GUMBO RECIPE- My sister Diana Bruton shared this recipe with me. We were having a discussion of what goes in gumbo and various ways to prepare it.
This is a basic gumbo recipe with a lot of added flavor. You can omit the stew meat or add something in its place. I recommend you serve this recipe over rice, like many other gumbo recipes. I like to add crabmeat to this hearty soup as well. Serve over rice with crusty French bread. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Recipe by Eric Bernabe Updated on September 12, 2022
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
Total Time: 4 hrs
Servings: 10
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped onion
¾ cup chopped celery
1 pound okra, chopped
¼ cup butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ pound cubed beef stew meat (Optional)
8 cups water
1 (16 ounce) can of whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 ½ teaspoon white sugar
1 ½ tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 sprig of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 pinch salt
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pinch of ground black pepper
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
½ pound crabmeat, flaked
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ lemon
file powder (see Note)
Directions
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, onions, celery, and okra, constantly stirring, until golden brown. Set aside.
In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat, combine 1/4 cup butter and flour. Cook, constantly stirring, until the roux becomes chocolate brown. Stir in the vegetable mixture and stew meat. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender and meat is evenly brown. Stir in water, tomatoes, and sugar. Season with parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add shrimp, crabmeat, and andouille to the stock pot. Stir in hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Remove the seeds from the lemon and squeeze the juice into the stock pot. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves, sprinkle with filé powder, and serve over rice.
Tips
Filé powder can be added off the heat to thicken the gumbo. It may become stringy and unpleasant if added while the gumbo is still cooking. Fil é powder is ground sassafras leaves. It is available in many supermarkets.
