Cajun & Creole cooking
Cajun from the bayou country, Creole from the city. At Oceana you can taste both in one meal, from crawfish étouffée to Shrimp Creole.
Cajun vs. Creole
Visitors ask us this every day. The short answer: one grew up in the countryside, the other in the city, and they share a pot more often than you’d think.
The country cooking of Acadiana
Brought to south Louisiana’s prairies and bayous by Acadian settlers. Cajun food is hearty and one-pot, built on a dark roux, smoked sausage and bold seasoning.
Think: crawfish étouffée, boudin, brown jambalaya, gumbo.
The city cuisine of New Orleans
Born in the city’s kitchens from French, Spanish, African and Caribbean traditions. Creole cooks reach for tomatoes, butter and cream, and the dishes tend to be saucy and refined.
Think: Shrimp Creole, red jambalaya, barbecued shrimp, red beans and rice.
Both start with the “holy trinity” of onion, celery and bell pepper.
On our menu
Southern Cajun stew served with rice.
Make it gluten-free!
Our traditional Deep South recipe! Gulf shrimp, smoked sausage, & chicken with onions & bell peppers in a creamy Creole sauce. Tossed with fettuccine noodles.
On our menu
This popular Creole dish is made with tomatoes, shrimp & the Cajun holy trinity.
Creole jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, & red beans & rice with smoked sausage.
Served with smoked sausage.
Tail-on Gulf shrimp sautéed in New Orleans-style lemon & pepper sauce.
A seasonal vegetable medley cooked in red gravy & served with rice.
Louisiana food questions
Cajun cooking comes from the Acadian settlers of rural south Louisiana: hearty, one-pot, country food built on a dark roux and bold seasoning. Creole cooking is the city cuisine of New Orleans, shaped by French, Spanish, African and Caribbean cooks, and often uses tomatoes, butter and cream. Many dishes, like gumbo and jambalaya, have both Cajun and Creole versions.
Onion, celery and green bell pepper, chopped and cooked together as the base of gumbo, étouffée, jambalaya and Creole sauces. Our Shrimp Creole is built on it.
Both. Creole (“red”) jambalaya includes tomatoes; Cajun (“brown”) jambalaya does not. Our Taste of New Orleans plate includes Creole jambalaya.
A Louisiana stew, from the French for “smothered”: shellfish, usually crawfish, smothered in a rich sauce and served over rice.
Gumbo, crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice, jambalaya, barbecued shrimp, chargrilled oysters, a po-boy and bread pudding. Our Taste of New Orleans plate gets three of them on one plate.
It is well seasoned rather than simply hot. Heat comes from cayenne and hot sauce, which you can add at the table. Ask your server which dishes are milder.
