Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

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It’s Mardi Gras season, time for gumbo! If you question anybody from Louisiana or the Mississippi Sound about making gumbo, the first thing they will tell you is about making the roux. My college roommate (from Metairie), my brother’s girlfriend (Biloxi), and my parent’s neighbor of 35 years (New Orleans), have pretty much all told me the same thing, “My mother used to take out an old penny and sit it next to the pot. ‘You’re done when the roux is the color of this penny.’” Now, these women certainly did not have the same mother, but they shared the same story. I’m guessing making a proper roux must be a rite of passage for a kid from around those parts, and probably a bit challenging because it requires a little patience. 25 minutes or so of stirring can seem like forever to a 10 year old!

But it really is the roux that makes the difference. The slow cooking of of oil and flour together create a wonderful flavor as the flour browns. Now, I’ve also read about gumbos made with a “blonde” roux, in which the roux is not browned nearly as much. So, I would love to get your opinion on this if you are familiar with the various approaches to making gumbo. Enjoy!

If you are not familiar with filé (fee-lay), it is a powder made from dried sassafras leaves. It is a powerful thickener, but must be added at the end of cooking or it will form slimy, ropey strands in the gumbo. Filé is available in many supermarkets (we found ours at Whole Foods), or online.

1/2 cup peanut oil, or other vegetable oil1/2 cup flour1 green pepper, chopped1 medium onion, chopped3 celery stalks, chopped4 garlic cloves, minced1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning1 quart shellfish* or chicken stock, plus 1 cup water2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce8-12 ounces smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveinedSalt and pepper to taste3-5 green onions, white and green parts, choppedFile powder (optional)Hot sauce (such as Tabasco) to taste

* Note that you can make your own shellfish stock with the shells from the shrimp. Put the shrimp shells and tail tips in a pot and cover with 2 of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for an hour. Strain and use in this recipe for the stock. Diluted bottle clam juice will also work as shellfish stock in this recipe.

1 First, make the roux. Heat the peanut oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven, on medium high heat, for a minute or two. Whisk in the flour and lower the heat to medium. Stir almost constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir.  Let the roux cook until it is the color of peanut butter, then lower the heat to medium low. Keep cooking and stirring (careful, you want the flour to cook, not burn!) until the roux is the color of an old penny, about 20-30 minutes total time.

2 Mix in the "holy trinity" of green pepper, onion and celery and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the Cajun seasoning.

3 In a separate pot, heat the stock and water until steamy. Slowly add the steamy stock and water to the bell pepper onion roux mixture, stirring constantly while you do so. Do not add cold stock to a hot roux; room temperature is fine, but adding ice cold stock to hot roux can break it, leaving a pool of oil on the top of your gumbo. Bring the gumbo to a simmer and add the Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.

If you find that the roux has broken a bit and oil is pooling on the surface of the gumbo, whisk in about another 1/2 to 1 cup of water. This will often "fix" it.

4 Stir in the andouille sausage and cook for 5 minutes (andouille sausage is already cooked, so you just need to heat it). Add the shrimp, return to a simmer and cook another 5 minutes, until the shrimp has just cooked through. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve with white rice, garnished with green onions. To eat, sprinkle with filé powder and hot sauce.

Yield: Serves 6-8.

Filed under Cajun, Comfort Food, Sausage, Shrimp, Soup and Stew

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