Shrimp gumbo is like traveling to New Orleans without a plane ticket. The secret is in the slow-cooked roux – don’t skip it! Serve with white rice to soak up the rich sauce.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
If you ask anyone in Louisiana or the Mississippi Sound about how gumbo is made, the first thing they will tell you is how they make the roux.
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Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage
Good gumbo starts with good roux
My college roommate (from Metairie), my brother’s girlfriend (from Biloxi), and my parents’ 35-year-old neighbor (from New Orleans) all told me pretty much the same thing: “My mom used to take out an old penny and sit down it next to the pot. ‘You’re done when the roux is the color of that penny.’”
Well, these women certainly didn’t have the same mother, but they shared the same story. I suspect that making a proper roux must be a rite of passage for a kid from around here, and probably a bit challenging as it requires a bit of patience. Roughly twenty-five minutes of stirring can seem like an eternity to a 10-year-old!
Good roux = oil + flour + time
But it’s really the roux that makes the difference. Slowly cooking the oil and flour together creates a wonderful flavor as the flour browns.
What is the Holy Trinity?
Once the roux is made, the next step is to mix in the “holy trinity” and cook. The “holy trinity” in Cajun and Creole cuisine is Peppers, onions and celery. It is so called because it forms the basis of many recipes of this cuisine.
What is File?
Another hallmark of gumbo is the use of filé powder. If you are not familiar with file (chargeable), it is a powder made from dried sassafras leaves. It’s a powerful thickener, but must be added at the end of cooking or it will form slimy, stringy strands in the gumbo. Filé is available in many supermarkets (we found ours at Whole Foods) or online.
Make-ahead steps for Gumbo
The dark roux can be made ahead of time and either kept in the refrigerator for several days or frozen (thaw before using) for up to three months. Just make sure you warm it up before proceeding with the recipe. You can even double or triple the roux recipe if you want to have some on hand for future batches.
You could also prepare the gumbo precisely Before You add the shrimp and then chill and chill them for a day or two. Reheat on the stove and finish cooking the gumbo with the shrimp.
What to serve with gumbo
Gumbo doesn’t need more than a scoop of white rice. In Louisiana, gumbo is often served with a side of potato salad, garlic bread, or simply sliced French bread.
To serve, sprinkle the gumbo with the filé powder and hot sauce.
Store and freeze gumbo
Shrimp don’t reheat very well; it tends to get a little gummy. This means that this gumbo tastes best when prepared and served the same day. That means if you don’t bother with the shrimp, the leftovers are great reheated for lunch or dinner. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about three days.
Gumbo doesn’t freeze well after you add the shrimp. If you want to freeze it, prepare the gumbo by adding the shrimp, freeze and add the shrimp when ready to serve.
More great recipes from New Orleans
- Shrimp Etouffee
- Chicken gumbo with andouille sausage
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya
- Kings cake
- bread pudding
Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage
If you are not familiar with file (chargeable), it is a powder made from dried sassafras leaves. It’s a powerful thickener, but must be added at the end of cooking or it will form slimy, stringy strands in the gumbo. Filé is available in many supermarkets (we found ours at Whole Foods) or online.
Note that you can use the shrimp shells to make your own shellfish stock. Place the shrimp shells and tail tips in a saucepan and cover with 2 liters of water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a low heat and simmer uncovered for an hour. Strain and use in the broth in this recipe. Diluted bottled clam juice also works well as the shellfish broth in this recipe. Read more here.
ingredients
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1/2 Cup (120ml) peanut oilor other vegetable oil
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1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90G) all purpose flour
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1 green bell pepper, chopped
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1 Middle Onion, chopped
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3 celery stemschopped
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4 garlic cloves, chopped
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1 tablespoon cajun spice
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1 quarter (950ml) shellfish or chicken brothplus 1 cup (236 ml) water (see recipe note)
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2 teaspoon Worcester sauce
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225g to 340g smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
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2 pounds (907G) shrimppeeled and deveined
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salt and pepper to taste
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3 to 5 green onionswhite and green parts, chopped
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1 tablespoon File powderOptional
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Hot sauce (ex Tabasco) taste
method
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Make the roux:
Heat the peanut oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, such as a B. Dutch oven, over medium-high heat for a minute or two. Stir in the flour and reduce the heat to medium-high. Stir almost constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir.
Let the roux cook until it turns the color of peanut butter, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking and stirring (careful, you want the flour to cook, don’t burn!) until the roux is the color of an old coin, about 20-30 minutes total.
Note that the roux will initially clump and thicken as it cooks, but as the flour continues to brown past the peanut butter color level, it will loosen up a bit.
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Stir in vegetables:
Mix in the “holy trinity” of green pepper, onion, and celery and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in Cajun seasoning.
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Slowly add the broth, then let it simmer:
In a separate saucepan, heat stock and water until steaming. Slowly add the steaming broth and water to the pepper and onion sweating mixture, stirring constantly.
Bring the gumbo to a simmer and add the Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
If you find the roux is a little broken up and oil is pooling on the surface of the gumbo, beat in about another 1/2 to 1 cup of water. This will often “fix” it.
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Stir in andouille sausage:
Cook for 5 minutes (the andouille is already cooked, all you have to do is heat it).
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Add the shrimp and let simmer:
Add the shrimp and a tablespoon of file powder (if using), simmer again and cook another 5 minutes, until the shrimp are just cooked through. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
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Surcharge:
Serve with white rice garnished with spring onions. Sprinkle with filé powder and hot sauce to eat.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 436 | calories |
| 28g | Fat |
| 19g | carbohydrates |
| 25g | protein |
