This is a relatively easy gumbo recipe that is delicious.
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 3 bell peppers diced, any color (i used 2 red, 1 orange)
- 2 pounds ocra frozen (2 x 16 ounce bags)
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with juices
- 6 cups clam juice or fish stock
- 1 32-oz box 99% fat free chicken broth
- 2 1/2 tablespoons emeril's original essence seasoning (creole seasoning)
- 12 ounces andouille sausage cut into slices
- 1 link kielbasa cut into quarters and sliced
- 1 8-oz package ham 96% fat free, diced
- 1 large shrimp frozen, tail on, uncooked
- 1 16-oz container lump crabmeat picked over to remove shell fragments
- 1 bunch parsley chopped fresh flat-leaf
- 2 cups white rice cooked for serving
- Carbohydrate 49.816444 g
- Cholesterol 90.4567771088 mg
- Fat 64.340223458128 g
- Fiber 3.09466002078056 g
- Protein 29.323002265888 g
- Saturated Fat 12.5738545530864 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (644g)
- Sodium 1848.8664289728 mg
- Sugar 46.7217839792194 g
- Trans Fat 3.34230906635039 g
- Calories 897 calories
Step-by-step
- Saute the sausage and ham in a large dutch oven over medium heat for about 5 -10 minutes; stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and reserve until later. (Refrigerate if done in advance.)
- In the same pot, over medium heat, warm the 1/2 cup oil for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour until incorporated. Cook the roux, stirring constantly, until it is a rich chocolate colored brown, about 15-20 minutes. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add tomatoes with their juices, clam and chicken stock, bay leaves, creole seasoning, oregano, and thyme. Increase to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add ocra, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to blend flavors.
- Stir in the sausage, ham, shrimp and crabmeat and cook until the shrimp are pink, 3-5 minutes more. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves. Garnish with parsley.
- To serve, ladle gumbo on top of white rice in soup bowls.
Balancing heavy proteins against a delicate fish stock requires a large Dutch oven capable of holding at least six quarts of liquid without boiling over during the simmer phase. Standard stockpots lack the surface area needed for efficient roux development, whereas heavy-bottomed cast iron or enameled vessels retain the steady medium heat required to take vegetable oil and flour from pale blonde to a rich chocolate hue without scorching. Whisking continuously for fifteen to twenty minutes prevents the flour solids from burning against the base of the pan. Achieving this deep pigmentation is critical because a darker roux loses its thickening power but gains intensely nutty, roasted compounds that anchor the entire pot.
Chemical reactions during the thirty-minute simmer meld the capsaicin from the creole seasoning and andouille sausage with the glutamates present in the canned tomatoes and clam juice. Acid from the tomatoes breaks down complex carbohydrates in the okra, neutralizing the mucilaginous texture that some palates find challenging while utilizing the pods as a natural thickening agent. Introducing the delicate shellfish only in the final three to five minutes prevents the proteins from toughening. Shrimp and lump crabmeat require only gentle residual heat to turn opaque and sweet, whereas prolonged boiling shrinks muscle fibers and forces moisture out.
Resting the finished stew overnight yields a profoundly different bowl than serving it immediately. Starches released from the okra and flour continue to hydrate, tightening the body of the broth while aromatic compounds from the bell peppers, onions, and celery fully saturate the animal fats. Storing the pot in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours allows the smoky oils from the kielbasa and andouille to redistribute evenly throughout the seafood components. Reheating should be performed gently over medium-low heat to prevent the crabmeat from breaking apart and the shrimp from becoming rubbery.
Freezing is not recommended for this particular combination because emulsified starches break down upon thawing, resulting in a watery consistency once heated. Leftovers stored in an airtight container remain safe and texturally sound for up to three days at four degrees Celsius. Diluting the concentrated sodium load is easily achieved by substituting unsalted chicken broth for standard boxed varieties without altering the fundamental spice profile. Ladling the piping hot stew over freshly steamed white rice provides the necessary carbohydrate contrast to absorb the seasoned lipids floating at the surface.
