Cajun Gumbo
What sets apart a real Cajun gumbo is the quality of the roux.
My husband was born in Slidell, Louisiana. He has such a strong connection to both the state and the food. It’s been raining a lot in San Francisco so I wanted to surprise him with a hearty, warming Cajun Gumbo. A proper Cajun roux can take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to cook on your stove top. Be prepared to stand at your stove for that duration of time, dear reader. Alternatively, deploy helpful husbands to this task. Just make sure they are situated with a cold beer.
Classically, a dark Cajun roux combines with rich stock, chicken, shrimp, and the Holy Trinity (onions, pepper, and celery) to create this most soulful dish of West African, Spanish, and French influences. The biggest difference between a Cajun and a Creole gumbo is that a Creole gumbo uses tomatoes. So don’t let people tell you that there is one way to make a proper gumbo. Besides the use of a dark roux, the real defining ingredient in a gumbo is the use of gumbo filé. Filé comes from the sassafras root which Native Americans have used to thicken soups and stews for millenia. While this recipe takes time to produce, know that it has been approved by my Louisiana-born husband.
Ingredients For the Cajun Roux
2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 scant cup of all-purpose flour
Ingredients For the Gumbo
1 cup celery, diced (roughly 6 stalks)
1 cup green bell pepper, diced (one whole pepper)
2 cups onion, diced (roughly one large onion)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
6 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons of hot sauce, Crystal brand
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons gumbo file
12 ounce package andouille sausage, sliced into thin rounds
8 ounce fresh or frozen okra (optional)
0.75-1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced for garnish
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped for garnish
Steamed white rice for serving
Kosher salt to taste
Serves 4
Directions
In a Dutch oven, bring vegetable oil to medium high heat. Add the flour and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 30 minutes to achieve a chocolate-colored Cajun roux. If your roux gets really tight, go ahead and add a tablespoon of additional vegetable oil at a time to achieve the consistency of gravy.
Once your roux is cooked, add in your diced onions, peppers, and celery. Cook over medium high heat for five minutes. Then, add your garlic and cook for another minute before adding in your chicken thigh chunks. These will cook for another five minutes until you no longer see raw meat.
Next, deglaze the pan with the chicken stock. Be sure to scrape all bits of the fond off the bottom of the pan. Season your gumbo with hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, bay leaves, and gumbo file. Wait until the end of the cooking time to season with salt. Cover and bring the mixture up to a boil before cutting the heat to medium low. Simmer the gumbo with the lid off for 45 minutes to one hour.
While the gumbo is simmering, saute the andouille sausage rounds in another pan over medium high heat until browned on both sides. Add the sausage to the gumbo pot.
Finally, cut the heat off. Add the shrimp and chopped parsley to the gumbo pot and cover with a lid. Cook the shrimp with the residual heat for two minutes. Season to taste with salt. Ladle gumbo into a bowl with steamed white rice, top with scallions, and enjoy with an ice cold Abita Amber Lager.