Seafood & Wine, Focused Pairings for Lent & Life

Catholic or not, Lent season means lots of seafood is on the menu, and there’s no better way to level up your meals than with the perfect wine pairing. Here in New Orleans, we have such a seafood-centric culture, that there is never any shortage of fresh fish and shellfish no matter what time of year - and we've got tried and true recipes to prove it.

Here are 5 classic New Orleans seafood dishes and our favorite wines to pair with them.  Whether you're going for something light and fresh, or indulging in something rich and creamy, something spicy and complex or meaty and grilled - we've got the wine for you!

Porgy’s Chef Marcus Jacobs’ Nuoc Cham Mignonette

1.    Raw Oysters are a prime suspect for our some of our favorite wine pairing bivalves! People have been consuming raw oysters in Louisiana for hundreds of years. Archaeological evidence indicates that indigenous populations harvested and consumed oysters long before European settlers arrived. Louisiana’s oysters thrive in the brackish waters where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. This mix of fresh water and saltwater creates the perfect balance for oyster growth, giving them their plump texture and mild, buttery flavor.

Raw oysters pair best with wines that have high acidity, minerality, and a light body to complement their delicate, briny flavors.

·         Recipe for serving: Check out Chef Marcus Jacobs’ Nuoc Cham Mignonette from Porgys’s Seafood

·         Our pairing: Mortellito Cala Ìancu Bianco Terre Siciliane, Italy

Rosedale Chef Susan Spicer's Classic Remoulade

2.    Shrimp Rémoulade is a classic dish with deep roots in French and Creole cuisine.  It originated in France in the 17th century as a mayonnaise-based sauce, often flavored with mustard, capers, herbs, and anchovies. The French typically used it as a condiment for cold meats, seafood, and vegetables.  When the French influence took hold in Louisiana, the sauce evolved into the Creole version which is spicier and more vibrant - and created a match made in heaven with Louisiana Shrimp. 

Shrimp Rémoulade has zippy, spicy, and creamy elements, so the best wine pairings should have good acidity, freshness, and a hint of fruit to balance the spice.

·         Recipe for serving: Check out Chef Susan Spicer’s Classic Remoulade recipe.

·         Our pairing: Leth Gruner Veltliner Ried Steinagrund, Austria

Chef Donald Link’s Family Recipe

3.    Crawfish are thankfully plentiful this year!  The tradition of boiling crawfish in spices has deep Cajun and Creole roots, originating in Louisiana with influences from French, Spanish, African, and Native American culinary traditions.  But it was the Cajuns, descendants of French Acadians exiled from Canada, that adapted their rustic, resourceful cooking style to Louisiana’s local ingredients and added layers of cayenne, paprika, garlic, and aromatic vegetables (onion, celery, bell pepper), creating the signature Cajun boil.

The best wines to pair with a boil have high acidity + fruitiness to balance the spice.  While there are some good white wine choices, at Swirl we LOVE rose with crawfish – something crisp, refreshing, and fruity enough to cool the heat.

·         Recipe for serving: Check out Chef Donald Link’s Family Recipe

·         Our pairing: Fairvalley Rosé, South Africa

Chef Emeril Lagasse’s Classic Seafood Gumbo

4.    Seafood Gumbo has deep roots in Louisiana, shaped by a blend of West African, French, Spanish, and Native American culinary traditions. The dish evolved over centuries into the iconic stew we know today, with each culture contributing key elements. Native American tribes, such as the Choctaw, introduced ground sassafras leaves (filé powder), which continues to be used as a thickener in gumbo. They also influenced early stews with local seafood. The West African influence is particularly notable, as enslaved Africans brought okra, a natural thickener that became central to gumbo’s texture.  French settlers contributed the technique of making a roux while early French Creole versions of gumbo combined this technique with seafood. Meanwhile, the Spanish brought their version of a sofrito (a mix of onion, bell pepper, and celery), known as the “Holy Trinity” in Cajun and Creole cuisine, and introduced the practice of serving gumbo over rice, a key feature of the dish today.

The best wines for seafood gumbo should have high acidity to cut through the richness of the roux and balance the spiciness, while also complementing the briny seafood. Crisp, refreshing whites, dry rosés, and light reds offer the right structure and flavors to complement this flavorful dish.

·         Recipe for serving: Check out Emeril's Classic Seafood Gumbo

·         Our pick…Centonze Frappato, Italy

Chef Frank Brigtsen’s Blackened Tuna with Roasted Vegetable Salsa and Smoked Corn Sauce

Blackened Fish originated in Louisiana and is credited to Chef Paul Prudhomme, the legendary Cajun chef who popularized the technique in the 1980s. Though it has deep roots in Cajun and Creole cooking, the specific method of "blackening" fish in butter with a crust of spices was largely Prudhomme’s creation.

Pairing wine with blackened tuna can be tricky because of the bold Cajun spices, smoky crust, and rich, meaty texture of the fish. The best wines will have enough acidity to cut through the spice and richness, fruitiness to balance the heat, and a smooth texture to complement the tuna’s natural umami.

Recipe for serving:  Check out Chef Frank Brigtsen’s Blackened Yellowfin Tuna with Roasted Vegetable Salsa and Smoked Corn Sauce

Our pick… Jolie-Laide Glou d'Etat Red, California