This gumbo recipe is adapted from instructions that were relayed to me over Facebook messenger by my Cajun friend Lynn Landry. I feel obliged to tell you that Lynn does not believe in combining land and sea animals in gumbo, but I was set on including andouille sausage. Lynn also informed me that, contrary to what I had always thought, true Cajun gumbo uses either roux or okra to thicken the broth, but not both (her grandmother flunked Home Ec because she put both in her gumbo!) Since a lot of people are put off by okra, I went with the roux.
Course Main Dish Recipes
Cuisine American
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 2 hourshours
Total Time 3 hourshours
Author Robin Donovan
Ingredients
Several crab legs
8cupswater or fish stock
2/3cupall-purpose floursee note for a gluten-free option
½cupvegetable oil
1large oniondiced
3celery stalksdiced
1large green bell pepper
¾poundandouille sausagesliced into rounds
6garlic clovesminced
1cupscallionschopped (both green and white parts)
3sprigs fresh thyme
¼cupchopped parsley
3bay leaves
Cajun spice blendlike Tony Chachere’s
½teaspoonconcentrated liquid crab boiloptional
Salt
Pepper
1poundpeeled shrimp
1poundcrabmeat
Steamed white ricefor serving
Filefor serving (optional)
Instructions
Put a stockpot on the stove and add the crab legs and the water or fish stock. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce the heat so that the liquid is at a gentle simmer.
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat medium and sprinkle the flour into the oil, whisking to blend. Cook the roux, whisking constantly (and I do mean constantly!) until it turns a rich brown color. You want the flour to brown and become toasty, but be careful not to let it cook too fast or it will become bitter. It should take around 40 to 50 minutes to get it just right.
Once the roux is browned, add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and sausage and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and then add the whole thing to the stockpot with the crab legs.
Stir in the scallions, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, Cajun spice blend, concentrated liquid crab boil, if using, salt, pepper, and water or fish stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least an hour. Two hours is even better. Skim fat off the top as it cooks. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaves. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, Cajun spice seasoning or any other seasonings as desired.
Add the shrimp to the pot and let cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. You can mix the crabmeat in at this point, but I like to divvy the meat up among the serving bowls to make sure everyone gets a generous serving.
To serve, scoop rice into serving bowls. Top with a generous handful of crabmeat, and then ladle the gumbo (making sure to get plenty of shrimp and sausage in each bowl) over the rice. Pass the file at the table for people to add as desired.
Notes
I made this gluten free by using sorghum flour instead of regular wheat flour in the roux. I honestly could not tell the difference in the finished dish, though I do feel like the sorghum flour roux browned a bit faster than all-purpose flour.