Making good gumbo is a skill.It takes time,patience, and a real passion for cooking. This is a family recipe handed down by my grandmother Mrs. Ruth Abney of Mississippi and there is no better gumbo anywhere.
The key to getting this right is getting the roux right. A good tip, is that if you think it’s too dark, it’s probably not!
Just take your time and be willing to try it out a second time if it dose not come out right the first time.
Gumbo “Real American Style from New Orleans , Louisiana “
Serving Size: use a 2 Quart boiling pot serves a bunch of people
Ingredients; 2 medium onions (diced)2 small sweet green peppers (diced)1 cup of (diced )celery 2 cups of FRESH Okra…you can use frozen but fresh is best6 plum or small red ripe tomatoes (diced)4- 6 cloves of FRESH garlic (diced) do NOT used garlic powder or garlic salt you will never get the gumbo to taste right if you use that fake ass shit!½- 1 kilo of any good quality smoked sausage (andouille sausage is BEST)1-2 kilo of whole blue crab in the shell2-4 kilo of fresh de-veined & de-shelled shrimp or prawns1-2 kilo each of craw fish and/or mussels /clams) in the shell½ -1 spoon full of chili powder of Cheyenne pepper
(Soy sauce, salt & pepper to taste) ½ cup of vegetable oil (do not use olive oil or any other flavored oil)1 cup of flour (Any kind will be OK)
Make the Roux: Add the cooking oil to cold pot, turn heat to high, and when sizzling slowly add the flour until you create a “porridge like” consistency of flour & oil. Stir continuously as the mixture browns. Continue to stir and cook on high heat (Do NOT be tempted to turn it down) until the mixture is the color of DARK chocolate. Trust me, it will not burn even if it gets really dark just so long as you continue to sir & do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan or get too black, a few mistakes are allowed, but NEVER let it get black on the bottom, we are looking for DARK BROWN!
If it is too dry & clumpy add more oil to keep it smooth. As it gets darker it should become smother and less like porridge but more like a smooth cake batter. Once it is chocolate brown in color and smooth (it should take at least 15-20 minutes of browning) add the “Holy Trinity” of Gumbo…the “diced pepper, onions & celery (Holy trinity)” to the flour & oil mixture.
Now you can turn the heat down a bit and let the veggies start to incorporate & dissolve into the mixture. It is Ok if it smokes, just turn it down a bit but do not let the veggies burn, let them break down, and you do this by constant stirring.
After about 5-7 minutes SLOWLY add your water & the following ingredients per the direction below. I also add some salt at this point to the soup base
This soup really needs a lot of salt, do not be afraid to taste it as you add the ingredients below & add salt & soy sauce to taste…because it really needs a lot!
- SLOWLY sir in & add 3-4 liters of water (or shrimp shell water) to the “Roux”
- Bring to rolling boil and add fresh chopped tomatoes & garlic
- Add salt ,pepper & chili powder
- Turn down heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes
- Add sausage and crab & craw fish in the shell
- Add 1/ 2 of the Okra ( save the other half for later) and soy sauce
- Let simmer on high- med high heat for 60-90 minutes
- Add fresh shrimp and any clams or mussels
- Add the remaining Okra
- let simmer for 15-20 minutes
- Serve hot with fresh streamed white rice & “Gumbo File”(powdered sassafras leaves) if you have it
