New restaurant in Edgewater Mall food court is ‘a serious Cajun experience’

Lots of restaurants offer a Cajun dish or two on the menu, but if you want a serious Cajun experience, there are only a few a places to go.

Parrain’s new location, at Edgewater Mall in Biloxi, is one of my favorites. Parrain’s describes itself by saying “We feature homemade Cajun dishes and jambalaya with its origins from Gonzales, La., the “Jambalaya Capital of the World.” We are bringing “REAL” authentic Cajun cuisine to the Gulf Coast area.”

That’s a pretty tall order, but I think they nail it every time.

I am overly fond of boudin, but the good stuff is hard to find. If you have ever had bad boudin, it just might put you off this Cajun specialty forever.

But Parrain’s is the best around, and I don’t think you can find any better, anywhere. You have a choice of boudin eggrolls or balls, or a boudin po-boy, which is a really good idea!

There is also a sampler on the menu, which is a great way to try a little bit of everything. It offers eggrolls, boudin balls, hog’s head cheese and cracklins, all specialty dishes that are about as Cajun as you can get.

If you have never had hog’s head cheese, don’t freak out at the idea. It is a French concept, and the Germans also have a version, that is a delicious gelatinous sausage that is always served with crackers (I like it with spicy mustard too).

If you have never had freshly made cracklins, Parrain’s is the place to give them a try, they are a crunchy, salty, delicious and a bit addictive.

There are also five sandwiches on the menu, the aforementioned boudin po-boy, a catfish and a shrimp po-boy, a Cajun cheese steak po-boy and, my favorite, a fried baloney sandwich.

For entrees, there are several jambalaya options, and pastalaya, which is new to me. It is jambalaya made with pasta, another interesting idea.

There is a good possibility that jambalaya came to us through Spanish paella, although several other countries cook rice in a seasoned stock, the basis of jambalaya.

Red beans and rice is another good choice. This dish came from the tradition of Monday being a wash day, a day when you would be too busy to be in the kitchen. Red beans were left to simmer on a slowly cooling wood-fired stove and would be ready for lunch. I also like the white beans and ham, and of course there has to be a good gumbo on the menu.

Outside of jumping in the car and heading to Gonzales, Parrain’s Jambalaya Kitchen is your best bet for a real Cajun outing.

Make sure to check out the boudin, although a favorite selection is hard to make on a menu so full of great ideas, but I do love the boudin po-boy!

Parrain’s Jambalaya Kitchen

Location: Edgewater Mall, food court, Biloxi

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 12-6 p.m. Sunday

Phone: 228-207-8606

This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 5:50 AM.