Gumbo
A rich Creole-style Louisiana gumbo with a dark roux, chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp, okra, and the holy trinity of onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Served over rice, it is deep, smoky, and comforting.
Ingredients
- 700 gchicken thighs
- 300 gandouille sausage
- 300 gshrimp
- 120 gvegetable oil
- 120 gall-purpose flour
- 250 gonion
- 150 gcelery
- 150 ggreen bell pepper
- 15 ggarlic
- 250 gokra
- 400 gdiced tomatoes
- 1400 mlchicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- ½ tspdried thyme
- ½ tspcayenne pepper
- to tastesalt
- to tasteblack pepper
- 3 tbspparsley
- 3 scallions
- 1 tspfilé powder
- 300 gwhite rice
Method
- Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Cut the andouille sausage into 1 cm slices. Peel and devein the shrimp. Dice the onion, celery, and green bell pepper into small, even pieces. Mince the garlic. Slice the okra into 1 cm rounds. Chop the parsley and slice the green onions.
- Make the roux: heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir constantly for 20–30 minutes until the roux reaches a deep chocolate-brown color with a roasted, nutty aroma. Do not stop stirring or the roux will burn.
- Add the diced onion, celery, and green bell pepper to the roux. Stir for 4–5 minutes until the vegetables soften and the sizzling subsides. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the sliced andouille sausage and the chicken thighs. Stir to coat in the roux and cook for 3–4 minutes until lightly browned on the outside.
- Pour in the chicken stock and the diced tomatoes. Add the bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the broth has thickened.
- Remove the chicken thighs, shred the meat with two forks, and return it to the pot. Add the sliced okra and simmer for another 15 minutes until the okra is tender.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 4–5 minutes until pink and curled. Remove from heat. Stir in the filé powder. Taste and adjust salt and cayenne.
- Cook the white rice according to package directions. Ladle the gumbo into deep bowls over a mound of rice. Garnish with chopped parsley and sliced green onions. Serve immediately.
FAQ
A bitter or acrid gumbo almost always comes from a burnt roux. The dark roux needs constant stirring over medium heat for 20–30 minutes. If you see black specks or smell anything sharp and acrid, discard it and start over — there is no saving a burnt roux. Use a heavy-bottomed pot, keep the heat at medium (never high), and whisk continuously. The roux is ready when it reaches a deep chocolate-brown color and smells like roasted nuts, not like something scorched.
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Comments (2)
Ру для гамбо жарится до цвета тёмного шоколада. Не карамели, не ореха — шоколада. Это 40-50 минут непрерывного помешивания, и если вы отойдёте на минуту, оно сгорит и придётся начинать сначала. Добавьте окру — она загущает суп натуральным способом, а не мукой как делают лентяи.
Start with cold water for gumbo. Adding chicken thighs to cold water and bringing it up slowly extracts far more flavor than dumping ingredients into a rolling boil. The difference in depth is significant.