Jimmy Buffett Day and Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jambalaya

Jimmy Buffett Day
and
Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jambalaya

Rest in Paradise JB – Merci pour la Magie… 

Jimmy Buffett
December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023

Jimmy Buffett Day

The day gives fans an opportunity to not only toast to our Jimmy and revisit his songs like “Margaritaville” and “Tin Cup Chalice” but also to embrace the carefree, coastal lifestyle he championed.

Florida officially made the last Friday in August “Jimmy Buffett Day” to honor the singer, songwriter, and storyteller who brought the laid-back island lifestyle to life through music, food, and good times.

The resolution from the Florida House of Representatives praises Buffett’s “free-spirited life and significant contributions to national and state culture,” while remembering how he first honed his craft in the bars of Key West. It was there that he built the breezy, tropical rock sound that became a soundtrack for escapism.

Of course, no Jimmy Buffett celebration is complete without food and friends. Last year, I marked the occasion by making his favorite gumbo. This year, we’re diving into Margaritaville The Cookbook for Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jambalaya, a dish that’s as lively and colorful as the music itself. Just like Buffett’s songs, it’s a recipe made for sharing, best enjoyed with a crowd, some laughter, and maybe a margarita or a cup of “good red wine.”

Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jambalaya

Just a bit spicy, soulful, and adapted straight from the pages of Margaritaville The Cookbook, this jambalaya is pure celebration in a pot. A Louisiana classic with roots in Spanish paella, French country cooking, and West African one-pot traditions, it’s a true melting pot dish—flavorful and festive.

Packed with shrimp, sausage, chicken and plenty of Creole flair, it’s hearty enough to feed a crowd and lively enough to keep the party going. Put on your favorite Buffett tunes, stir up a batch, and laissez les bons temps rouler…

Fill It Up With Good Red Wine

Pairing Opus One with jambalaya is a playful, indulgent experiment—definitely fun, though far from classic. Inspired by Jimmy’s song “Tin Cup Chalice,” one of our favorites, the idea brings a touch of whimsy to the table.

The wine’s structured tannins, dark fruit, and oak depth are a world apart from the smoky, spicy, and rustic flavors of traditional jambalaya. Yet, when the dish is adjusted toward a meat-forward, mildly spiced version with rich sausage and chicken, the wine’s intensity can find a kind of harmony with the dish’s savory depth. It’s a pairing that surprises the palate: the jambalaya’s smoky layers soften the wine’s tannins, while the wine’s luxurious fruit and complexity elevate the dish in a way that’s unexpected and memorable.

Tin Cup Chalice Lyrics

I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and lie beside the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
I’ll be chewin’ on a honeysuckle vine

Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jambalaya Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 T. avocado oil (divided)
• 1/2 lb. smoked pork sausage, sliced into coins
• 1/2 lb. fresh andouille sausage, casings removed, crumbled
• 3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 t. dried thyme
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
•  1 t. sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock, warmed
• 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 2 T. worcestershire sauce
• 1 lb.  gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 21 – 25s)
• 3 c. cooked long-grain white rice
• scallions, sliced

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a soup pot set over medium-high heat. Add sliced smoked sausage to brown on both sides. Remove the slices but leave oil in the pot. Add the crumbled sausage and cook until just browned. Add the chicken and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is just cooked through.

Then add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over the top, stir, and cook for about 3 minutes. Then gradually add chicken stock while continually stirring the pot.

Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and Worcestershire. Stir to combine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add back the browned pork sausage. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and cook 20 minutes. Stir in some sliced scallions, reserving most for garnish.

Taste for seasoning.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook, turning once until just cooked through.

Fold the warm rice into the jambalaya then gently fold in the shrimp.

To Serve

Spoon the jambalaya into warm shallow bowls. Garnish with sliced scallions. Serve extra scallion and Tabasco on the side. Pair with a Cup of Good Red Wine!

Notes

Jimmy explained that everyone wants to be able to take a bite and say, “That’s not too spicy. I can handle that. Give me the Tabasco, I want to make it spicier.” He asked the chef to tone down the cayenne so everyone could enjoy his jambalaya their way.

This Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jambalaya recipe is adapted from Margaritaville The Cookbook, Relaxed Recipes for a Taste of  Paradise by Carlo Sernaglia and Julia Turshen. St. Martin’s Press 2018.

My minor changes include using Aidell’s Smoked Pork Sausage, which is fully cooked, so it is simply browned at the beginning of the recipe, removed from the pot, and then added back after the tomatoes. The amount of garlic was doubled for more flavor. Fire-roasted tomatoes were used to contribute a subtle smokiness, and tomato paste was substituted for Rotel to add richness rather than acidity. Half as much rice was used than the original recipe called for to achieve a higher protein-to-carb ratio. Finally, the cookbook suggested a “pinch” of cayenne pepper, but with this volume of jambalaya, that would be barely noticeable—following Jimmy’s advice however, only 1/4 teaspoon was added.

My Jimmy Buffett Links

Cheeseburger in Paradise Tribute and Recipe here

Margaritaville Island Rum Cake here

Jimmy’s Favorite Gumbo here

A Tribute to Jimmy’s Friend, Toby Keith here