He's an expert on all of NOLA's iconic foods but has a special place in his heart for gumbo. Here are his favourite bowls – from Cajun-style Brigsten's to the OG at Commander's Palace.

There are few things that New Orleanians feel more passionately about than their hometown's famous cuisine – unsurprisingly, since the city's historical blend of cultures has given rise to a vast array of destination-worthy dishes.

Beignets, jambalaya, étouffée, po'boys, king cake and muffuletta are just a few of the city's culinary stars; their flavours reflecting its Creole, Cajun, West African and French heritage. But only one iconic NOLA dish has been named the official dish of the state of Louisiana: gumbo.

Gumbo is a thick meat, seafood and vegetable stew whose name derives from ki ngombo, the word for okra in many West African languages. It has French and West African roots, and both Cajuns (an ethnic group of Acadian descent) and Creoles (people of mixed European, African, Caribbean and Native American ancestry) make the dish. The first recorded mention dates to the early 19th Century when it was served at a gubernatorial reception in New Orleans.

The SpeciaList

Emeril Lagasse is an award-winning American chef and TV personality with more than 20 restaurants and 19 cookbooks. In 2002, he established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, supporting children's educational programmes. This March marks the 35th anniversary of his namesake New Orleans restaurant, Emeril's, and he recently launched a YouTube channel, @OfficialEmeril.

There are countless variations of the Louisiana classic and no shortage of opinions on the right way to make it, but gumbo almost always starts with a roux: flour cooked in fat that forms the base of the dish. The other consistent element: the "holy trinity" of onion, celery and green bell pepper, ever-present in Cajun and Creole cuisine. The proteins range from seafood or poultry to ham or beef, veal or game – or a combination thereof. Tomatoes may or not be used depending on the particular preparation, but you'll often find the eponymous okra – a savoury pod-shaped green fruit that gives the stew its unique flavour.

NOLA-based chef Emeril Lagasse – famed for bringing Creole and Cajun cuisine into America's homes via his acclaimed, long-running television series, Emeril Live – has been making and eating gumbo since he moved to New Orleans in 1982. "I eat it five times a week and make it at home, but there is excellent gumbo all over the city," he says. Though he appreciates traditional gumbo – served over rice – Lagasse offers a modern take at his flagship restaurant, Emeril's, which he says has evolved quite a bit since the space first opened in 1990. "It used to be made with seafood," he says, "then we switched to chicken sausage and now it's made with lobster."

It's not just the ingredients in the stew that have changed; the presentation has too. "The gumbo is currently in the form of a hot canape," he says, "that's the perfect concentrated taste of lobster-based gumbo made with a super dark roux." While his son, EJ, is now running the kitchen, Lagasse frequently wanders over to the restaurant to say hello to everyone and fix himself a bowl.

Here are Lagasse's top picks for gumbo in the Big Easy.

Commander's Palace, a New Orleans institution, has been a landmark in the Garden District since its founding in 1893.

Po'boys

Po'boys (sometimes also written "poor boy") are one of NOLA's classic sandwiches – meats or seafood stuffed into crisp, light French bread. Lagasse's favourite? The po'boys at

© BBC