Our Best Louisiana-Style Gumbo Recipes - MyRecipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the two rules of gumbo? ›

Thou Shalt Always Use a Bowl. If you use a plate, it is not gumbo it is rice and gravy! Thou Shalt Only Use a Wooden Spoon. There is only one kind of spoon that can enter a gumbo pot and that is a wooden one.

In order to develop a deep roasted flavor in your gumbo, you should cook your roux — being careful not to burn — until it is a deep dark brown color. "Roux needs to be cooked low and slow to bring out the nutty flavor and rich dark color without burning it," says Chef Dickensauge of Houndstooth Saloon in Chicago.

For purposes of this discussion, we will limit our focus to plain old polished white rice. Even then, it comes in different sizes — short, long and medium grain. I prefer medium grain rice in a gumbo, because the grains puff up, the perfect medium for a gumbo. The thick gumbo juice sticks to the grains just right.

And if you are looking for a smokier option, bacon fat is the perfect choice. But most of the time butter and a neutral oil such as canola are the go-to choices, and each has a specific use. Fat equals flavor, and few fats impart flavor as well as butter.

Using an off ratio of flour to fat can pose a number of problems. Using too much flour can cause the flour to clump up in the oil, which will then lead to pockets of flour going uncooked and making the gumbo gritty and floury. Too much oil, and you risk the roux not thickening properly, which can mean a watery gumbo.

The Holy Trinity is the Cajun and Creole counterpart to this trio, consisting of onion, celery, and rather than carrot, green bell peppers. Just like mirepoix, the Holy Trinity is one of the first things to hit the pan, acting as an aromatic base for dishes like Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Crawfish Étouffée.

Recipe Notes

Filé powder – Filé powder, also known as gumbo filé, is an herbal powder made of ground-up sassafras leaves, a common herb found in Southern cooking. It has a tea-like, earthy smell that balances out the rich flavors of gumbo while also adding a natural thickener.

“Sometimes gumbo can taste really heavy with all that meat and oil and flour,” she explained. “The vinegar smooths out all that richness.”

Gumbo is much denser than a simple soup; the broth has a thick, almost viscous consistency. And that characteristic is most commonly created by making a roux, cooking flour and oil together until they thicken and darken. Otherwise, gumbo can be thickened with file, which is just powdered dried sassafras leaves.

Above all else, never add carrots (any recipe that tells you to do so is not an authentic New Orleans gumbo, even if it's delicious). Most of Louisiana was a French territory at one point, and at the heart of French cooking is the “mirepoix”: onion, carrot and celery.

Can I put uncooked rice in gumbo? ›

Instead of serving the soup over cooked rice, you can cook the rice right in the soup. Stir 1/2 cup uncooked regular long grain rice into the soup with the okra during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Cover and cook on high heat setting 25 to 30 minutes.

In my opinion, gumbos fall into three categories, Seafood Gumbo, Gumbo Z'herbs and Meat Gumbos. Gumbo Z'herbs is a gumbo that is mostly made of green leafy vegetables.

Other amounts to keep in mind are: 3 cups oil plus 3 cups flour equals 3 2/3 cups roux. 1 cup oil plus 1 cup flour equals 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons roux. To thicken 6 to 8 cups of liquid for a gumbo, soup, or another dish, use 1 cup prepared roux or start with 1 cup flour and 1 cup fat.

Okra should be added during the last 30 minutes of cooking to keep its texture and to help it thicken the gumbo properly. Once you try a bowl of comforting gumbo, you'll make this staple again and again.

Gumbo is a hearty stew made from combinations of seafood, meat (such as andouille, chicken and ham) or vegetables that's served hot over cooked rice. Gumbo can be thickened with okra, file, or a roux, a French and Creole method of cooking equal parts flour and fat.

The Influence of Cultures

The melding of diverse cultures is evident in gumbo's ingredients. The French introduced roux, a mixture of fat and flour used to thicken the stew. The Spanish contributed spices and peppers, while African cooks brought okra and a rich array of flavors.