Whenever we travel, we tend to spend the first week figuring out the basics: best corner bar, simple language skills, where to shop for food. Traveling in the USA makes these tasks easier with review sites in our native language and far less cultural boundaries. The main challenge in New Orleans has been finding good local sources of food while ignoring Yelp’s recommendation to go to Whole Foods. Challenge accepted.
Less than a week in, we’ve purchased a second well-regarded cajun cookbook. We’ve been eating and cooking a lot. We’ve also been walking a lot.
Here are the sources of ingredients we’ve found within walking distance (plus one bonus driving option).
1) Captain Sal’s: The nearest Chinese food/poboy/fresh seafood market to us. This is a common combination and a good source of fresh shrimp, fish, and crawfish in February.
2) The corner market: At a minimum, you can find poboys, beer, and a couple basic necessities. The more full-fledged corner stores (like our regular Hank’s) have a selection of dry and canned goods, cleaners, craft beer, and a little produce. But don’t expect fresh meat, fish, or cheese.
3) Mardi Gras Zone: What came first? The Mardi Gras flags, boas and beads? Or the almost full-fledged grocery store? Who cares? It’s convenient. At this sprawling 24 hour store, organic items are randomly interspersed. Produce is abundant as long as you don’t need something special like fennel. Cajun meats, like boudin and andouille, are in the freezers. Finally, the guy who makes poboys will also sell you fresh chicken breast and tilapia if you ask. This is our go-to general store.
4) Cochon: #1 on our packing list was Donald Link’s fantastic cookbook, “Real Cajun”. Cochon, his restaurant and butcher shop in New Orleans, is a one-hour trek from our home which means we’ll only visit once a week. They sell home-made fresh tasso, andouille, pates, bacon, boudin and much more. It’s like having our Pittsburgh freezer in New Orleans yet fully stocked and professionally made. Maybe we can walk twice a week…
5) Farmer’s Markets: Even in New Orleans, February Farmer’s markets have pretty slim pickings. There are however huge and affordable bunches of coldweather crops (kale, mustard greens, broccoli, etc), surprisingly good hothouse tomatoes, and a cooler of jumbo shrimp. Yes!
6) Westwego Shrimp Lot: Filled with strip malls, Westwego is a 25 minute drive from the city. On a Saturday, 15+ vendors sell coolers upon coolers of whatever is in season. Right now that’s:
- Oysters – by the sack, 1/2 sack, or shucked in gallon, quart or pint
- Shrimp – from small to jumbo, all “nice”
- Crawfish – live and kicking
- Fish – ~5 different varieties whole or filets by the case
If it’s not currently alive, it clearly was very recently, and the prices are as good as it gets.
Back to cooking!
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