Photography by Jim Bathie | Food Styling by Vanessa Rocchio | Styling by Haley Bilunas
Featured as the cover recipe of our September/October issue, this Alligator Sauce Piquante is a bold, classic Louisiana dish made with tender alligator meat, smoky andouille sausage, and a rich, slow-cooked tomato roux. Seasoned with Cajun spices, peppers, and plenty of heat, this hearty sauce is simmered to perfection and served over rice with hard-cooked eggs for a true taste of Louisiana tradition. Perfect for feeding a crowd, this flavorful piquante captures the essence of fall cooking in the Bayou State.
Alligator Sauce Piquante
Makes about 10 servings
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 small yellow onions, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups chicken or beef stock, divided
- 2 dried bay leaves
- Juice of 3 lemons, divided
- Kosher salt, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, and hot sauce, to taste
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen alligator meat, thawed if frozen, patted dry, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup sliced green onion (white parts)
- Hot cooked white rice, to serve
- 10 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved
- Garnish: chopped green onion (white parts only), and chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add andouille; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove andouille using a slotted spoon, and let drain on paper towels, reserving drippings in pot.
- Add remaining ⅔ cup oil to drippings in pot, and heat over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until a brown roux forms, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Carefully add yellow onion, bell pepper, and celery to roux. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add jalapeño, tomatoes, tomato paste, and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Slowly stir in 2 cups stock. Add bay leaves and juice of 2 lemons, and season with salt, black pepper, cayenne, Cajun seasoning, and hot sauce. Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- Gently stir andouille and alligator into sauce, and bring to a low boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until alligator is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Add remaining 1 cup stock if sauce becomes too thick. Discard bay leaves. Stir white parts of green onion and juice of remaining 1 lemon into mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve over rice with eggs. Garnish with white parts of green onion and parsley, if desired.
