Cajun Seasoning Mix

I thought it was about time that I'd introduced a few seasoning recipes to you all.

This cajun seasoning mix is raw, fresh and straight out of the dirty south.

This spice blend contains a handful of common pantry ingredients and is made within a matter of minutes.

Is creole and cajun seasoning the same thing?

Although these names are used quite loosely and interchangeable to many people who don't know about the history and its depth.

No these seasonings are not the same at all.

The difference between cajun and creole seasoning

One of the major difference between cajun and creole seasoning is that creole seasoning contains tomato.

On the contray, cajun seasoning does not contain any tomatoes.

In fact cajun food/cooking was originally eaten by only the farmers, it was known as peasant food where ingredients such as alligator, turtle and crawfish were used.

Times have changes and with the evolution of food and trends these very same ingredients mentioned above have now been incorporated into creole cooking too.

Creole food/cooking is known as the city dwellers creation, they founded it!

Some people also like to make the distinction that creole is "city food" and that cajun is "country food"

Other things such as - creole Jambalaya contains tomatoes, where as Cajun doesn't. Creole roux is made from flour and butter and Cajun roux is made from oil and flour.

Cajun seasoning/cuisine

The word Cajun derives from the French speaking Acadian people who migrated to South Louisiana and brought there wonderful cuisine.

Cajun cuisine is based on the three pot method - one pot is for the main dish, the other is for the rice and the third would be for the vegetables.

Cajun seasoning relies more on ground spices, peppers i.e white/black pepper, bell peppers and it's the heat that can be quite intense from the use of cayenne pepper making it more of a fiery contender.

Many cajun dishes start with a foundation which is a medley of vegetables known as "the holy trinity"(onion, celery and bell peppers).  It's not uncommon to find green onions, parsley, thyme, file, paprika salt and garlic in the seasoning blend either.

Creole seasoning/cuisine

Creole comes from an admixture of cultures ranging from Irish, Spanish, Caribbean, French all the way back to West Africa.

The people who were born to settlers in Louisiana had founded it. It's much more herbaceous i.e parsley, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary and basil.

Reasons to make your own spice blend from scratch

• When purchasing your herbs/spices in bulk it's cheaper
• You can double or triple the batch making it last even longer
• there's no MSG, no anti caking agents or any processed fillers to worry about.
• You doesn't take very long to prepare it all
• You can customise according to your taste/preference
• It's fun!!

The steps (spice grinder version)

• All of the ingredients to a spice/coffee grinder
• Blitz into a fine consistency and transfer to a spice jar.

Notes and tips

• Store the seasoning in an air tight container to increase longevity.
• Store in a cool dark place away from warmth so it doesn't clump together.
• This seasoning should last for at least a year.
• Use dried herbs and spices to prepare the spice blend, you don't need fresh ingredients and will save yourself some money by following the former.
• Double, triple and quadruple the amount as required.
• The recipe makes a few tablespoons worth of spice blend.
• If you don't like nor care for a lot of heat simply reduce the amount of chilli flakes and/or cayenne. There's even the option to remove the chilli/pepper if you wish.
• Add the salt separately if you prefer to include when making your dishes instead.
• If you want a finer/powdery consistency simply blitz the ingredients in a spice/coffee grinder.

Recipes you can use this seasoning for

• Brown Rice Jambalaya
• Spicy Chicken Soup Recipe
• Cajun Turkey Steaks
• Cajun Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles
• Spicy Cabbage Detox Soup
• Cajun Chicken Bowls
• Blackened Cajun Air Fried Salmon