...has been on my to-do list for quite a while and with my recent purchase of fresh shrimp, it was time. Last week I went over to Gay Fish Company on St. Helena Island and restocked my supply of shrimp right off of the boat. 100 lbs...
![Resized_20220919_194104[1].jpeg](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='750' height='1000' viewBox%3D'0 0 750 1000'%2F%3E "Resized_20220919_194104[1].jpeg")
After freezing them in quart containers, it was time to cook some and gumbo was on the menu. I peeled a quart and gathered up most of the rest of the ingredients which included a pack of Zatarain's Andouille Sausage, 6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs, colored bell peppers chopped, a couple of medium yellow onions chopped, a couple of stalks of celery chopped, about a pound of fresh okra cut up, and a large can of diced tomatoes...
![20220927_155243[1].jpg](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='1000' height='750' viewBox%3D'0 0 1000 750'%2F%3E "20220927_155243[1].jpg")
Not pictured was 2 quarts of unsalted chicken broth, Slap Ya Mama seasoning, a bay leaf, course salt and cracked black pepper, 3/4 cup A.P. flour, 3/4 cup of vegetable oil.
First up is the chicken. I seasoned it with the Slap Ya Mama and grilled it over some lump. The cooked chicken was then cut into bite size pieces...
Since the grill was hot, might as well cook the sausage on it, too. Sliced and onto the grill until browned...
Time to cook the roux. The vegetable oil was heated on medium and the flour was whisked in. The roux is stirred constantly until the desired color is achieved, about 15 minutes for me this time...
After achieving a medium brown color, I stirred in the holy trinity of Cajun cooking. Stirring almost constantly until the vegetables begin to soften. The roux will thicken some...
Meanwhile in a large pot, I combined the tomatoes and chicken broth. Brought that up to a simmer...
Once the vegetables were soft, they were stirred into the pot...
Next the okra was sauted in a couple of tsp of bacon drippings until slightly browned...
This was then stirred into the pot, the bay leaf, sausage, and chicken were added and it was all simmered covered for about an hour...
The shrimp were stirred in and the pot was removed from the heat. Don't want to overcook the shrimp. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary...
Served over rice, dusted with a little more of the Slap Ya Mama, and garnished with chopped green onions. Time to eat...
I did not add any extra seasoning to the pot while all was cooking nor did I add any hot sauce, it was available on the side. The roux is critical to this dish and it can not be left alone, stir constantly or it will burn and you'll have to start over. It can be cooked to whatever shade of brown you desire, I stopped at a medium darkness due to time constraints and that took about 15 minutes to achieve.
The sausage can be browned in a skillet on the stove. This may be better because there won't be any loss of drippings that I had through the pan I used on the grill. The chicken was something I had and can be found in many gumbo recipes, but can be left out. Also, it can be browned in a skillet on the stove.
My family really liked this and my 6 year old granddaughter actually ate 2 helpings although she is not a fan of the okra...yet
, she picked it out. But I believe okra is essential to gumbo...
After freezing them in quart containers, it was time to cook some and gumbo was on the menu. I peeled a quart and gathered up most of the rest of the ingredients which included a pack of Zatarain's Andouille Sausage, 6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs, colored bell peppers chopped, a couple of medium yellow onions chopped, a couple of stalks of celery chopped, about a pound of fresh okra cut up, and a large can of diced tomatoes...
Not pictured was 2 quarts of unsalted chicken broth, Slap Ya Mama seasoning, a bay leaf, course salt and cracked black pepper, 3/4 cup A.P. flour, 3/4 cup of vegetable oil.
First up is the chicken. I seasoned it with the Slap Ya Mama and grilled it over some lump. The cooked chicken was then cut into bite size pieces...
Since the grill was hot, might as well cook the sausage on it, too. Sliced and onto the grill until browned...
Time to cook the roux. The vegetable oil was heated on medium and the flour was whisked in. The roux is stirred constantly until the desired color is achieved, about 15 minutes for me this time...
After achieving a medium brown color, I stirred in the holy trinity of Cajun cooking. Stirring almost constantly until the vegetables begin to soften. The roux will thicken some...
Meanwhile in a large pot, I combined the tomatoes and chicken broth. Brought that up to a simmer...
Once the vegetables were soft, they were stirred into the pot...
Next the okra was sauted in a couple of tsp of bacon drippings until slightly browned...
This was then stirred into the pot, the bay leaf, sausage, and chicken were added and it was all simmered covered for about an hour...
The shrimp were stirred in and the pot was removed from the heat. Don't want to overcook the shrimp. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary...
Served over rice, dusted with a little more of the Slap Ya Mama, and garnished with chopped green onions. Time to eat...
I did not add any extra seasoning to the pot while all was cooking nor did I add any hot sauce, it was available on the side. The roux is critical to this dish and it can not be left alone, stir constantly or it will burn and you'll have to start over. It can be cooked to whatever shade of brown you desire, I stopped at a medium darkness due to time constraints and that took about 15 minutes to achieve.
The sausage can be browned in a skillet on the stove. This may be better because there won't be any loss of drippings that I had through the pan I used on the grill. The chicken was something I had and can be found in many gumbo recipes, but can be left out. Also, it can be browned in a skillet on the stove.
My family really liked this and my 6 year old granddaughter actually ate 2 helpings although she is not a fan of the okra...yet
, she picked it out. But I believe okra is essential to gumbo...
