A Few Tips For Serving Gumbo

Introducing Traditional Louisiana Gumbo To Your Family

You can't talk about cooking southern style without discussing one particular dish - gumbo. This deep south classic has as many variations as there are families. Count yourself lucky if you have received a gumbo recipe passed down through generations. However, if you are new to this southern cooking tradition, you can still find plenty of recipes folks are willing to share.

Let's take a look at a few basic ingredients and steps in making a classic pot of southern style gumbo. Perhaps you will want to tweak this and create your own family gumbo tradition to pass down. It will certainly be a labor of love!

Although gumbo is based on the principle that 'anything goes,' there are a few ingredients that make a gumbo classic and very southern style. You will begin with a dark, or chocolate roux, which is basically a mixture of oil and flour, cooked down until it is dark brown in color. There are several ways to make a good roux, so just do some searching and experimenting until you get the roux you want - dark brown, never burned, slightly thickened, and nutty in flavor.

Once you have your roux, the next must-have ingredient is The Holy Trinity. This is really three ingredients - onion, green bell pepper, and celery - but they are linked as one ingredient since the combination is so important to true southern dishes. Every southern style gumbo includes this ingredient, stirred into the roux, then cooked just until the vegetables are softened. You can add a little garlic after the vegetables have cooked if you like.

The base for your gumbo is almost complete.

Next, you will need to add some sort of stock. Depending on what is available to you, and partly based on what sort of gumbo you are making, the stock will be either shrimp, chicken, duck, fish, or any combination. If you are making a traditional seafood gumbo, shrimp stock is highly desirable and easily made by throwing the heads and shells you remove from the shrimp into a pot of water and boiling for about a half hour or so. If you don't get enough stock for your gumbo, just mix it in with other stock you have. The flavor of the shrimp stock is very intense and perfect for seafood gumbo.

After you add the stock to the pot with the roux and the slightly cooked Holy Trinity, let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes or so to marry the flavors. Some people like to add a can of crushed tomatoes with the stock to cut some of the darkness of the roux flavor. The tomato flavor is very nice and is also classic, so this may be something you want to do, also.

Now that the flavors have married, it's time to taste and start seasoning. You will need lots of salt and some black pepper, cumin, and red pepper flakes or hot sauce if you like. Oregano works well, too. You just need to taste and adjust the flavor as you wish.

You now have your completed gumbo base.

The rest of the gumbo ingredients all depends on what you have on hand. This is where the cook has to make choices. Some of the best classic gumbo recipes will include seafood such as shrimp, oysters, or fish, as well as chicken, duck, or turkey.

Of course, Andouille sausage is another ingredient that definitely screams "Southern Gumbo." The flavor complements seafood ingredients well, but if you're concerned that the Andouille sausage flavor will overpower the seafood, use just a little sausage. Even a few pieces will be a delight in a big bowl of gumbo.
Now, we have another choice to consider - okra or file powder. Most gumbo cooks prefer to use one or the other, not both together. However, there is no hard and fast rule about this, so go ahead and try both. Either one will slightly thicken the gumbo and provide great flavor.

Which brings us to the process of adding the ingredients once the base is ready. You will want your pot to be at a simmer, not a boil, then start adding the ingredients that can stay in the pot the longest - Andouille, chicken, duck, turkey, or other meat - before you add the ingredients that only take minutes to cook. About 5 minutes before you are ready to serve, add the ingredients that require minimum cooking - shrimp, oysters, and other seafood, along with file powder or okra if you are using either, or both. Watch the seafood closely and remove the pot from the burner when the shrimp is pink and the oysters curl. Serve by ladling into big bowls and top with a scoop of hot cooked rice if you like.

That's it! You now have a pot of authentic southern gumbo for your family. The tradition of making a big pot of gumbo with whatever you have on hand goes very, very deep. If you aren't a part of this tradition yet, now is the time to start!  Enjoy!