Barb's Gumbo

"This is my recipe for gumbo. I have made it with shrimp or chicken. We like it either way. You can make it as spicy as you like . We do not care for it to spicy or hot."
 
Download
photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
photo by limeandspoontt
photo by kelli photo by kelli
photo by Oliver1010 photo by Oliver1010
photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
photo by limeandspoontt photo by limeandspoontt
Ready In:
1hr 5mins
Ingredients:
20
Serves:
4
Advertisement

ingredients

Advertisement

directions

  • Add oil to skillet, heat over medium heat add the flour, to make a roux.
  • (It is ready when it's color matches that of a penney).
  • This may take about 15 minutes.
  • Stir in onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and black pepper.
  • Cook over medium heat about 3 minutes or till vegetables are crisp tender.
  • Gradually stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, salt, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, corn, okra, Basil, thyme, cumin and bay leaf.
  • Bring to boiling point; reduce heat.
  • Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Add SHRIMP during the last 5 minutes.
  • Serve over Rice.
  • This can also be made with chicken, if using chicken.
  • Use chicken breast cut in chunks Add during the last 20 to 30 minute cooking time.
  • Smoked sausage is also good added with the chicken.
  • I have added a can of crabmeat to the shrimp version.

Questions & Replies

  1. There’s no corn in Cajun gumbo!
     
  2. How well does this reheat?
     
  3. This looks fantastic, but neither my wife or I like okra. Can anything be substituted for that? And pay no mind to the people complaining about it not being "real" gumbo. Like someone else said, like soups or stews or chili, there are endless varieties. Just enjoy food without having to be a purist all the time.
     
  4. Stupid question, but do you throw the shrimp in raw, cooked or from frozen? Going to make this tonight.
     
  5. it is not real gumbo. It is Barb's version of it that is why it has corn in it
     
Advertisement

Reviews

  1. This looks good, but it isn’t gumbo. I’m from the gumbo capital of the world, and we do not put corn and tomatoes in gumbo. This is more like a shrimp stew with corn. I’m not being ugly here, but we take our gumbo serious here in south Louisiana. That being said, I would definitely cook this and eat it... it looks delicious.
     
  2. This how my mother has made gumbo for years. She was born and raised in Savannah and cooked more like south Carolina style. She doesn't use a roux... says her gumbo is plenty thick with good things like crab meat and shrimp. LOL. It is hard to find a gumbo that is based on Chicken broth and has frozen corn kernels and tomatoes. As far as what is authentic... it truly depends on what part of the dirty south you are from... Louisiana style gumbo maybe the most popular.. but is certainly not the only one. ;-)
     
  3. Very yummy. I like things more spicy, so I made a couple additions. I crushed a couple dried cayenne peppers and added them. Then I pulled some smoked andouille sausage from my freezer -- not too much -- to give a tinge of Cajun flavor. The andouille needs to be smoked, not the fresh stuff. I like this recipe and next time I think I'll sautee the veggies and andouille a bit to see how it modifies the flavor. Has anyone else tried this?
     
  4. WOW....this is a wonderful recipe. I made this last night for my family and we loved it. DH went to the farmers market and brought home some okra and green peppers....hmmmmmm, sounds like gumbo to me...lol. I made your recipe and it had my house smelling so good. I did add chicken breast and andouille (sp?) sausage along with the shrimp. We loved it. The only thing I would do differently is use chicken thighs instead of the breasts....I just think it would hold up better, other then that the recipe is the best! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.....we LOVED it.
     
  5. This was great! I made it with chicken (browned cut up chicken breast before adding to the final 30 minute simmer) but found that meat is the last thing needed. The broth and vegetables are terrific over rice. Even my husband found himself eating around the meat, not because it was not tasty, but because the vegetables were soooo good. We like things a bit spicy so I upped the tabasco to 1 1/2 teaspoons. It left a great taste in your mouth after eating. Thanks so much for the recipe!
     
Advertisement

Tweaks

  1. WOW....this is a wonderful recipe. I made this last night for my family and we loved it. DH went to the farmers market and brought home some okra and green peppers....hmmmmmm, sounds like gumbo to me...lol. I made your recipe and it had my house smelling so good. I did add chicken breast and andouille (sp?) sausage along with the shrimp. We loved it. The only thing I would do differently is use chicken thighs instead of the breasts....I just think it would hold up better, other then that the recipe is the best! Thank you so much for sharing this with us.....we LOVED it.
     
  2. I am going to rate this recipe even tho I changed the recipe. The roux was great, added the vegies but omitted the corn and most of the seasonings and used Creole Seasoning instead. Also used 1-28oz. can of tomatoes and boiled a chicken. After boiling, I cut up in chunks and quickly browned in a small amount of oil on high. I then added the chicken to the gumbo. Also I cut up another onion and browned, added it, then browned a few sliced fresh mushrooms, then added it to the pot. I used about 4 c. of okra (frozen, slightly defrosted, then sliced). I followed most of Barb's techniques in how she prepared everything. I loved it even before adding the chicken and will probably make some this summer without any meat and freeze it. My husbands mother was cajun and I love trying new recipes. This one was a winner! Thanks for sharing Barb! This is a keeper.
     
  3. With the weather cold and rainy, gumbo seemed to be the ideal dish. I used butter instead of the oil for the roux, and although standing and stirring the roux until it was the right color was tedious, I know what a taste difference it makes. I didn't add corn (didn't have any) and for convenience's sake I used pre-cooked chicken and some of the shrimp that comes in foil packages. Added only 1 cup of sliced okra and diced that up (personal preference). The end results was a wonderfully flavorful dish served over hot rice with cornbread sticks. Thanks for a really good recipe.
     
  4. This was wonderful! I hadn't made shrimp gumbo in years and chose this recipe because it sounded similar to what my mom used to make. I used butter instead of canola oil for the roux. I also put a 28 oz can of tomatoes in instead of 16 oz. I increased the vegis by a bit and the water by a bit. It resulted in a mild but yummy gumbo that my whole family loved. Next time I'll just double all the ingredients to serve my family of 9. I served cornbread muffins on the side.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Find More Recipes