Alton Brown's Shrimp Gumbo

Born in NOLA. No, no, no tomato.

I made this recipe with some changes due to what I had available:

+ Roux base made with 4 oz AP flour and reduced avocado oil to 3.5 oz (due to someone mentioning that their gumbo felt too oily)

+ Roux mixture baked 350F degrees at 75 minutes with 3 whisks spread throughout bake time seemed to give the right color, borderline too dark/burnt. Recommend keeping a closer eye after the first 60 minutes, checking every 10 minutes just in case

+ Upped all the veggies (2 cups onion, 1 cup celery, 1 cup green bell peppers) and I used the 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes given the relative small amount compared to the other veg

+ Used the recommended spices & herbs, subbing in dried thyme as I didn't have fresh, upped cayenne to 1/2 tsp, and added 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika (as my andouille wasn't smoked)

+ Used 8oz clam juice and diluted chicken broth for liquid as I didn't have shrimp shells to make shrimp broth

+ Used 12oz of andouille to make up for less shrimp (only had 16 oz of Gulf shrimp). Don't use oil when browning andouille as they release so much fat!

+ Didn't have file powder :(

Served with basmati rice and garnished with some scallions. It turned out reasonably well! I hoped all the vegetables & tomatoes (tomato skeptics/haters: you don't notice them!) would balance everything out but there was a lingering heaviness on the palate. I'll try the flour toasting trick as mentioned by @CMonie to cut back on the oil (and maybe try peanut, as this helps the flavor profile as well), keep the aforementioned higher veggie ratio, and get file powder to see if my next batch of gumbo turns out better.

*For those wanting a cleaner shrimp stock, buy wild-caught shell-on shrimp, rinse thoroughly, and use only the shells & tails (omitting the heads).

Gumbo does not have tomatoes…Shrimp Creole has tomatoes.

Many Pros and some Cons with this recipe. The Pros: making roux in an oven is great if you are afraid of spending an hour making a dark roux, only to burn it the last five mins. You don’t need to use oil either when baking the flour in the oven. This way you can reduce the oil content to what you prefer when you add it in a pan and then the vegetables.

The key to making a good gumbo is when you mix the roux and broth. The broth needs to be at room temperature when you add it to the hot roux. This way it will congeal very smoothly. If not, hot roux and cold broth will result in a clumpy mixture.

Won’t get into the tomatoes vs no tomatoes but if you do use them, it’s not a lot, more for color.

The spice and vegetable ratios are fine. But for Seafood gumbo, adding some Ole Bay is advisable. Also add white pepper.

Cons: add more sausage, at least 1lb. A 1/2 lb isn’t anything. Secondly, put it in the gumbo longer at least 20 mins to give Gumbo a smoky flavor. You can also use Tasso to give it a more smoky
flavor.

Ca c’est Bon!

I've been making a seafood gumbo for over 10 years for our family Christmas Eve Dinner. I've read many recipes online and tinkered with my recipe over time to get the exact taste that I wanted. Gumbo is like any other recipe, there are as varied as there are cooks. Ultimately you have to find the right recipe that you and your family will enjoy. I will also say that your ingredients matter. I've had some gumbos that tasted murky/muddy and did not care for them. The brand of andouille sausage that you use matters, taste it before you use it. I use Thomas Ragin' Cajun Original Hot Smoked Andouille Sausage. It's the perfect mix of heat and seasoning. The proteins that I use have included shrimp, crab, bay scallops, tasso ham and chicken. Use whatever proteins that you and your family will enjoy I also add a big can of diced tomatoes. They will blend in and break down in your final dish and they add flavor. I also add a tablespoon of tomato paste to my rue at the end along with my vegetables. It makes for a richer and more flavorful gumbo. Again you have to use ingredients that works for you and your family.

I cook my rue in a cast iron skillet and have done it both on the stovetop and in the over. I think the over method works best. It makes for better even cooking and it's less likely to burn. You also do not have to constantly stir it like you do with the stovetop method. I've used both bacon fat and regular oil to mix with the flour. The bacon fat just adds an additional layer of flavor. I've also used a mix of butter and oil, but prefer bacon fat. For the liquid base I've experimented with chicken stock, beef stock, clam juice, lobster stock and seafood stock. It's a matter of how seafood forward that you want your gumbo to be. I also add a couple tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning and I've used Zatarain's crab boil. They both add great seasoning to your gumbo. As far as okra vs file powder, I think that okra will give you a cleaner tasting gumbo. I've not been a fan of file powder. Both are used to thicken your gumbo. I usually chop up my okra so that they blend in with the other vegetables.

Those are my basics.

You lost me at the tomatoes. And the 30-50 count head on shrimp. OKAY the roux in the oven too. I realize that not everyone can get good, fresh shrimp. Nor do you want to waste money on large shrimp if one I also don't care for shrimp heads in my stock. Makes for a muddier, funkier tasting stock. There are more authentic recipes out there. Better yet just come to New Orleans for some gumbo.

Delish! I couldn't find tail-on shrimp in Minnesota so used 1 lb shell-on shrimp and a whole lobster to get a good broth flavor. Andouille seems to come in 12 oz packages so used it all and think it was perfect. Only used 2 tsp salt since 1 TBSP seemed like a bit much and I'm glad I did; think it could actually be reduced to 1.5 tsp. Wonderful with a grapefruity Sauvignon Blanc to balance it all out!

I swap out half the veg oil for bacon drippings.....cant beat it!

Third time, each the charm, but my roux has been golden. And I'm usually finding substitutes for the full on shrimp head broth. This last time, shrimp tails, duck broth, and bottled clam juice.

Never heard of making a roux in the oven,that's the only way to make it now! Didn't have file,or clam juice and it still had good flavor. Used the tomatoe also
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It's recipes not what I misspelled below.

I'll probably use the roux tip, but not crazy about the rest of receipe in total and will use one I got from a couple of Cajuns which includes oysters. Also, never heard of tomatoes in gumbo.

My mother in law browned flour in the oven stirring occasionally till it was just the right color - then she cooled it and stored the flour in the freezer till she was ready to make her gumbo. That way she always had just what she needed to make her amazing chicken and oyster gumbo.

For Lacy Loar,

I wouldn't use butter in a gumbo recipe because I'd be worried I'd burn it. The roux in a gumbo recipe has to be chocolate brown. Just my opinion.

Is there any reason to not use butter for the roux? The only time I made gumbo, it tasted oily from the vegetable oil (a Lagasse recipe). Can I use butter instead?

tomato in gumbo!! no

I'm going to try this method. I hate standing over the stove stirring and stirring and in the end, more times than not, burning the Roux and having to start over. Hate that! I also wouldn't add tomatoes.

The entire state of Louisiana shakes their head at "1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato". Once you add tomato, you no longer have gumbo. I hope you enjoy your seafood stew. I guess we're lucky there aren't any carrots.
Also, file powder is to be added to each bowl after serving, not to the pot.

A friend of mine from Louisiana and I made this tonight. At one and a half hours, we were barely at the "peanut butter stage", and it was getting late. We pulled the pot out of the oven and finished on top of a gas burner. We were also using a Le Creuset. We got to "chocolate" in another 10 minutes, but we could have saved time by going the usual (Paul Prudhomme) way, getting there in in say 30 minutes, rather than and hour and a half with another 10 minute save tacked on. Neither of us thought this so called time saving method warrants a genius recipe. For us it didn't work. We had to rescue what was in the pot. We also thought, if you are going this way, the ratio of oil to flour is off. If you are going to do this, use a third less oil. (We used Wesson.). We think you should stick to the basics. Part of the fun of gumbo is that you might screw up the roux at the very end. Why start off screwing it up before you get there?

I have successfully used the Paul Prudhomme method for roux that calls for a very, very hot iron skillet and constant stirring for five minutes. He has a terrific chicken and sausage gumbo that you can find by Googling.

Very good gumbo. I did not use shrimp but used a quart of chicken stock and the chopped beasts from a rotisserie chicken. I added a handful of thawed okra slices with the tomatoes. Yummy!

I found that the gumbo had a dirty taste. I followed the recipe to the 't', however o am wondering if I omitted the shrimp heads that that would have aleviated the 'dirt' taste, or strain the shrimp broth through a cheesecloth... or went with out the filé... what do you suggest to do differently? A friend suggested to add smoked paprika and white pepper to adjust the flavor, what do you think?

Desperately Yours...

The presentation was beautiful. My roux was a nutty warm brown color. The green pepper, onion, garlic, thyme and bay all sauted together in a sumptuous mix. The shrimp were cooked perfectly by just putting them in at the end with the file. Just as the recipe said. I used lobster stock because I had it and wanted to use it. I just don't think I like gumbo that much. Maybe it's the andouille sausage that I don't care for.

Can you make it he roux with a 2-1 flour to oil rather than the 1-1 roux?

1.5 hrs didn't give my roux a deep color...it was more like a caramel color. Could this be due to the pot I used? Le Creuset enamel lined cast iron.

there are no fresh shrimp here with heads on them. Can I use seafood stock instead?

Would it be possible to make the roux on the stove top instead of baking it?

I wanted to do this in a slow cooker. what adaptations should i make?

You can get File at Penzy's. https://www.penzeys.com/search/#?q=file

I made this tonight, but with 2 lbs of shrimp, since I wasn't using the heads. Was absolutely fantastic. My husband, who was born in New Orleans, said we need to make it once a month. The most time consuming part was peeling and deveining all the shrimp.

Word to the wise... since I don't usually bake with a large stock pot (used in lieu of Dutch oven) I didn't think about the handles being HOT after 1.5 hours @ 350 when it was on the stove and I grabbed to stir. It was like that moment from Indiana Jones when the bad guy grabs the medallion from the hot coals.

It was THE best way to make roux and I will use it going forward!

Sounds delicious and so much easier to bake the roux. But would it be possible to make it with a gluten-free flour? If so, any suggestions as to what kind would work best?

Is there a grain-free alternative to making the roux? Could use some tried-and-true help here.

Am I missing where you cook the shrimp? Or does it cook while off the heat?

With allergies to wheat, would it be possible to make this baked roux with arrowroot? I am also allergic to corn so cornstarch isn't an option either...

The use of a oven made roux is not news. I've used a recipe for Anne-Marie 's "Super Bowl Gumbo" that was published many years ago in the New Orleans Times-Picayune and this recipe is the basis for Jimmy Bannos's gumbo for the "Heaven on Seven" restaurant in Chicago.

At what point would you add crab?

Thanks, Seablue2. He'll eat chicken, so I'll definitely keep that as a possibility. He's fine with lobster and crab, would either of those work in gumbo? I made lobster bisque this weekend and have leftover broth that needs to be used up. I was thinking that monk fish would be a good substitute but I haven't seen that at my groceries' fish counter.

JRT
Where do I fine the file'? or how do I make it.

Cheryl if your husband eats chicken (use chicken broth since you cannot boil heads of shrimp) it will be a good gumbo. Have never put tomatoes or bay leaves in my gumbo so will try just because its different.

This looks really good and I'm big fan of AB's recipes. Unfortunately, my husband does not eat shrimp (sigh). Is there another seafood I could use for this gumbo?

I've been waiting for a gumbo recipe I could trust, and now I think I've found the one! Love AB!