The Louisiana Collection

Mardi Gras got you thinkin’ about Louisiana and crawfish boils? No? Just us? True, we’re out here in the south, so maybe we’re a little biased, but if you’ve never been to a crawfish boil, now’s the time to get on that guest list, ASAP. But, if you live nowhere near the bayou and/or don’t care for crawfish, you can still get in on those classic flavors found in a “Louisiana” boil!

Louisiana cuisine is incredibly diverse and flavourful. So, we took all of those iconic spices & seasonings and put them into their very own collection! The Spicewalla Louisiana Collection is crafted with three quintessential blends: Blackening Rub, Creole Seasoning, and Cajun Seasoning. While each blend has different strengths, you really can’t go wrong adding any of the blends to whatever you’re whipping up. But, where to begin? What exactly is the difference between Cajun and Creole? Have no fear, we are here to blast you with all the food knowledge one could need regarding this terrific trio.

If you are looking for a spicy, crispy, smoky fish filet or chicken breast, you’ll wanna hit up our Blackening Rub. In the 1980s, it was blackened redfish that brought Cajun cooking to fruition. Chef Paul Prudhomme introduced this dish at his celebrated New Orleans spot, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen. It combined the richness of a well-buttered thin redfish fillet with a spice mixture as spirited as a Mardi Gras full regalia getup. K-Paul’s Blackened Redfish-dish was so popular, the poor redfish population nearly disappeared. Thankfully, they started to farm the redfish and eventually discovered that many other types of protein were equally delicious smothered in a blackening rub. Spicewalla’s blackening rub is a mildly spicy blend made with the bold flavours of paprika, white & black peppercorn, and cayenne. For some easy brownie-points at your next dinner party, try coating your protein of choice with butter (the more butter, the better we always say), then cover the entire surface with blackening rub. Cook in a med-high heat pan, flipping it only once until each side is dark and crunchy. For step by step instructions, we wrote down our blackened chicken recipe for you here.

It’s important to distinguish between the two most prominent cuisines in Louisiana: Creole and Cajun. Although they share a lot of similarities, they each have a very unique and fascinating history. The term Creole can have many meanings, but during the early days of Louisiana, it meant that a person was born in the colony and was the descendant of French or Spanish parents. The term is a derivative of the word “criollo,” which means native or local, and was intended as a class distinction. Creole cuisine represents “city food” and tends to be less spicy with flavours that are influenced by the French, African American, and Native American cuisines. Spicewalla’s Creole Seasoning includes spices like Black Pepper, Thyme, Mediterranean Oregano, and Light Chilli Powder. We consider the blend to be herbaceous, delicate, and mild, fitting perfectly in tomato-based dishes (cajun cuisine typically does not feature tomatoes), like gumbo and jambalaya, as well as in rich sauces, and fresh seafood plates.

Cajun, on the other hand, is derived from “Acadian”, which are the people the modern-day Cajuns descend from. These were French immigrants who were forcibly removed from Nova Scotia, and eventually landed in Louisiana. It is said that these folks come from many different backgrounds, creating a “rural dialect” that Cajuns across the board still speak today. Cajun cuisine, the “country food”, is bold and piquant, incorporating more cayenne and proteins like Andouille sausage in their dishes. With this in mind, we created Spicewalla’s Cajun Blend- packing a punch with flavours like Garlic, Smoked & Spanish Paprika, Cayenne and Red Pepper. We consider this blend to be rustic, bold and spicy, but you can determine how much heat you want to pack when you’re stirring the spices into your dish! This recipe comes straight from the bayou with pungent flavours that will serve well as a dry rub for pork or chicken, a cajun shrimp boil, flavouring boudin sausage, or dirty rice with a deep south kick. 

If you take anything at all away from this post, let it be that you don’t need to travel to the south to feel like you’ve visited Louisiana. One of the best parts of visiting the state is arguably the spicy cuisine, and thanks to Spicewalla’s Louisiana Collection, we’re bringing the bayou to YOU.