You will get tons of suggestions, but I might make it simple and do a Shrimp Remoulade. Be careful not to over cook the shrimp and serve with one (or both) of the following. Make the shrimp like you would for shrimp cocktail but add creole seasoning to the cooking water, and let them steep a bit before you remove them from the hot bath to chill.

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

White Remoulade Sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon finely chopped green onions (green part only)
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly to blend. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. (It will keep for up to 2 days.)

Red Remoulade Sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions (green part only)
1 tablespoon Creole mustard, or other hot, whole-grain mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly to blend. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. (It will keep for up to 2 days.)

I find these appetizers on alot of Louid=siana menues.

CRAWFISH BOULETTES

Boulettes ("little balls") are little breaded and fried balls of meat or seafood dressing, and make a scrumptious snack, appetizer or side dish. They may also be heated in brown roux-based or tomato gravy and served with rice.

1 pound crawfish tails, preferably with fat
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
1-2 tablespoons Creole seasoning, or to taste
4 eggs, beaten separately (two and two)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4-1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Flour, cracker meal or corn meal for breading
Grind the crawfish tails together with the next four ingredients. Add the bread crumbs, Creole seasoning, two of the beaten eggs, Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Shape into boulettes, dip into remaining beaten egg, roll in breading medium and fry in oil until golden brown.

Gougere

Ingredients
At a glance
Appetizers
Bread & Cheese
Makes
About 20 Puffs1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Pinch paprika
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 ounce Gruyere cheese. finely grated
Methods/steps
Preheat oven to 375F.

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bring 1/2 cup water, butter, salt, cayenne and paprika to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour all at once with a wooden spoon.
3. Return to the heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and transfer to a metal bowl. Beat with a whick for about a minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until fully incorporated. Add half of the Gruyère and stir to combine.
4. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip and pipe into one-inch mounds an inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the Gruyère. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes about 20 puffs.

Here are some Cajun appetizer recipes I found on the web. I hope they help.

Cajun Spiced Pecans

Ingredients:
2 tb Unsalted butter
3 c Pecan halves
1/2 c Light brown sugar
1 t Paprika
2 ts Powdered Chile
1 tb Ground cumin
1/4 c Cider vinegar
Salt

Preheat oven to 375 F. Melt butter over medium heat in a large
skillet. Add the pecans and saute until lightly browned, about
3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cook until caramelized.
Stir in the paprika, chile powder and cumin. Add the vinegar and cook
until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt. Spread
the pecans on a cookie sheet and bake in an oven until crisp, about 3
to 5 minutes.

Remoulade with Vegetable Crudites

(Creole Appetizers)

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 c Creole or brown mustard
1/2 c Salad oil
1/4 c Catsup
1/4 c Cider vinegar
1/4 ts Tabasco sauce
2 tb Finely chopped celery
2 tb Finely chopped onion
2 tb Finely chopped green pepper
Cherry tomatoes
Mushroom slices
Cucumber slices
Celery slices
Carrot slices

Combine mustard, oil, catsup, vinegar, Tabasco and chopped vegetables;
cover and chill.

Serve dip with whole and sliced vegetables.

Have fun!

i think you have some great choices here--especially the shrimp and remoulade sauces--i'd love that! you might also want to consider a mini version of a muffaletta sandwich served open-faced. unfortunately i'm having big time troubles accessing the disc that recipe is on but i'm sure a quick search would yield plenty of recipes for you to take a look at--i've attached some info for you.

Well I have no idea but something that is a huge hit here..and when I served it once to a friend who was born and raised in NO..she loved it..

Cube chicken breasts into small squares. Wrap with a piece of bacon and
secure with a toothpick. Roll in a mixture of 2/3 cup of brown sugar and
2 TBSP Chili Powder. Bake at 250 degrees on a cookie sheet until the chicken is baked and the bacon crispy.

I didn't know rumaki type appetizer was NO style but I love them and made a project of putting together a recipe using the best of each and came up with this (I'm sure you could substitute chicken as in Terri's recipe:

BACON AND WATER CHESTNUT APPETIZERS
________________________________________

3 cans whole water chestnuts, drained
1 lb. bacon, cut into thirds- Don't use thick slice bacon
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup chili sauce
1 cup brown sugar

Marinade:
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. sugar

SOAK:
Soak the bacon in the marinade for 2 1/2 hours. Soak the toothpicks in water. Remove the bacon from the marinade and dredge in brown sugar.
CONSTRUCT:
Wrap bacon around chestnuts and secure with toothpicks and place them on a jelly roll pan lined with foil (on a rack).
FIRST BAKE:
Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes. Drain.
SECOND BAKE:
Combine sugar, mayo, chili sauce in small sauce pan and simmer until heated through to make sauce. Pour over appetizers. Bake in casserole dish at 350 degrees covered for another 30 minutes.
MAKE AHEAD:
Bake these the day before, refrigerate overnight, and then reheat them for 5 minutes at 400°.

I know you said room temp but .......

Cindy Mac's Louisianna BBQ Shrimp are awesome but served warm with lots of bread to sop up the wonderful sauce. Actually these can be cooked at home and then reheated quickly in the microwave or fry pan. Just be sure not to over cook.

Louisianna BBQ Shrimp (Cindy Mac)

1 - 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
1 stick butter
3 TBL Worcestershire sauce ( thought that was a typo but it's the correct quantiy)
1/4 tso cayenne
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp fresh pepper
2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1TBSP fresh rosemary
1 TBSP olive oil

Dehead shrimp if neccessary but don't peel. Place in a shallow dish such as a glass pie plate. Mix rest of the ingredients together and pour over shrimp. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

BAKE in a preheatd 350 oven , uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. Serve with French bread to sop up all the wonderful juice.

Maybe for MArdi Gras!

I was going to suggest the crawfish boulettes- excellent finger food. But this is one of my favorites. We make it every year for our Mardi Gras party & it's gone as soon as I put it out. It came from Chuck Taggart's most excellent Creole and Cajun recipe pages, one of my favorite sites for recipes (linked below).

CRAWFISH BREAD

3 to 3-1/2 cups flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1 cup warm water (120 to 130° F)
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound crawfish tail meat, coarsely chopped
1 4-ounce jar pimientos, drained and chopped
3/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup grated monterey jack cheese (or jalapeno pepper jack cheese for a bigger kick)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sesame seeds, optional

In a large mixer bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, thyme, oregano, basil, onion and garlic powders and peppers. Gradually add the warm water and oil to the dry ingredients, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed, stopping to scrape the bowl occasionally. Beat for 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Knead dough on a floured surface until it's smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to oil the top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in volume, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Punch the dough down. Place on a floured surface and roll into a 10x14" rectangle. Scatter the crawfish lengthwise over the center third of the dough. Top with pimientos, green onions and shredded cheese. With a sharp knife, make cuts from the filling to the dough edges at one-inch intervals along the sides of the filling. Alternating sides, fold the strips at an angle across the filling for a braided effect. Place on a greased baking sheet; cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 30-45 minutes.

Brush the loaf with egg wash and sprikle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake in a preheated 400° F oven until done and golden brown, 30-35 minutes.

YIELD: One loaf of spicy crawfish bread!