Louisiana is famous for its unique delicacies harvested from swamps and bayous, from crawfish to frog legs to turtles and yes, alligators, which will be on more home menus this fall as the state’s first recreational gator hunting season approaches.
“In Louisiana we eat it all,” Cory Bahr, a 2026 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef in the South, said in an interview with USA Today Network.
Louisiana is issuing up to 5,000 licenses through a lottery to hunters who will be able to take two alligators.
Bahr, a past Food Network “Chopped!” champion and King of Louisiana Seafood, operates three Monroe restaurants — Parish, KoKo and Standard Coffee Co.
Chef Cory Bahr, a 2026 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef in the South, operates Parish Restaurant in Monroe, La.
The chef has some tips for home chefs who may have a chance to prepare alligator for their family and friends.
“The predominant way to cook alligator is to fry it,” said Bahr, who said the meat should first be soaked in a buttermilk and hot sauce marinade.
Bahr said using a Louisiana brand hot sauce is a must whether it be Crystal, Tabasco, Louisiana Hot, Panola or others brewed in the Sportsman’s Paradise.
“Buttermilk breaks down the fibers, and hot sauce adds flavor,” the chef said.
Alligator is often described as tasting like a cross between chicken and a mild fish with a firm texture.
“I also like it in a sauce piquante slow cooked with trinity (onions, bell pepper, celery), tomatoes and roux made from a nice stock served over steamed white rice, or if you want to get fancy it can be served over jalapeno cheese grits,” Bahr said.
Bahr includes alligator dishes on his restaurant menus.
His Karaage (Japanese marinade with soy sauce, sake, garlic and ginger) alligator bites are “twice fried using rice flower and potato starch that makes them super crunchy and garnished with fresh dill and chili flakes,” he said.
Bahr also offers and Louisiana sushi roll featuring alligator and fried crawfish.
Louisiana’s alligator population has exploded in the past 50 years from fewer than 100,000 to more than 3 million today. Of those, about 2 million are wild with another 1 million farmed.
Louisiana alligator lottery: Louisiana begins lottery for first recreational alligator hunt
A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries official called it “a conservation success story on the highest level.”
Bahr, himself a hunter and fisherman, praised the decision to open an alligator hunting season.
“Conservation efforts have allowed us to open this season, so bravo to those who have played a role in that,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana chef’s tips for alligator recipes before first hunting season
