Quick Jambalaya

Emeril’s creole seasoning—recipe online—can be mixed up from spices in most everyone’s spice drawer, has a more satisfying and complex flavor, and is very likely lower in salt than the commercial mixes. You can also easily adjust the heat (cayenne) and salt to your liking.

If making this with leftover rice, I would cook the tomatoes with your other seasonings for a bit before adding the rice. If you don't have leftover rice don't make it on the side for this dish. Add two cups of stock (veggie or chicken) and 1 cup of raw rice after the tomatoes have cooked for a minute. Then add the spices. Cover and cook on low for 25-30 minutes. Just one pot (not a skillet). For a traditional note, add a 1/4 teaspoon of allspice to your spice mixture.

I make variations on this all the time. (I have not tried out this recipe, I must say.) My twist is that I do it as a one-pot meal in my rice cooker and skip the various browning and sautéing steps. When I'm fixing a pork-based meal (e.g. Andouille) I use chicken stock for the rice's liquid. Minced garlic and diced yellow onions. I should try out the dab of tomato paste and diced tomatoes! I love throwing in a box of sliced "Baby Bella" mushrooms at the end. Play with your spice rack, too!

Things are added in stages - or layered - in order to develop the flavors. It's a method common to much of Cajun cooking which is commonly and mistakenly taken for unsophisticated cuisine. Done right, it's a very sophisticated way of cooking that develops intense flavors.

Going to sub in red beans and chickpeas to make this easily vegetarian! Love this recipe.

Good recipe, easy to make with pleasing results. Two recommendations. First, the recipe doesn't say whether the diced tomatoes should be drained. Don't drain them. Second, some commercial creole seasonings (e.g., Tony Cachere's) have salt as the first-listed ingredient. (Cachere's makes no bones about it.) Check the container carefully. If you are using one of those, don't add the half teaspoon of salt the recipe recommends. You will get more than enough salt from the creole seasoning.

Love this recipe -- North Market Spices (out of Columbus, OH) has two amazing blends you can order online, Cajun and Beau Monde, that are *perfect* in this dish. Don't have any affiliation/relationship to the business - just passing along!

The exact ingredients for Emeril's Bayou Blast are 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Used a combo of smoked sausage, leftover chicken breast, and thawed frozen shrimp. Delicious. Also added the tomatoes earlier on (with the celery and peppers) as suggested by another and they simmered beautifully with the other veggies. Started brown rice before I began with the other ingredients and that was ready when I was to blend all the ingredients together. My husband doesn’t tolerate spicy foods well so the 1 Tbls of creole seasoning added enough punch - so no hot sauce!

I didn’t have Creole seasoning, so I added canned chipotle in adobo sauce and Goya saffron seasoning. It was amazing!

A quick and easy way to cook something that's NOT jambalaya.

This recipe was deliciously perfect! Thanks to previous commenters, I used a half can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of the full can and doubled up on the andouille sausage, slicing them in half lengthwise and then cutting 1/2" pieces. The Spice House Creole seasoning I used was plenty hot enough, so I skipped the hot sauce. It's a keeper! Thanks, Ms. Lomas & helpful commenters.