Best Creole Gumbo Recipes

GOOD NEW ORLEANS CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make a roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.
• Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir the vegetables into the roux, and mix in the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.

CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE SMOKED SAUSAGE GUMBO (CREOLE STEW)

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the onions, bell peppers, okra and celery; set aside.
• Combine all but 1/2 cup of the flour, the salt, garlic powder, and red pepper in a plastic bag, add the chicken pieces and shake until chicken is well coated. In large heavy skillet heat 1 1/2-inches of oil until very hot (375 degrees F.) Fry the chicken until the crust is brown on both sides and meat is cooked, about 5 to 8 minutes per side; drain on paper towels.
• Remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot oil into a cup, leaving as many brown particles in the pan as possible. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any stuck particles, then return 1/2 cup of the hot oil to the pan. Place the pan over high heat. Using a long handled whisk, gradually stir in remaining flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until a roux is formed and is a dark red-brown. Remove from heat and add the reserved vegetable mixture, stirring constantly until the roux stops getting darker. Return to a low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft.
• In a separate large pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the roux by spoonfuls to the boiling stock, stirring between each addition. Reduce to a simmer and add the andouille and remaining ingredients, except file powder. Simmer for 45 minutes. While gumbo is simmering, bone the cooked chicken and cut meat into 1/2-inch dice. Add to the gumbo. Add file powder 5 minutes before serving and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Serve gumbo on a mound of cooked rice.

GUMBO STYLE CHICKEN CREOLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until mixture is the color of a copper penny. Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper and onion. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add chicken, tomatoes with green chile peppers, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken broth or water if mixture is too thick for your liking.

BEST CREOLE SHRIMP AND OKRA GUMBO

Steps:

• Slowly stir the flour into heated oil in a heavy cast iron skillet. Continue to stir until the flour is dark brown. Add the next 4 ingredients; stir until onions are clear. Add tomato paste and a cup of water. Add okra and tomatoes. Cook slowly, adding all the water and shrimp stock -a little at a time. Stir in sugar & creole seasoning. Cook for about an hour on a low fire, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of pot; adding water if necessary.
• Add the shrimp ,sausage, parsley and the bay leaves. Cook another 30 minutes to an hour, adding seasoning to taste. Serve over boiled or steamed rice.

CREOLE CHICKEN AND OKRA GUMBO

Steps:

• Stir vegetable oil and flour in large saucepan over high heat until smooth and dark brown, about 3 minutes. Mix in okra, then chicken broth and tomatoes with their juices; simmer 3 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with thyme, salt and pepper. Add to saucepan. Simmer gumbo uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season gumbo to taste with hot pepper sauce , salt and pepper and serve.

CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender.
• Stir in flour.
• Cook, stirring constantly until flour is browned.
• Stir in the tomatoes, water, green pepper, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, salt and hot sauce.
• Bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves.
• Stir in the okra.
• Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Stir shrimp and crab meat into okra mixture.
• Cook about 5 minutes longer or until heated through.
• Serve gumbo over hot rice.
• (Traditionally, rice is mounded in heated soup plates and the gumbo is spooned around it).

CREOLE REDFISH GUMBO

Steps:

• Prepare the roux: In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high until it's just shy of smoking. Slowly shake the flour into the oil, whisking until smooth. Reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking until the roux is a deep dark brown, 20 to 30 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook another 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in the stock. Bring to a boil and add the crabs (if using whole blue crabs), gumbo filé, bay leaves, salt, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the flavors have melded, skimming off any foam or skin on the surface, about 1 hour.
• Toss the shrimp and fish with the Creole seasoning and stir into gumbo, along with the oysters and crab meat (if using). Simmer until the shrimp and fish are cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the hot sauce. Taste and season with more salt and hot sauce if necessary. Divide among soup bowls and top with rice and scallions.

CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Remove legs from crab and smash with back of knife. Remove claws and break in 3 pieces. Remove meat from body and head.
• Heat 1/8 cup clarified butter in large saucepan on high heat. Add crab parts and meat, then add onion, celery and green pepper. Stir in tomatoes and garlic. Mix fish stock with tomato paste and add to crab saute. Bring to boil and add bay leaves. Simmer gently, stirring and skimming top frequently, for 8 minutes. Stir in oysters and their juices, then add shrimp and okra. Season with pepper.
• In small bowl, blend file and cold water. Add to soup and stir briskly. On medium-low heat, cook soup for 1 hour; do not let soup boil. Serve piping hot.

CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Boil chicken breasts and thighs with onion and bell pepper in a large pot of salted water, for about 40 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink inside. Drain, debone chicken and set aside.
• In a large saucepan stir together flour and butter over low heat to make a roux; add boiled chicken, sausage and water and bring all to a boil. Cover saucepan and simmer over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours.
• Add shrimp and simmer for about 1 more hour, then add seasoning to taste and serve.

GUMBO STYLE CHICKEN CREOLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.
• Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until mixture is the color of a copper penny.
• Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper and onion.
• Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add chicken, tomatoes with green chile peppers, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce.
• Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

CREOLE-STYLE SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Steps:

• Bring the reserved shrimp shells and 4 1/2 cups water to a boil in a stockpot or large saucepan over med-high heat.
• Decrease heat to med-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Strain the stock and add the clam juice and ice water (you should have about 2 quarts of tepid stock, 100 to 110 degrees); discard the shells; set the stock aside.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed saucepan over med-high heat until it registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
• Decrease the heat to medium and gradually stir in the flour with a wooden spatula or spoon, working out any lumps that form.
• Continue stirring constantly, reaching into the edges of the pan, until the mixture has a toasty aroma and is deep reddish brown, about the color of an old copper penny or between the colors of milk chocolate and dark chocolate, about 20 minutes (the roux will become thinner as it cooks; if it begins to smoke, remove the pan from the heat and stir the roux constantly, to cool slightly).
• Add the onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic, thyme, salt, and cayenne to the roux and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, 8-10 minutes.
• Add 1 quart reserved stock in a slow, steady stream while stirring vigorously.
• Stir in the remaining stock.
• Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
• Decrease heat to medium-low, skim the foam off the surface, add the bay leaves, and simmer, uncovered, skimming any foam that rises to the surface, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the sausage and continue simmering to blend the flavors, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Off the heat, stir in the parsley and scallions and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.
• Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately.

MA HARPER'S CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place flour in a baking pan and bake, watching and stirring occasionally until flour is a nutty brown color. Sift to remove the lumps of flour.
• Saute chicken in oil in a large pot. Add sausage and cook until it begins to change color. Add onions, bell pepper and garlic and let cook until onion is clear. Add crabs and let cook until the crabs have changed color. Add thyme, cayenne, celery, bay leaves, green onions and flour and let mixture cook 5 minutes. Add stock and season with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 45 minutes over medium heat, then stir in parsley. Serve over rice. Add gumbo file to each serving.

CHICKEN AND OKRA CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook Okra, chicken broth and tomatoes with juice, simmer for 3 mins. Sprinkle chicken with thyme, salt and pepper. Add to saucepan, simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 10 mins Season with salt and pepper and tabasco if using.

CREOLE SAUSAGE, SHRIMP, AND OYSTER GUMBO

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, toss together the okra, vinegar, and salt. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté until well wilted but not browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the bay leaf, thyme, oregano, cayenne, and tomatoes. Add the broth, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer and cook for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
• While the broth simmers, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the sausage balls on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. As each batch is finished, transfer the balls to the simmering broth mixture.
• When all the balls have been added, rinse the okra and add it to the pot. Continue simmering for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and the oysters and their liquor, cover the pot, and remove from the heat. Let stand until the shrimp are barely pink and the oysters are slightly plump, about 5 minutes.
• Serve right away, accompanied with the corn bread.

CREOLE CHICKEN AND OKRA GUMBO RECIPE | EPICURIOUS.COM

Steps:

• Stir vegetable oil and flour in large saucepan over high heat until smooth and dark brown, about 3 minutes. Mix in okra, then chicken broth and tomatoes with their juices; simmer 3 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with thyme, salt and pepper. Add to saucepan. Simmer gumbo uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season gumbo to taste with hot pepper sauce , salt and pepper and serve.

JUANITA'S CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large pot, put 2 cups water, salt [to taste] add crab boil, thyme and peppercorns.
• Bring to a roiling boil; add crabs and boil for approximately 20 minutes, add tomatoes and okra, and simmer slowly.
• While this simmers, make the roux.
• Slice the bacon strips into small pieces and fry.
• Remove.
• Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in the bacon grease.
• Remove.
• To bacon drippings, add enough flour to make a thin gravy.
• Use very low flame, stir continuously, taking care to make it dark brown without burning it.
• Add bacon and onion& garlic bits back to mixture and heat.
• Add roux to simmering seafood pot.
• Stir very well.
• Add shrimp and simmer approximately 30 minutes.
• Add oysters and simmer only until edges of oysters curl.
• It is done, serve over a bed of rice.

NEW ORLEANS CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Melt fat.
• Add okra and onion and fry until soft.
• Sprinkle with flour and salt.
• Mix well.
• Add green pepper, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, tomato sauce, shrimp, crab, oysters with liquor, and hot water.
• Mix well and cook slowly for 1 hour. Gumbo will be thick and dark.
• Serve in bowl with cooked rice.

HAITIAN CREOLE SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Preparing The Gumbo Base Like a lot of sauces, it's best to make this the day before and cool overnight in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld together. Heat stock while preparing roux. Melt butter in a heavy pan. Add flour and stir in. Stir roux constantly over medium heat until it reaches a uniform chocolate color. Remove roux from heat and immediately add celery, peppers and onions (the holy trinity of Creole cooking). This will stop the caramelization process. Stir the gumbo file into the roux and add stock. Return the gumbo base to heat and bring to a simmer, stirring a few minutes to let the roux cook. Bake sliced sausage in a hot oven until browned. Add the sausage, tomatoes and baking soda to the gumbo base and simmer for 20 minutes more. Turn off the heat and add herbs, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and okra. Making The Final Dish Cooking the seafood separately from the gumbo base allows the shellfish to maintain its own identity. About an hour before you're ready to eat, reheat the gumbo base until it nearly simmers. Sauté all the clams and mussels in olive oil, chopped garlic and a splash of white wine in a large skillet or heavy bottomed pan until they just start to pop open. Add the shrimp and scallops, and continue to sauté until they are about done (when they start to lose their transparency). Add the seafood to the gumbo base and toss to mix. Serve in a single large bowl, using tongs to arrange the clams and mussels along the edge of the dish. Place the rice in the middle of the dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley or finely diced peppers for garnish, if desired.

CREOLE BEAN GUMBO WITH TURKEY SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cook:30-60 minutes (cooking time) 1. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add onions, peppers, celery, thyme and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. 2. Stir in broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 3. Stir in okra, beans and sausage and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. 4. Serve over rice. Add hot sauce to taste.

JOAN FONTAINE'S CREOLE FISH GUMBO

Steps:

• Put the lobsters in 2 quarts of cold salted water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. (The whole procedure should take 15 minutes.) Add the shrimp and cook for 4 minutes more. Take pot off burner. Remove the shrimp shells and lobster shells and heads and put them back into the pot with the water they were boiled in. Save the shellfish for later.
• Add the rest of the stock ingredients to the pot with the shells. Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a large bowl; then put stock back into the pot. Discard the shells and vegetables.
• To make the gumbo, fry the bacon. When done, crumble and leave it in the skillet with the fat. Add the remaining ingredients listed in gumbo Part 1 and saute until brown, about 7 minutes.
• Add the halibut and olive oil to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, or until the fish is done. Add this mixture to the pot with the stock. Add the remaining ingredients from gumbo Part 2. Cover and simmer over low heat until well blended, about 1 hour. Can be served with rice.