Description
Spicy New Orleans Creole Gumbo brings Southern Louisiana’s rich culinary heritage to life with complex flavors and hearty ingredients. Simmering roux, andouille sausage, and tender seafood create a deeply satisfying meal that connects you to authentic Creole traditions.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins
- 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- 3 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Vegetables & Aromatics
- 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (10 ounce/283 grams) packages frozen cut okra, thawed
Roux
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup bacon drippings
Liquids & Sauces
- 3 quarts (2.84 liters) water
- 6 cubes beef bouillon
- 1 (14.5 ounce/411 grams) can stewed tomatoes
- 1 (6 ounce/170 grams) can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
Seasonings
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (such as Tony Chachere’s)
- 4 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 4 teaspoons file powder, divided
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Craft a rich, deep mahogany roux by whisking flour and bacon drippings over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, continuously stirring until it achieves a deep bronze color. Remove from heat and continue whisking to halt cooking process.
- Finely pulverize celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic using a food processor until uniformly chopped.
- Integrate chopped vegetables and sliced sausage into the prepared roux. Sauté mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until vegetables soften and become translucent, approximately 10-15 minutes.
- In a large Dutch oven, bring water and bouillon cubes to a rolling boil. Completely dissolve bouillon, then vigorously whisk in the prepared roux mixture.
- Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Incorporate sugar, salt, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes, then sprinkle in initial portion of file powder.
- Meanwhile, sauté okra in bacon drippings with vinegar for 15 minutes until tender. Transfer to gumbo using a slotted spoon, carefully draining excess fat.
- Introduce crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce into the simmering gumbo. Continue cooking for an additional 45 minutes. Finish by stirring in remaining file powder just before serving. Ladle hot gumbo over steamed rice.
Notes
- Master the roux by maintaining constant whisking and low heat to prevent burning, which creates a bitter taste.
- Finely chop vegetables in a food processor for even cooking and maximum flavor distribution throughout the gumbo.
- Adjust spice levels by controlling the amount of hot sauce and Cajun seasoning to suit personal heat preferences.
- Make the dish gluten-free by substituting the flour with cornstarch or alternative gluten-free thickening agents for the roux.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Creole
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 90mg