Make a Mardi Gras King Cake with Gulf Shrimp!

It’s February, which can only mean one thing in Biloxi: Mardi Gras season is here! The actual holiday may take place on February 21st this year, but folks on the Coast are going to be celebrating all month long.

Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday) is a time-honored tradition celebrated by millions of people around the world. Its history traces all the way back to medieval Europe, where early renditions of the holiday known as “Boeuf Gras” (or fatted calf) were celebrated everywhere from Italy to France. In 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville settled on a plot of land about 60 miles south of New Orleans and named it “Pointe du Mardi Gras.” When he and his men realized that it was the eve of the holiday. The first true Mardi Gras celebration actually occurred in Mobile, Alabama in 1703, and then the following year a secret society — the Masque de la Mobile (predecessors of today’s Mardi Gras krewes, or those who organize the festivities) — was established to carry on the tradition with parades. By the time Bienville officially established New Orleans in 1718, Mardi Gras had become an openly celebrated festivity, although they were initially celebrated as elegant balls. Eventually, Mardi Gras began encompassing all of these various forms of celebration to become the holiday we know and love today.

However, unless you make the trek to New Orleans every year, you may not realize how important Mardi Gras is to several communities along the Gulf Coast, including Biloxi, which goes out of its way to bring the infectious energy of a New Orleans Mardi Gras to the Magnolia State every year.

Mardi Gras is as deeply engrained into Biloxi culture as shrimping. Although historical records indicate that Mardi Gras celebrations have occurred in Biloxi since at least the 1880s, the city’s first official Mardi Gras Carnival celebration occurred all the way back on March 3, 1908! The first King Bienville (later King D’Iberville)— chosen by the people of Biloxi— was John Carraway, with Blanche Picard as his Queen Ixolib (Biloxi spelled backwards). He was chosen for his high regard within the community and would set the standard for all chosen Kings to follow decades into the future.

In the years since, Biloxi’s Mardi Gras has grown into a grand event featuring with colorful parades, lively music and delicious food. One of the celebration’s most iconic foods is the King Cake: a sweet and doughy cake decorated with purple, green and gold sugars. King Cakes feature all kinds of fillings— everything from cream cheese to fresh fruit— but one of our personal favorite renditions wraps in, of course, Biloxi shrimp! When the sweet and savory flavors of Gulf shrimp and King Cake combine, it’s a match made in heaven that combines our two favorite things: the rich history and flavor of Mardi Gras and the fresh taste of Biloxi shrimp! Try out our recipe below for yourself this Mardi Gras season!

MARDI GRAS KING CAKE WITH BILOXI SHRIMP AND ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound of Medium 41/60 Peeled & Deveined Tail-Off Wild-Caught Gulf Shrimp
• 1 pound of andouille sausage
• 1 cup each of onions, bell peppers and celery
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 (16 oz) can of refrigerated, ready-to-bake crescent roll dough
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Purple, green and gold decorative sugars

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cook andouille sausage (about 8 to 10 minutes).
3. Cook shrimp until pink (about 2 to 3 minutes).
4. In a medium bowl, mix sliced shrimp, Andouille sausage, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté onions, bell peppers and celery and mix them in. Add cream cheese and mix thoroughly.
5. Let everything cool.
6. Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into 8 rectangles. On a lightly floured surface, press each rectangle into a 4x6-inch rectangle.
7. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the shrimp and sausage mixture onto each rectangle and fold the dough over the filling. Press the edges to seal.
8. Place filled dough on the prepared baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.
9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Mix the remaining cream cheese with spices and spread over rolls.
11. Sprinkle the decorating sugars in purple, green, and gold stripes over the top of the warm king cake. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Hungry yet? If you’ve been thinking of ordering shrimp from us, now is the perfect time!

Click here to order mouthwatering wild-caught shrimp straight from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.