Best 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 SMOKED SAUSAGE GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine the oil and flour in a large cast iron or enameled cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 to 5 minutes, or until wilted. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Stir until the roux mixture and water are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
• Season the chicken with the rub and add to the pot. Simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, green onions, and file powder. Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls.
• Combine all ingredients and store in an air-tight container.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• In a heavy Dutch oven, combine flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir about 10 minutes more or until mixture is reddish brown. , Add the onion, celery, green pepper and green onions; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, water, okra, paprika, salt, oregano and pepper. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. , Add shrimp and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until seafood is done. Remove from heat; stir in Cajun seasoning.

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Steps:

• Put chicken pieces in a bowl. Blend salt, peppers, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, granulated garlic and file powder. Rub four teaspoons of the mixture over the chicken. Set rest of spice mixture aside.
• Put the flour in a bowl and add two teaspoons of the reserved spice mixture. Blend well.
• Heat a 10-inch skillet and add the oil. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat well, shaking off excess. Reserve the leftover flour.
• When the oil is hot and almost smoking, add the chicken pieces skin side down. Cook about two minutes on one side until golden brown. Turn and cook about three minutes on the second side until nicely browned. Do this in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Drain thoroughly on paper towels.
• Pour off all but one cup of fat from the skillet. Heat this oil over high heat until it is almost smoking and add the reserved seasoned flour. Stir rapidly and constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture is golden brown. Do not burn. This is a roux.
• Add the chopped onion, celery and green pepper to the roux and stir to blend well. Remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Add about half a cup of the roux mixture to the broth, stirring rapidly with the whisk. Continue adding the roux mixture, half a cup at a time, always stirring rapidly and constantly.
• Add the smoked sausage and stir. Cook over high heat, stirring often from the bottom, about 15 minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces, bay leaf and finely minced fresh garlic. Cook about 40 minutes, on medium-low, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the chicken pieces. Cut the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Cut the chicken into cubes or shred it and add it back to the pot. Serve with white rice or potato salad (or both) spooned into the gumbo.

SHRIMP GUMBO

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook and stir flour and oil until caramel-colored, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes (do not burn). Add the celery, green pepper and onion; cook and stir until tender, for 5-6 minutes. Stir in the broth, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes., Stir in the shrimp, okra, green onions and tomato. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until shrimp turn pink, 10 minutes. Stir in file powder. Serve with rice.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine the red, white, and black peppers, paprika, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and salt; set aside.
• In a heavy pot, 5 quart or larger, heat oil over medium heat, warming the pot first. Add onions, celery, and green pepper. Turn heat to high. Stirring frequently, add garlic, file, hot sauce, and the pepper-herb mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add tomato sauce, and stir as it reduces over high heat. Add fish stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• When ready to serve, add shrimp, oysters, and crabmeat. Cover, and wait 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve.

SLOW-COOKER GUMBO

Steps:

• Spray 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
• Heat 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil, and add sausage. Cook about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage lightly browns; spoon into slow cooker. In same skillet, add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally; add to slow cooker. In same skillet, add chopped chicken. Cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally; add to slow cooker. Add okra to slow cooker.
• In heavy or cast-iron skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Using whisk, beat in flour; add Cajun seasoning and thyme. Continue to beat and cook 15 to 20 minutes, making roux that is brown and smells very nutty. Add beef stock, and beat well with whisk. Heat to boiling, beating constantly. Cook until thickened; add to slow cooker.
• Add diced tomatoes to slow cooker; stir well. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 hours.
• Serve gumbo with rice. Garnish with green onions before serving.

CHICKEN AND OKRA GUMBO

Steps:

• Place chicken and water in a large kettle. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chicken is tender. , Remove chicken; reserve broth. Set chicken aside until cool enough to handle. Remove chicken from bones; discard bones and cut into meat into cubes; set aside. , In a soup kettle, combine oil or drippings and flour until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir about 5 minutes more or until mixture is reddish-brown (the color of a penny). Turn the heat to high. Stir in 2 cups reserved broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Add the onions, celery, green pepper and garlic; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, okra, bay leaves, basil, salt, pepper and pepper sauce. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add chicken; heat through., Discard bay leaves. Garnish with green onions and parsley. Serve with rice.

SHRIMP AND ANDOUILLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine peppers, onions, and celery in a bowl and have ready next to the stove. In a large heavy skillet (cast iron is best) heat oil until it just begins to smoke. Gradually add flour, whisking constantly. Continue whisking constantly and cook over medium to medium-high heat until roux is dark brown and very fragrant. Add vegetable mixture and stir with a wooden spoon, continuing to cook, for 2 minutes. Add salt and dry seasonings and garlic and stir to combine, cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes, then remove pan from heat.
• Place shrimp stock in a large Dutch oven or stockpot and bring to a gentle boil. Gradually add roux mixture to boiling stock, whisking constantly, until completely incorporated and dissolved. Return to a boil and add the andouille, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then add shrimp and turn off heat. Let gumbo sit for 5 minutes to allow shrimp to cook, then serve immediately over a scoop of plain white rice.
• Note: You can do everything in this recipe up to the point of adding the shrimp beforehand; bring gumbo up to a boil before adding shrimp to serve.
• Cooking the roux can be tricky. For safety's sake, wear good oven mitts while whisking (roux can cook to nearly 400 degrees F!) and be very careful not to let it burn on the bottom. If black bits show up in the roux before it is done, you must start over, boo-hoo. If the roux starts to smoke, remove it from the heat for a few minutes and keep whisking?remember that the pan will retain a lot of heat that will continue to cook the roux even off the flame. This is not a quick project! Your patience will be rewarded with a rich, delicious gumbo.
• Peel and de-vein the shrimp and reserve the shells. Refrigerate the shrimp until needed. In a saucepan or stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Then, add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring constantly, until shells are pink and fragrant. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add water to the pot to just past the level of the shrimp shells and add peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Skim impurities (i.e., scum) from top of stock and simmer for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Strain stock and reserve.

AUTHENTIC CAJUN GUMBO

Steps:

• Place the first 11 ingredients in a stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours., Remove chicken and allow to cool. Strain broth, discarding vegetables; skim fat. Remove meat from bones; cut chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Discard bones., In the same pan, cook and stir oil and flour over medium heat until caramel-colored, about 14 minutes (do not burn). Add finely chopped onion; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil., Carefully stir in sausage and reserved chicken. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in okra and oysters. Simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes longer or just until okra is tender. Stir in file powder. Serve with rice.

SAUSAGE AND SHRIMP GUMBO

Steps:

• Cut sausage into 1/2-inch slices; set aside.
• Combine flour and oil in a 4 quart heavy saucepan; mixing until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until roux is a dark reddish brown.
• Stir in onion, bell peppers, celery, okra and garlic; cook and stir 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in Cajun seasoning.
• Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; stir in sausage, pepper sauce, black pepper and salt to taste. Simmer, covered 15 minutes. Remove cover.
• Bring to a boil; add shrimp and cook 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.
• Ladle gumbo into bowls with rice.

SHRIMP GUMBO WITH OKRA

Steps:

• Peel shrimp and toss shells with 1/2 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. Place seasoned shells into a pot with water, 1 tablespoon diced onion, and 1 tablespoon diced bell pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cover. Let cook for at least 2 hours; the longer it cooks, the more flavor will be in your stock.
• Meanwhile, devein shrimp by gently running a knife along the back; this will also make your shrimp plump nicely when cooking. Toss shrimp in remaining Cajun seasoning and place in the refrigerator.
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add flour slowly, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. When all flour is added, continue stirring frequently until roux turns brown in color and has a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Add remaining onion and bell pepper; saute with roux until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.
• Stir in tomatoes, okra, and shrimp stock slowly. Add crab boil seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and let cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Stir in shrimp and continue cooking until shrimp are bright pink but not tough, about 20 minutes.

PAUL PRUDHOMME'S CAJUN SEAFOOD GUMBO WITH ANDOUILLE

Steps:

• Combine onions, bell peppers, and celery in a medium-size bowl and set aside. In a small bowl combine next 7 ingredients for seasoning; mix well and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until it starts to smoke, about 5 minutes.
• Gradually add the flour, whisking constantly with a metal whisk. Continue cooking and whisking until roux is dark red-brown to black, 2-4 minutes.
• Immediately add half the vegetable mirepoix and stir well, switching to a spoon if necessary, 1 minute.
• Add the remaining vegetables, continuing to stir, about 2 minutes. Add the seasoning mix and continue to cook, about 2 minutes.
• Add garlic, stirring well for another minute. Remove from heat.
• Place the stock in a 5 1/2-qt saucepan or Dutch oven and bring to boil. Add roux mixture by spoonfuls, stirring until dissolved in between each addition. Bring back to boil.
• Add andouille and return to boil again; continue boiling for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
• Add the shrimp, undrained oysters, and crab meat. Return to boil, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat, skim oil from surface, and serve over rice.

EASY SAUSAGE AND SHRIMP GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook and stir oil and flour in a skillet over medium heat until mixture is thick and the color of peanut butter, about 20 minutes.
• Stir onion, green bell pepper, and celery into flour mixture; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sausage; cook and stir until browned, about 5 minutes. Add Cajun seasoning, garlic, and black pepper; cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Pour chicken stock over vegetable-sausage mixture; reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook and stir flour in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat until flour turns golden brown, about 15 minutes. Pour browned flour into a bowl and return pot to heat.
• Increase heat to medium and add oil to the pot. Cook and stir onions and bell peppers in hot oil until slightly softened, about 7 minutes.
• Stir garlic, thyme, and bay leaves into onion mixture; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add sausage to onion mixture and cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir diced tomatoes with juice, shredded chicken, chicken broth, vegetable juice cocktail, browned flour, and Creole seasoning into sausage mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer, stirring often, until mixture is hot and flavors blend, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Pour shrimp into sausage-chicken mixture; bring to a simmer. Cook shrimp until they are pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 5 minutes.
• Discard bay leaves. Season gumbo with salt and pepper to taste.

"BIG EASY" GUMBO

Steps:

• In 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Gradually stir in flour with whisk; cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until flour is chocolate colored. (Do not burn mixture.)
• Reduce heat to medium. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery, Creole seasoning and garlic. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in broth. Add chicken, sausage and black-eyed peas. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in shrimp; cook 5 minutes or just until shrimp are pink.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour to form a thick paste until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the flour turns a dark reddish-brown roux, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Pour water into a slow cooker.
• Stir in the roux, sausage, chicken, okra, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
• Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours.
• Skim off fat with a spoon.

GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the oil. Fry the okra, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until most of the slime disappears. Season with Essence. Add the tomatoes, onions, and celery, stirring occasionally, cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted. Season with salt and cayenne. Add the bay leaves, thyme, garlic and water. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 30 minutes. Serve with rice and garnish with green onions and Essence.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

REAL CAJUN SEAFOOD GUMBO (FROM A LOUISIANIAN)

Steps:

• In a 7-quart cast iron dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until brown roux is achieved. Do not allow roux to scorch. Should black specks appear in roux, discard and begin again.
• Once roux is golden brown, add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté approximately 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.
• Add andouille, blend well into vegetable mixture and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Add claw crabmeat and stir into roux. This will begin to add seafood flavor to the mixture.
• Slowly add hot shellfish stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until all is incorporated.
• Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes. Add additional stock if necessary to retain volume.
• Add green onions and parsley.
• Season to taste using salt, pepper and Louisiana Gold.
• Fold shrimp, lump crab meat, oysters and reserved oyster liquid into soup.
• Return to a low boil and cook approximately 5 minutes.
• Adjust seasonings and serve over cooked rice.

SHRIMP GUMBO WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Peel and devein shrimp. Reserve shrimp shells for broth. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon garlic. Cover and refrigerate. Make the shrimp broth.
• Make the gumbo base: In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery and cook briskly, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir to combine. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring, until flour-vegetable mixture is well browned. Add tomato paste, paprika, cayenne and remaining garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring well, then add diced tomato and andouille sausage and cook for about 2 minutes. Season mixture generously with salt and pepper.
• Stir in shrimp broth and reduce heat to medium. With a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pot to dissolve any browned bits. Simmer for about 25 minutes, until gumbo base thickens somewhat. Taste and adjust salt. (You may prepare gumbo base up to this point several hours ahead; bring it back to a brisk simmer before continuing.)
• Add okra and let cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes more. Turn off heat. Stir in filé powder. Serve immediately, sprinkled with scallions, along with steamed rice or cornbread if desired.