crawfish boilGrab your purple and green beads and get ready for Mardi Gras! We're just a few days away from Fat Tuesday so you have time to plan your party -- which could happen on the weekend if you want!

And what's Fat Tuesday all about? Why, ugly little critters from the sea, that's what: Crawfish and shrimp! Check out our tips and recipes for a fabulous Fat Tuesday party.

Well first of all, there's gumbo. GUMBO! They say it's not gumbo if there's no okra, but that's up to you. I do know that it's not slimy if you can avoid overcooking the veggie, so if you're curious, add the okra at the very last minute and let it cook for just about five minutes or so.

Nana's Chicken Seafood Gumbo from the Neelys

Gumbo City -- a whole website full of gumbo recipes!

One of the great gumbo legends, Two Sisters Restaurant in New Orleans, serves their gumbo with potato salad. People dump the salad right there into the middle of the gumbo and eat their way in!

Creole potato salad

And if you're really feelin' the okra, try this fried cornmeal okra.

What's for dessert? King Cake is traditional. Or you could make snowballs!

Check out the crawfish boil New Orleans celeb chef John Besh made the other night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and just dump a whole lotta crawfish with potatoes, corn, sausage, garlic, and a bunch of spices and cook the whole mess. Here's the recipe.

What do you drink with your crawfish boil? Lemonade with whiskey of course! It's a summer drink, but Mardi Gras is all about up-ending the social order, so go for it.

Other Mardi Gras cocktails you could make:

Daiquiri

Bandy milk punch (another John Besh recipe)

Now you're ready for Fat Tuesday -- or Fat Saturday, as the case may be!

Are you celebrating Mardi Gras this year? What are you making?

 

Image via Late Night With Jimmy Fallon/Hulu