Louisiana remoulade
Louisiana-style remoulade sauce
Louisiana remoulade can vary from the elegant French-African Creole, the rustic Afro-Caribbean Creole, or the Classic Cajun version, and like the local variants of
roux, each version is different from the French original. Creole versions often have tan or pink hues and are usually
piquant. Louisiana-style remoulades fall generally into one of two categories-those with a
mayonnaise base and those with an oil base, but sometimes both mayonnaise and oil are used. Each version may have finely chopped vegetables, usually
green onions and
celery, and
parsley; most are made with either Creole or stone-ground mustard.
Salt,
black pepper, and
cayenne pepper are also standard ingredients. In the oil- and mayonnaise-based versions, the reddish hue often comes from the addition of a small amount of ketchup. The sauce is often topped with paprika for the aesthetics as well as the flavor. Generally, acidity is added with the inclusion of lemon juice or vinegar. Other additions include hardboiled egg or raw egg yolks, minced
garlic,
hot sauce,
vinegar,
horseradish,
capers,
cornichons, and
Worcestershire sauce.[
citation needed]
While the classic white remoulade is a condiment that can be offered in a variety of contexts (e.g. the classic
celery root remoulade), Creole remoulade is used on shrimp, crabs, fried calamari, artichokes, and fried green tomatoes among other foods. Today, shrimp remoulade is a very common cold appetizer in New Orleans
Creole restaurants,[
citation needed] although, historically,
hard boiled eggs with remoulade was a less expensive option on some menus. Shrimp remoulade is most often served as a stand-alone appetizer (usually on a chiffonade of iceberg lettuce). One might also see
crawfish remoulade, but remoulade sauce is very seldom offered in restaurants as an accompaniment with fish;
cocktail sauce and
tartar sauce are generally the condiments of choice. Food columnist and cookbook author Leon Soniat suggests to "Serve [remoulade] over seafood or with sliced asparagus."
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