Top 6 Creole and Cajun Salad Recipes

Written by
Terri Wuerthner
Chef-instructor, award-winning food writer, and 10th-generation Cajun who has authored two cookbooks.
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Terri Wuerthner
Updated 02/20/19
Coleslaw With Creamy Homemade Dressing

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Creole and Cajun cookery offer an endless supply of salads: starchy favorites like potato and macaroni salads, salads based on vegetables like corn and cucumbers, and entreé salads with chicken or seafood as the main ingredient.

Tossed green salads are not central in Cajun and Creole cooking, but you can discover delicious versions of old favorites as well as salads you probably would never have thought of.

  • 01 of 06

    Cajun Rice Salad

    Rice Salad

    Foods Style Moment Open / Getty Images

    Believe it or not, you can have a picnic without potato or macaroni salad. This Cajun rice salad has similar ingredients ​but is a nice change from the usual. The beauty of this salad is that the flavor of the other ingredients comes through even better than it does in potato or macaroni salad. This salad has a bite to it from the pepper, but is mild enough to pass as "not spicy." You can add more Tabasco or cayenne pepper to spice it up.

  • 02 of 06

    Cajun Chicken Salad With Pecans

    Picnic Cajun Chicken Salad

    The Spruce / Terri Pischoff Wuerthner

    Enjoy this Cajun chicken salad with pecans for a sandwich or to serve on lettuce leaves. While you might not be raising your own chickens and have lots of pecans from your own trees, you can find those at the store. You can poach the chicken to get the meat. Or, it's a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. In a pinch, canned chicken white meat will do.

  • 03 of 06

    Creamy Marinated Cucumber Salad

    Marinated Cucumbers

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    This creamy marinated cucumber salad can cool down your mouth after eating spicier Cajun fare. It's made with cucumbers, onions, mayonnaise, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Serve it along with grilled meats or seafood. It's a great way to use your garden bounty in season.

  • 04 of 06

    Coleslaw

    Quick and easy creamy coleslaw

    The Spruce

    Coleslaw is delicious on its own, but you'll often find it on sandwiches as well. You can make a large batch so there is enough left over to put on pulled pork, ham sandwiches, and fried seafood po' boys instead of lettuce. Coleslaw is better several hours or a day or two after it is made.

    Continue to 5 of 6 below.
  • 05 of 06

    Perfect Potato and Egg Salad

    Potato Salad in a wooden spoon

    StockFood Creative / Getty Images

    If it's already good, why mess with it? This may be the perfect potato and egg salad recipe. It includes celery, onion, curly parsley, mayo, and hard-cooked eggs as is typical. But it adds Cajun or Creole brown mustard and cayenne pepper for a little zing. It goes great with grilled meats and seafood and is a staple for any gathering.

  • 06 of 06

    Tomato and Cucumber Salad

    Cucumbers and Tomatoes on a wooden table

    EyeEm / Getty Images

    Cucumbers and tomatoes seem made to go together as in this tomato and cucumber salad. They both ripen about the same time each summer, so you can harvest your garden or pick them up from the farmers market. The attractive colors of red, green, and white are complementary to each other, as are the crispy cucumber texture and that of the soft tomato. Add onions, cayenne pepper, and black pepper to give great flavor. It's a simple summer favorite to serve at any meal.