Best Gumbo

In my view nothing beats a steaming hot bowl of gumbo on cold damp winter day to stimulate the senses. Besides providing an intense rich smokey flavor it is a delicious hearty comfort soup. For this reason I decided to share a few things I learned while making my Gumbo.

Making Gumbo is nothing to complicated but I believe there are two main keys to make really awesome gumbo. The first is to add saute smoked Kielbasa to the Gumbo. This will give it that smokey flavor and provide the kick. The second is to add Okra or to make a Roux to provide the proper thickness Gumbo requires. I never make a Roux but instead I just add Okra to thicken the Gumbo. It is important to make sure not to add to much Okra or it will cause the Gumbo to be kind of runny instead of thick. I try to add no more than 6 Okras to give it the required Gumbo thickness. I also recommend catching your Shrimp live or if you are from Cajun Country, substitute with Crawdads. 


Gumbo Ingredients

Saute kielbasa smoked sausage
Okra 
Bay Leaves
Corn on the Cob
Onion
Garlic
Carrots 
Rice
Saute Shrimp
Clams
Celery 
Bell Peppers
Tony Chachere's Gumbo Mix or Louisiana Cajun Gumbo Mix
Swanson Chicken Organic Broth or Seafood Stock
Marie Sharps Hot Sauce Grapefruit pulp Habanero Pepper Sauce

I start by heating olive oil and adding some sea salt and garlic to shock the olive oil for good luck.

Next I chop up the holy trinity of Cajun Cooking (Celery, Peppers and Onions) and add it to the pot to heat until tender. 

Then I start to saute the shrimp, clams, sausage and crab legs as well as add some white wine and old bay seasoning to provide some extra flavor.

Then I add all the ingredients and Cajun seasoning to the pot including the Okra to thicken the gumbo.

Next saute the Shrimp and smoked Kielbasa on the side and then when ready add to the pot. After all the ingredients have been added I will add in my Seafood or Chicken Stock with my Gumbo Mix and gently stir. Once it looks like it is done I give it a quick taste test to see if it needs more seasoning or if it is ready to go.

The beauty of Gumbo is you can mix in whatever you want, usually the more ingredients you add the better the Gumbo. When I have the opportunity I like to add Blue Crab, Stone Crabs, Clams, Oysters and Lobster to give it even more flavor. Good cooks always find innovative ways to improve their recipes so don't be afraid to add new ingredients to your Gumbo. I hope this has been helpful and will lead to lots of awesome Gumbo in the future.