This is a seafood gumbo my daddy taught me to make. Now, so you know, even though this is a seafood gumbo, you can start with the base and go from there. If you want a chicken & sausage gumbo, substitute. Beef gumbo? Substitute.
*Chef Note*
You will note for the most part, there are no hard numbers (1 cup of this; 3 lbs. of that). Everything is literally by how much you like gumbo, how long you wanna eat gumbo, and how many you want to feed and for how many days. Adjust accordingly.
Prep times will vary based on what you buy and how you buy it (canned diced tomatoes vs. dicing fresh tomatoes) and your skills in the kitchen. The times listed are approximations for me.
Heat oil in the pot you are going to cook your gumbo in. A large stock pot is advisable because you will end up with a lot of gumbo in the end. (Doesn't hurt to have a second pot nearby because one pot of gumbo can sometimes morph into two. You have been warned.)
Once the oil is heated, add the flour and stir. Do not stop stirring. You want your roux to change color from caramel to coffee. The darker the roux, the stronger the flavor. (I prefer a mid-brown color...like coffee with cream).
Now, an important note about the roux. At a minimum, you use equal parts oil and flour. I often use more flour than oil and brown it. It makes a very thick roux which I can then use to make an additional pot or so. I would stick with a 1:1 ratio unless you are experienced with a roux.
Once you have reached the desired color of your roux, add water in 2 cup increments. You want to make a somewhat watery gravy, but not too watery.
Use some oil and sweat the cajun mirepoix in a saute pan. Add to your roux.
Put on medium heat
Once your roux and mirepoix are brought together, add the chicken. You can brown the chicken or just add it raw. Your choice. You want the chicken in early so it can start cooking. By the time you are ready to eat, you want the chicken falling off the bone.
Add sausage and let go for about 30 minutes.
Add tomatoes, mixed vegetables and okra (if you are using this)
Add cajun seasoning, kosher salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and bay leaves.
Cook 90 minutes. Taste. Add more seasoning, if desired. Probably will be at this point.
Finish by adding seafood. Here is the cool part. If you are allergic to seafood, stop here. You can have a chicken and sausage gumbo and be just as happy.
If you go full seafood, add crabs and let your gumbo cook. Add other seafood based on its cooking time. The gumbo will be hot so adding shrimp or scallops will cook them almost immediately. Use judgement in adding the seafood.
All of this is done on medium heat. Here is where you go low heat to simmer.
Add cajun seasoning/salt & pepper to taste (or if you're good with your flavor here, don't). Let simmer for a minimum of 90 minutes.
At some point during this, begin your rice. Nothing special. Boil water. Add rice. Cook.
Be careful of adding salt here because you have already added salt previously and shellfish has salt in it as well. Remember: You can always add salt, but you can't take it away.
Once your rice is finished, you can either add it to the gumbo or put in a bowl and add gumbo. Totally up to you. If you add rice to the gumbo, simmer another 30 minutes or so.
Ladle into container of choice or if the whole pot is for you, grab a big spoon and eat from the pot.
ENJOY!!
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oil in the pot you are going to cook your gumbo in. A large stock pot is advisable because you will end up with a lot of gumbo in the end. (Doesn't hurt to have a second pot nearby because one pot of gumbo can sometimes morph into two. You have been warned.)
Once the oil is heated, add the flour and stir. Do not stop stirring. You want your roux to change color from caramel to coffee. The darker the roux, the stronger the flavor. (I prefer a mid-brown color...like coffee with cream).
Now, an important note about the roux. At a minimum, you use equal parts oil and flour. I often use more flour than oil and brown it. It makes a very thick roux which I can then use to make an additional pot or so. I would stick with a 1:1 ratio unless you are experienced with a roux.
Once you have reached the desired color of your roux, add water in 2 cup increments. You want to make a somewhat watery gravy, but not too watery.
Use some oil and sweat the cajun mirepoix in a saute pan. Add to your roux.
Put on medium heat
Once your roux and mirepoix are brought together, add the chicken. You can brown the chicken or just add it raw. Your choice. You want the chicken in early so it can start cooking. By the time you are ready to eat, you want the chicken falling off the bone.
Add sausage and let go for about 30 minutes.
Add tomatoes, mixed vegetables and okra (if you are using this)
Add cajun seasoning, kosher salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and bay leaves.
Cook 90 minutes. Taste. Add more seasoning, if desired. Probably will be at this point.
Finish by adding seafood. Here is the cool part. If you are allergic to seafood, stop here. You can have a chicken and sausage gumbo and be just as happy.
If you go full seafood, add crabs and let your gumbo cook. Add other seafood based on its cooking time. The gumbo will be hot so adding shrimp or scallops will cook them almost immediately. Use judgement in adding the seafood.
All of this is done on medium heat. Here is where you go low heat to simmer.
Add cajun seasoning/salt & pepper to taste (or if you're good with your flavor here, don't). Let simmer for a minimum of 90 minutes.
At some point during this, begin your rice. Nothing special. Boil water. Add rice. Cook.
Be careful of adding salt here because you have already added salt previously and shellfish has salt in it as well. Remember: You can always add salt, but you can't take it away.
Once your rice is finished, you can either add it to the gumbo or put in a bowl and add gumbo. Totally up to you. If you add rice to the gumbo, simmer another 30 minutes or so.
Ladle into container of choice or if the whole pot is for you, grab a big spoon and eat from the pot.
ENJOY!!