Gumbo

Gumbo is the heart and soul of Louisiana cuisine. It’s a dish that tells a story—a melting pot of French, African, Spanish, and Native American influences. At its core, gumbo is a hearty stew made with a rich, dark roux, the “holy trinity” of vegetables (onions, bell peppers, and celery), and a protein of your choice (shrimp, chicken, sausage, or even all three!). It’s often thickened with okra or filé powder and served over a bed of fluffy white rice. This version uses shrimp, crawfish, lobster, crab meat and andouille sausage for a hearty, smoky flavor, but feel free to use chicken if you’re not a seafood fan.

Ingredients

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup beef tallow (or any neutral oil)

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 each green, red and yellow bell pepper, diced

• 3 celery stalks, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced into rounds

• 1 lb finely chopped shrimp

• 8 cups shrimp stock

• 1 lb lump crab meat

• 1 lb frozen okra, sliced (optional, for thickening)

• 2 lb uncooked red Argentina shrimp

• 1 lb lobster chunks

• 2 lb crawfish

• 1 tbsp Blaxican Fajita Seasoning (adjust to taste)

• Salt to taste

• 2 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

• Cooked white rice (for serving)

• 1 tbsp Jamaican Jerk seasoning

Directions

1. Make the Roux:  In a large, heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven), combine the flour and oil over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk for about 20-30 minutes, until the roux turns a deep, chocolate-brown color. This is the foundation of your gumbo, so take your time and don’t rush it. Be careful not to burn it—if you see black specks, start over.

2. Add the Veggies:  Once your roux is ready, add the okra and cook until softened. Then add the diced onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

3. First Simmer:

   This is where we start to build the flavors. Add in your shrimp stock, or whatever stock you have on hand. I have a video of how to build your own stocks here, and I have blog posts on my website detailing it as well. As part of the flavor building, add about 6-8 crawfish right here. This will build a very rich seafood flavor for the length of the cook. Bring the contents to a boil and then turn heat to low and cover. Allow to simmer for 2 hours before the next step.

4. Brown the Meat:  Heat up a separate skillet and add the sliced andouille sausage. When you are satisfied with the browning, add the sausage to the gumbo. Use a quarter cup of stock to deglaze the pan and add the fond into the gumbo as well.

5. The Sauce Building:

   At this point, we will go ahead and add the finely chopped up shrimp, to start to build the body of the gumbo.

6. Simmer to Perfection:  Continue to simmer on low heat for another three hours. When the simmering is over with, it is time to add your seafood. Add in your shrimp, lobster, crab meat and crawfish and let the gumbo start to bubble. Shut the heat off and allow it to sit on the stove with the lid closed for about 45 minutes.

7. Serve and Enjoy: Remove the lid and ladle the gumbo over a bowl of cooked white rice. Garnish with chopped green onions if desired. Serve with crusty French bread or cornbread on the side.