This spicy Cajun gumbo, a stew originating in Louisiana in the 18th century, gains much of its flavor from the dark roux and its characteristic thickness from file, an herb made from the ground leaves of the sassafras tree. Onions, celery and green peppers, the “holy trinity” of both Creole and Cajun cooking, add flavor and substance to the thick shrimp and sausage stew, which is served over a heaping portion of white rice.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 ounces vegetable oil
- 4 ounces all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 pounds raw, whole, head-on medium-sized (31-50 count) shrimp
- 2 quarts water
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced green peppers
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and browned
- 1 tablespoon file powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.
- While the roux is baking, de-head, peel and devein the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a bowl and set in the refrigerator. Place the heads and shells in a 4-quart saucepan along with the 2 quarts of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until the liquid has reduced to 1-quart. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid into a container, discarding the solids.
- Once the roux is done, carefully remove it from the oven and set over medium-high heat. Gently add the onions, celery, green peppers and garlic and cook, moving constantly for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Gradually add the shrimp broth while whisking continually. Decrease the heat to low, cover and cook for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the shrimp and sausage and stir to combine. Add the file powder while stirring constantly. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes prior to serving. Serve over rice.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 408 calorie |
| Total Fat | 25 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 3 grams |
| Cholesterol | 183 milligrams |
| Sodium | 1939 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 21 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.5 grams |
| Protein | 24 grams |
| Sugar | 3 grams |
| Calories | 408 calorie |
| Total Fat | 25 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 3 grams |
| Cholesterol | 183 milligrams |
| Sodium | 1939 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 21 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.5 grams |
| Protein | 24 grams |
| Sugar | 3 grams |
Reviews
I don’t know any chefs in my hometown of New Orleans who make a roux like this. Sorry Alton, I usually love most of your recipes, but this is all wrong. Leah Chase would be appalled.
Great recipe just swap out the tomatoes for Okra or just don’t use the tomatoes at all.
Very delicious recipe thanks for sharing this
Healthy Food Care
Healthy Food Care
This recipe is horrific—since when has gumbo had tomatoes in it? Not authentic (and I’m from New Orleans, going back four generations). My grandmothers must be rotating in their graves.
Best Gumbo recipe!! We use this recipe every year for Fat Tuesday!! We use chicken stock instead of making shrimp stock. Just add some cayenne and a couple shots of tobacco at the end to your own preference, and it’s the bees knee!! We always had extra veggies and okra, and my god it is sooooo good!! If you do extra veggies, had extra broth.
Best gumbo I ever made !
Excellent and easy, yet tastes the same as or better than some of the Gumbo that I have tasted in New Orleans.
Outstanding
Way too much salt. I knew I should have cut it back, but since it was the first time I made this, I went ahead and trusted the recipe. Also need to cook the roux more–it was not brown enough in the time allotted. Otherwise, OK, but I’ve had better gumbo.
Good except for the omission of okra. It definitely needs okra.