How to Make Gumbo

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Categories: Food | How Tos

  • Gumbo is an inexpensive dinner, commonly served in Louisiana. You don't need to travel to New Orleans to indulge in gumbo; it's simple to make at home with ingredients you may already have in your kitchen. Read on to learn how to make gumbo and save yourself the cost of a plane ticket.

  • Introduction

    • The key to good gumbo is the roux. For a tasty gumbo, cook the roux until it's a rich mahogany color. The roux serves a dual purpose: it thickens the soup and flavors it as well. If you're using poultry in your gumbo, you can increase the flavor of the roux by preparing it in the same pan you fried the poultry in, using the reserved cooking fat as the basis of the roux.

  • Step 1: What You'll Need to Make Authentic Cajun Gumbo

    • Gumbo can be made with almost any meat of shell fish you have in your kitchen. The most flavorful gumbos include poultry seafood and sausage, combining distinct tastes and textures.

    Ingredients for Gumbo

    • 2 1/2 pounds of poultry such as chicken or duck and/or or shell fish, such as shrimp, oysters or crab
    • 1 teaspoon (for each pound of poultry) each salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder, combined
    • 1 cup each onions and green peppers, chopped
    • 3/4 cup celery, chopped
    • 1 1/4 cups flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder and cayenne pepper
    • Vegetable oil
    • 7 cups chicken stock
    • 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 3 cups cooked rice

    Equipment for Gumbo

    • Mixing bowl
    • Spoon
    • Resealable bag
    • Deep cast iron frying pan
    • Cooking thermometer
    • Paper towels
    • Tongs
    • Whisk
    • Metal bowl to hold hot fat
    • 1/2 cup measuring cup
    • Knife
    • 6 quart stock pot


  • Step 2: How to Make Gumbo

    1. Leave poultry on the bone, cut into pieces to make it easy to fry.
    2. Season poultry liberally with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt at least 30 minutes before beginning to cook.
    3. Combine onions, green peppers and celery in a bowl.
    4. If using poultry, combine flour, garlic pepper, and cayenne pepper in a resealable bag, and shake to mix well. Add the poultry and shake until coated. Do not discard the excess flour—you'll need it later.
    5. Add 1 1/3 inches of vegetable oil in the cast iron pan, and heat to a temperature of 400 degrees. If using chicken, you'll need to fry it. If you're just making a seafood gumbo, you can proceed directly to make the roux in step 7
      1. Add poultry to the pan and fry 5-8 minutes per side until it is brown and crispy.
      2. Don't crowd the poultry, as you won't get a good crust if there are too many pieces in the oil at once. You may need to fry it in batches if you don't have a large frying pan.
      3. Drain the chicken on paper towels.
    6. Pour off the fat and use the whisk to loosen the poultry and flour at the bottom of the pan.
    7. Return 1/2 cup of oil to the pan. If you didn't use chicken, just begin here with fresh vegetable oil.
    8. Place the pan over high heat, and whisk in 1/2 cup of the seasoned flour that's left in the bag you used to coat the poultry, or a 1/2 cup of plain flour if this is just a seafood gumbo.
    9. Cook over high heat about 4 minutes, whisking constantly. You want the roux to be dark brown, but not burned.
    10. Remove from heat and add the vegetable mixture.
    11. Return the pan to low heat and cook until the onions, peppers, and celery are soft.
    12. Bring the stock to a boil in the stock pot.
    13. Add the vegetable-roux mixture one gradually, whisking thoroughly to make sure it's fully incorporated.
    14. And the garlic and sausage and simmer for 45 minutes.
    15. If you're using seafood, add it 10 minutes before the gumbo is done.
    16. The poultry you fried in step 5 should be removed from the bone, cut into 1/2 cubes, and added immediately before serving.
    17. Serve over rice.

  • Step 3: Gumbo Tips

    1. If you can't find andouille sausage, kielbasa can be substituted.
    2. Okra is a common addition to gumbo. It can be quartered and sliced, and added with the onions, peppers, and celery.
    3. Chicken is the most common type of poultry for gumbo, but duck or guinea hens can also be used.
    4. You can substitute 2 1/2 pounds of beef neck or seven bone steak for the poultry for a richer tasting gumbo.
    5. Some people season their gumbo with Tabasco sauce, to increase the heat of the soup.

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