Gumbo

Quick answer

Total time: 100 min
Level: Hard
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 10

About this dish

Gumbo begins with flour and oil cooked to a dark roux, which supplies both the brown color and the body of this Louisiana stew.

Finely chop 1 onion, 2 celery stalks, and 1 green bell pepper, and slice 150 g okra into rounds. Keep 250 g shrimp separate until the final stage so it does not toughen during the long simmer. Combine 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup neutral oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Stir without stopping, scraping the bottom and corners, until no dry flour remains and the roux gradually approaches a chocolate-brown color. It should smell nutty rather than burnt; lower the heat immediately if the color races ahead or the aroma turns bitter. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring until the vegetables soften and loosen the browned material from the pot. Add 300 g smoked sausage and let its edges brown while some seasoned fat enters the base. Pour in 1000 ml chicken stock gradually, stirring each addition into the roux so the liquid stays smooth instead of forming floury lumps. Add the okra and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, reduce the heat, and maintain a gentle simmer for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the dark roux from catching on the bottom. Once the broth has a light, spoon-coating body, add the shrimp and cook for only 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat as soon as they are opaque and firm, then ladle the gumbo over steamed white rice.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

flour½ cupcup

neutral oil½ cupcup

smoked sausage300 gg

shrimp250 gg

onion1 eaea

celery2 pcspcs

green bell pepper1 eaea

chicken stock1000 mlml

cayenne pepper½ tsptsp

okra150 gg

Shop All Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Finely chop 1 onion, 2 celery stalks, and 1 green bell pepper, then slice 150 g okra into rounds.

Keep 250 g shrimp separate so it can go in at the end and stay tender.
2

Control

Put 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup neutral oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat.

Stir constantly, scraping the bottom and corners, until the roux is smooth with no dry flour pockets.
3

Heat

Cook the roux until it approaches a chocolate-brown color and smells nutty, not burnt.

If it darkens too quickly or smells bitter, lower the heat immediately and keep stirring to prevent scorching.
4

Control

Add the onion, celery, and green bell pepper to the roux and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Stir often until the vegetables soften, turn glossy, and loosen the browned flavor from the pot.
5

Heat

Add 300 g smoked sausage and cook until the edges brown and some fat renders into the base.

Pour in 1000 ml chicken stock gradually while stirring to dissolve the roux, then add the okra and 1/2 tsp cayenne.
6

Control

Reduce to low heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bottom does not catch.

When the broth has slight body, add the shrimp and cook only 4-5 minutes, then ladle over steamed white rice.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Dark chocolate-brown roux provides the complex, nutty base for this Louisiana stew.
Finish cue: Stir often until the vegetables soften, turn glossy, and loosen the browned flavor from the pot.
Avoid this: Cook the roux until it approaches a chocolate-brown color and smells nutty, not burnt.
Substitution: Pour in 1000 ml chicken stock gradually, stirring each addition into the roux so the liquid stays smooth instead of forming floury lumps.