Emeril Lagasse's guide to the best gumbo in New Orleans

He's an expert on all of NOLA's iconic foods but has a special place in his heart for gumbo. Here are his favourite bowls – from Cajun-style Brigsten's to the OG at Commander's Palace.

There are few things that New Orleanians feel more passionately about than their hometown's famous cuisine – unsurprisingly, since the city's historical blend of cultures has given rise to a vast array of destination-worthy dishes.

Beignets, jambalaya, étouffée, po'boys, king cake and muffuletta are just a few of the city's culinary stars; their flavours reflecting its Creole, Cajun, West African and French heritage. But only one iconic NOLA dish has been named the official dish of the state of Louisiana: gumbo. 

Gumbo is a thick meat, seafood and vegetable stew whose name derives from ki ngombo, the word for okra in many West African languages. It has French and West African roots, and both Cajuns (an ethnic group of Acadian descent) and Creoles (people of mixed European, African, Caribbean and Native American ancestry) make the dish. The first recorded mention dates to the early 19th Century when it was served at a gubernatorial reception in New Orleans. 

There are countless variations of the Louisiana classic and no shortage of opinions on the right way to make it, but gumbo almost always starts with a roux: flour cooked in fat that forms the base of the dish. The other consistent element: the "holy trinity" of onion, celery and green bell pepper, ever-present in Cajun and Creole cuisine. The proteins range from seafood or poultry to ham or beef, veal or game – or a combination thereof. Tomatoes may or not be used depending on the particular preparation, but you'll often find the eponymous okra – a savoury pod-shaped green fruit that gives the stew its unique flavour.

NOLA-based chef Emeril Lagasse – famed for bringing Creole and Cajun cuisine into America's homes via his acclaimed, long-running television series, Emeril Live  – has been making and eating gumbo since he moved to New Orleans in 1982. "I eat it five times a week and make it at home, but there is excellent gumbo all over the city," he says. Though he appreciates traditional gumbo – served over rice – Lagasse offers a modern take at his flagship restaurant, Emeril's, which he says has evolved quite a bit since the space first opened in 1990. "It used to be made with seafood," he says, "then we switched to chicken sausage and now it's made with lobster."

It's not just the ingredients in the stew that have changed; the presentation has too. "The gumbo is currently in the form of a hot canape," he says, "that's the perfect concentrated taste of lobster-based gumbo made with a super dark roux." While his son, EJ, is now running the kitchen, Lagasse frequently wanders over to the restaurant to say hello to everyone and fix himself a bowl.

Here are Lagasse's top picks for gumbo in the Big Easy.

Commander's Palace, a New Orleans institution, has been a landmark in the Garden District since its founding in 1893.

In the 1970s, legendary Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme helped put the restaurant on the national map for its distinct blend of Cajun and Creole cooking. In 1982, at only 23 years old, Lagasse took over from Prudhomme, continuing a tradition of "haute Creole cuisine", with classics such as garlic bread, turtle soup with sherry and Creole gumbo. 

Even though Lagasse left Commander's Palace in 1990, he still cites the gumbo as one of the best in NOLA because the quality of the seafood is so good. Their recipe for the stew starts with a toasty, dark roux and includes crab stock, crabs, shrimp and okra. "Some places add chunks of seafood, but for me, that's something you do at home cause the fish starts getting stringy as it sits," he says. 

Website: https://www.commanderspalace.com/

Address: 1403 Washington Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130

Phone: +1 504-899-8221

Instagram: @commanderspalace

Café Reconcile was founded in 1996 to help local 16-to-24-year-olds with career exploration and job readiness, using the restaurant as a foundation for learning and training.

While most of the hundreds of interns who have been through the 14-week programme go on to work in restaurants, others become nurses, mechanics, technicians and more. What's consistent is that they all learn to cook classic New Orleans fare like red beans and rice, po'boys and gumbo. "Café Reconcile's chicken and sausage gumbo has a rich roux with lots of okra," says Lagasse, "and it always hits the spot." It's a win-win, according to Lagasse. "Your meal helps support the workforce development," he says. "What could be better?"   

Website: https://cafereconcile.org/

Address: 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70113

Phone: +1 504-568-1157

Instagram: @cafereconcile

Known as the Queen of Creole cuisine, chef Leah Chase was the heart behind legendary Dooky Chase Restaurant, first opened in 1941 by her in-laws and later evolving into a meeting place for excellent food, music and dialogue.

In the upstairs dining room, many influential leaders of the civil rights movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr and the Reverend A L Davis, met to discuss crucial issues affecting the African American community.

Starting in 1973, every year on the Thursday before Easter (Holy Thursday), Chase would cook up to 100 gallons of her special gumbo z'herbes, made with nine types of greens. "They do a traditional style of gumbo," explains Lagasse, "but during Lent it has lots of greens – mostly collards, mustard, turnip greens and okra, and it's finished with gumbo filé."  For decades, Chase's Lenten gumbo attracted New Orleanians from all over the city. Chase passed away in 2019 but her grandson, Edgar "Dook" Chase, carries on the gumbo tradition. Some say it is the best in New Orleans.

Website: https://www.dookychaserestaurants.com/

Address: 2301 Orleans Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70119

Phone: +1 504-821-0600

Instagram: @dookychaserestaurant

Family-owned since 1919, Casamento's on Magazine Street is primarily known for its briny Gulf Coast oysters, which peak during cool autumn and winter months. "Locals love to go there whenever they see the open sign, which is only when the oysters are great," says Lagasse. He enjoys eating the plump oysters alongside their much-loved seafood gumbo, which is replete with shrimp, tomatoes and okra. Other Casamento's must-haves include their oyster stew and sandwiches, made with their signature "pan bread" instead of traditional French bread.

Website: https://casamentosrestaurant.com/

Address: 4330 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115

Phone: +1 504-895-9761

Instagram: @casamentosrestaurant

5. Best Cajun-style gumbo: Brigtsen's

Chef Frank Brigtsen also started his culinary career as an apprentice under Paul Prudhomme, who helped him and his wife Marna open Brigtsen's in 1986 in NOLA's Riverbend neighbourhood, where he serves classic Cajun-Creole cuisine. 

"Frank is an excellent cook," says Lagasse, "and I really like his filé gumbo, which is Cajun-style, meaning it has no tomatoes." Cajun gumbo also doesn't include okra. Instead, Brigtsen thickens the stew with filé powder, a ground spice made from sassafras leaves. "The flavour is kind of like dehydrated greens," explains Lagasse. The other distinction to Brigtsen's gumbo is a little unorthodox: instead of slowly frying the oil and flour for the roux, the recipe starts with heating a pot of oil to 375F, then quickly whisking in the flour. This cuts the cooking time significantly and yields a deep, complex flavour. 

Website: https://brigtsens.com/

Address: 723 Dante Street, New Orleans, LA 70118

Phone: +1 504-861-7610

Instagram: @frankbrigtsen

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

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