion‚Äîone of my favorite all-time dishes.”

Cornbread vs. French bread
“I love good French Bread. Fresh hot French bread right out of the oven‚Äîyou tear it apart, the steam immediately brings the aroma of yeast. French bread is very versatile to use: bread pudding, French toast, and good with gumbo.”

Shrimp poboy vs. sausage poboy
“I prefer a good sausage poboy. Grilled, barbecued or even fried. My all-time favorite is green onion smoked sausage, cheddar cheese, over-easy fried egg and crawfish boil dip.”

Pecan pie vs. pralines
“Pecan pie is my choice—flaky crust with the custardy filling of sweet, salty and nutty. I prefer Steen’s syrup in my pecan pie. I chop the pecans to a medium consistency so you can have the right amount of custard filling, pecans and crust in every bite.”

Online readers vote in our Southern Food Showdown
After our expert chefs had their say, we put the showdown to our online readers. Here are the results of their votes.