Louisiana Cajun gumbo is a very popular Cajun dish. A good Cajun gumbo is full of flavor and has a variety of options for meats, seafood and vegetables to compliment the experience. My favorite Louisiana Cajun gumbo recipe is very easy to make and always gets eaten in our home over the course of several days. As described below, removing the roux from the jar and mixing it until a smooth consistency the roux is probably the hardest part of this recipe.
Adding optional ingredients such as blue crab, hot beef sausage, and oysters are a matter of preference. A chicken only or sausage only gumbo is just fine. A seafood only gumbo works too! Its really up to you as to what what you want in your Cajun gumbo. My personal favorite meat and seafood gumbo has sausage, chicken, shrimp, and hot beef sausage (rolled into balls).
This recipe will make a LOT of gumbo so its perfect for a large family or an at home get together with friends.
Summary:
In summary the process for Louisiana Cajun Gumbo goes like this: (1) Brown chicken and sausage. (2) Fill pot with water and bring to a boil, add veggies and meats such as sausage and chicken. (3) Boil until veggies start to get soft. (4) Add Roux, reduce heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes. (5) Season to taste with Cajun Seasoning, black pepper, and salt. (6) Reduce heat to low and add seafood and any other more delicate ingredients. (7) Cook on low for 5 minutes and remove from heat. (8) After about 15 minutes skim any grease from top of gumbo and discard. Prepare rice (separately) if desired. Eat and enjoy.
Ingredients:
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
3 lbs Smoked Sausage (or any sausage you prefer)
Holy Trinity (equal parts of chopped onion, bell pepper, celery)
2 cloves garlic chopped
Pre-made jar of Roux (see recommendations)
4 lbs raw shrimp (peeled)
Black Ground Pepper (will season to taste)
Cajun Seasoning (season to taste per desired spice level) (see recommendations)
Salt (season to taste)
5-7 Frozen Blue Crabs (optional)
Hot Beef Sausage (optional)
Raw Oysters (optional)
Detailed Cooking Process:
1. Fill large pot with water approximate halfway. Turn on high heat. It takes a while to bring a large pot of water to boil on most stoves so I recommend you start it early.
2. Cut up the sausage into approximately 1/4 inch pieces.
3. Remove excess fat from chicken breasts and cut into 1/2 to 1 inch square pieces.
4. Brown the sausage and the chicken. I recommend browning in the oven broiler using pans as it will be faster for such a large amount of meat. If you opted to include Hot Beef Sausage, role into small balls and brown.
5. Once browned, add all of the meat (except hot beef sausage) to the pot including the juices left from the browning. We will remove excess grease later.
6. Add the holy trinity and garlic to the pot.
7. Add about 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning and 1 tablespoon black ground pepper. You will add more later as you season the gumbo to your desired taste.
8. Prepare the pre-made roux. Pour off all of the grease from the top of the roux and discard. Remove the roux from the jar using a spoon and add to a large bowl. Scoop some of the water from the pot and stir to dissolve the roux. Continue to add water from the pot to the bowl until the roux is a consistently smooth sludge and stirring easily.
8. Once pot starts boiling, continue until holy trinity starts getting soft.
9. Add the Pre-made Roux to the pot, reduce to low head, and stir.
10. After about 15 to 20 minutes on low heat, season to taste with Cajun seasoning and black pepper. Taste for spiciness first. If you reach the desired spiciness, but still desire more salt, just add plain salt. I do not recommend adding Cajun seasoning to reach the desired salt level. This can lead to a gumbo which is too spicy!
11. Depending which of the optional ingredients were chosen, add seafood such as shrimp and blue crab. Add the hot beef sausage balls. If you would like to add oysters, do not add to the main gumbo pot. I recommend adding to a separate pot which you plan to serve because oysters left in the gumbo can cause it to spoil.
12. Turn off heat and let gumbo sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Final Steps:
This is a perfect time to prepare rice which complements the gumbo. Using a rice cooker for convenience, we typically prepare 2-3 cups (uncooked) of rice.
Final step is to use a spoon and sift the excess layer of grease from the top of the gumbo and discard. This should be easier as the gumbo starts to cool.
**Do not leave gumbo covered while it is still hot! It needs to cool uncovered or it will continue to cook and spoil.
Grab a bowl, add a few spoons of rice and cover with gumbo. We like to enjoy our gumbo with potato salad and sweet potatoes as sides. These kind of reset your taste buds between spoons of Louisiana Cajun Gumbo. Enjoy!
Faults and Fixes:
Louisiana Cajun Gumbo is easy to make but below are some potential faults and fixes:
Too much seasoning can make it too spicy or too salty. If this happens, you can try removing some of the water through a strainer so you can save the ingredients. Then replace with plain water.
Not enough roux will make the flavor less bold. In my experience I have never had a problem with adding too much roux.
Too much water will dilute the flavor. In this case I recommend adding more roux and seasoning to taste.
