Gumbo is a complex and flavorful recipe, and before starting cooking it’s worth understanding exactly what gumbo is and how it’s traditionally made. Rooted in Creole-Cajun heritage, it’s a dish that famously hails from Louisiana. It’s a cross between a thick stew and a hearty soup and typically includes ingredients such as sausage, tomatoes, and seafood.
Despite the variety of ingredients, all gumbos will feature a selection of homemade stock, celery, onions, green peppers, and a base roux. It’s a classic American dish to try and features in our round-up of the top iconic American foods to taste, whether you’re a local or traveling through town.
It’s important not to skip the step of including file powder towards the end of cooking, as this helps to thicken the stew and give it that signature gumbo texture. Roux is the primary thickener, but file powder will ensure you get the texture spot on each and every time.
Take care to properly prepare the shrimp. We have a full article and video taking you through the best way to devein and clean your shrimp before adding it to the gumbo pot for optimal results.
Roux Preparation and Flavor Layers
For the tastiest gumbo, you need to start with the perfect roux. In the recipe above we’ve suggested making this with bacon drippings to infuse even more flavor into the gumbo, but you can also make a simple roux and cook it low and slow until it’s brown in color and nutty to taste.
Once you’ve made the roux, it’s about layering the flavors into the gumbo. Ensure you sauté the vegetables in the roux, before building with the stock and seasoning. Add the seafood last and tailor the seasoning to your palate before serving. Whichever selection of ingredients you choose for your gumbo this formula of building flavor is tried and tested for the dish.
Variations and Serving Suggestions
There are so many recipe variations you can explore with gumbo. Andouille sausage is a classic ingredient for a Cajun gumbo, alongside other elements such as shrimp. If preferred, you can make a straight seafood gumbo and switch the sausage out of the recipe above and add lobster instead.
Or, if you want to keep the sausage in the recipe but would like to elevate the gumbo use lobster instead of crab meat. There are a few key differences between the two which you can learn about in our helpful guide, and the texture and flavor will vary depending on your choice of seafood.
You may be wondering what’s the difference between gumbo vs. jambalaya, and it is nuanced. While the base of the dishes are fairly close, gumbo is more akin to a thick stew whereas jambalaya is a baked rice dish which brings all of the ingredients together in one. Both are famous in Louisiana and feature a similar list of ingredients.
