Various Gulf Chef’s Gumbo Recipes

I’ll have to try some of these local Mississippi Gulf Coast gumbo recipes by local chefs and other sources!

https://www.gulfcoast.org/blog/post/gumbo-recipes/

New Orleans Style by Lauren Allen

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/authentic-new-orleans-style-gumbo/

For the Roux:

• ▢1 heaping cup all-purpose flour
• ▢2/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)

For the Gumbo:

• ▢1 bunch celery , diced, leaves and all
• ▢1 green bell pepper , diced
• ▢1 large yellow onion , diced
• ▢1 bunch green onion , finely chopped
• ▢1 bunch fresh parsley leaves , finely chopped
• ▢2-3 cloves garlic
• ▢1-2 Tablespoons cajun seasoning *
• ▢6-8 cups Chicken broth *
• ▢12 ounce package andouille sausages , sliced into 'coins' (substitute Polska Kielbasa if you can't find a good Andouille)
• ▢Meat from 1 Rotisserie Chicken*
• ▢2 cups Shrimps , pre cooked
• ▢cooked white rice for serving

• Instructions

   

  • Make the Roux*: In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, "cookie dough" like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.
  • Brown the sausage. In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.
  • Cook the vegetables in broth. Add ½ cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot. 
  • Add remaining 5 ½ cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well. 
  • Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.
  • Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
  • Taste and serve. At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking--salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe's stuff or more chicken broth--until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)

  Notes

  Roux: The roux can be made 3-5 days in advance, stored in a large resealable bag in the fridge.

  Cajun seasoning: My preferred brand is Joe's Stuff Cajun Seasoning but I can usually only find it online. You could use any brand, but may need to adjust the amount added, to taste. You can also make your own cajun seasoning.

  Chicken and broth:The best way to make this gumbo is by buying a rotisserie chicken--removing all the chicken, and using the carcass to make homemade chicken broth. Then make the gumbo using the chicken and homemade broth. You can use store-bought chicken broth, but homemade is way better! Here's a tutorial for making it from scratch.

  Storing Instructions:  Store Gumbo covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.  

  Freezing Instructions: This recipe makes quite a lot, so save leftovers for another day!  To freeze gumbo, allow it to cool completely and store it in a freezer safe container (separate from the rice) for 2-3 months.  Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Julian Brunt’s Gumbo Recipe

Food and Travel Writer

 

Ingredients

2 large onions, diced
2-3 green bell peppers, diced
2 cups celery, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
1-1½ cups okra, sliced (Note: Frozen is OK
1 whole chicken, or 4 chicken thighs (skin on)
2 cups sliced Conecuh smoked sausage, chopped
1-2 lbs. large wild-caught shrimp, shell removed
Chicken stock – enough to cover by at least one inch
Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
Red pepper flakes to taste
Roux: 3-4 tbsp oil, 3-4 tbsp flour

Instruction

1. Season the chicken with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, and roast until golden brown. Set aside, and allow to cool.
2. Add oil to a heavy cast iron pot or stainless steel-lined copper stock pot. Sauté sausage until browned. Remove sausage from pan, and set aside. Reserve pot for the next step (do not clean).
3. Season the shrimp with Tony’s. In the same pot, cook small batches of the shrimp on high heat. Slightly sear for about 1 minute per side, tossing frequently. Remove shrimp from pot, and set aside.
4. Set heat to medium. Add all the vegetables, and season with Tony’s and red pepper flakes. Cook until caramelized, about 20-40 minutes. It should be reduced in volume by about 40%.
5. While veggies cook, debone the chicken and set aside.
6. In another pot, combine chicken skin, bones, and any vegetable trimmings with the chicken stock. Simmer for an hour.
    
    
7. Strain the stock, and add to the pot of veggies.
8. In another heavy-bottomed pan, combine equal parts oil and flour to create a roux. Stir over medium heat with a wooden spoon, making sure to stir out all lumps. When the roux turns dark brown, add it to the pot of veggies and stock.
    
    
9. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the sausage and chicken, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
10. When the gumbo is almost done, add the shrimp and turn off the heat.
11. Serve with steamed Mississippi rice (such as David Arant’s Delta Blues Rice), or, as Julian Brunt likes it, topped with ¼ cup of potato salad.

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Austin Sumrall’s Smokehouse Gumbo Recipe

Chef/Owner of White Pillars Restaurant and Lounge (Biloxi)

Yield: 1 Gallon

Ingredients 

3 large yellow onions, diced small
3 red bell peppers, diced small
1½ heads celery, diced small
¼ head garlic, minced
¼ cup thyme, chopped
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Bacon
1 cup peanut oil
1¼ cups All Purpose flour
Salt & pepper (to taste)
½ bottle dark beer
7 cups chicken stock (made from bones of smoked chicken)
2 cups braised collard greens
2 whole chickens, smoked with salt, pepper & thyme
½ lb. smoked sausage (preferably andouille sausage)
Garnish: Rice, green onions (sliced on a bias)

Instructions

1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and thyme (to taste). Smoke chicken.
2. Debone chicken and set meat aside. Reserve bones for the next step.
3. In a large stock pot, combine the bones of the smoked chicken with 7 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 4-6 hours to create a stock.
4. While stock is simmering, dice/cut veggies.
5. Once stock is finished, take a few cups to submerge the collard greens in another pot with some onions, and bacon, seasoned to your liking. Braise until tender.
6. In another pot, combine the peanut oil and flour to create a roux. Cook on stove until the roux turns deep brown. Deglaze with beer.
7. To the roux, add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper.
8. Add chicken, braised collard greens, and sausage. Simmer for at least an hour.
9. Serve topped with rice and green onions.

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Michael Paoletti’s Duck, Shrimp, And Andouille Gumbo Recipe

Chef/Owner of Food, Booze, & Hiccups (Ocean Springs)

Yield: 8-10 servings
Time: 2 days

Ingredients

Duck Fat Roux: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup duck fat
8 duck thighs; confit, cooled, and pulled
1 large yellow onion, medium diced
1 bell pepper seeded, medium diced
2 celery stalks; leaves removed, medium diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. okra; roasted and pureed
4 quarts shrimp stock
8 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp hot sauce
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cayenne
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. andouille sausage, cut crosswise ¼-inch thick
1 lb. Gulf shrimp (about 21-25 shrimp), peeled and deveined
Kosher salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
For Serving: Cooked white rice & fresh herbs

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Make duck fat roux by mixing whole wheat flour and duck fat in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Constantly whisk until “peanut butter” in color. Set aside.
3. Season duck thighs and cook in duck fat at 300F for 1 ½ hours, covered. Once finished, cool the duck thighs (uncovered, but still in duck fat) in the refrigerator.
4. Once cooled, remove the duck thighs from the fat. Remove, and discard the skin. Pull the meat from the bone. Reserve meat, and discard bones.
5. Strain the duck fat, and reserve for next step.
6. In a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat, add enough duck fat to cover the bottom. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Sauté.
7. While the vegetables are sautéing, place the okra on a pan in the oven to roast until charred. Let cool slightly, then blend to a paste in blender.
8. Add the okra paste to the stock pot. Mix for 2 minutes to combine. Add stock.
9. Add hot sauce, smoked paprika, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Turn heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
10. Once boiling, whisk in the roux and turn heat down to medium-low. Simmer for 1 hour.
11. While the stock pot is simmering, cook the andouille sausage in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Add sausage to the stock pot.
12. Remove stock pot from heat after 1 hour, and cool uncovered in refrigerator overnight.
13. Once ready to eat on the next day, reheat gumbo over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add shrimp, and cook through.
14. Serve over rice, and garnish with fresh herbs.

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Lauren Joffrion’s Gumbo Recipe

Chef de Cuisine at Thorny Oyster(Bay St. Louis)

 

Ingredients

1 cup All Purpose flour
¾ cup butter
4 quarts homemade crab stock (with roasted shrimp shells)
1 lb. green onion sausage, diced
2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
1 ½ cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp instant coffee
2 tbsp Cajun blackening seasoning
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Crystal hot sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tsp gumbo file
3 cups okra, sliced
2 cups oysters, shucked
5 lbs. shrimp
1 lb. lump crabmeat
For Serving: Two Brooks Farms “Blue Jasmoon Rice,” green onions, and fried soft-shell crab

Instructions

1. Peel shrimp, and save shells to roast for the crab stock.
2. In a cast iron skillet, brown the green onion sausage and strain fat. Set aside.
3. Make roux in a large pot, by melting butter over medium heat. Add flour, stirring constantly until it turns a dark caramel color, approximately 30-40 minutes.
4. Once the roux is toasted to a dark brown, turn the heat to low. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery, stirring quickly so the roux does not burn.
5. Add stock, and bring to a slow simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent roux from burning, and veggies from sticking.
6. Add seasonings, hot sauce, instant coffee, Worcestershire sauce, gumbo file, and bay leaves. Allow to simmer slowly over 2 hours so that the flavors infuse.
7. Add shrimp, sausage, okra, and oysters. Cook through.
8. Just before serving, turn off heat and add lump crabmeat. Stir to incorporate, heating crabmeat through.
9. Serve with Two Brooks Farms “Blue Jasmoon Rice” and green onions. To make it extra special, garnish with half of a fried soft-shell crab.