DIY Network

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo From "Ask DIY" episode ADI-505

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The phrase that's become the creed and touchstone of Cajun and Creole cooking: "First, you make a roux." In New Orleans that phrase -- common to so many of the city's fine recipes -- has made it's way onto T-shirts, chef's aprons and bumper stickers. Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E Figure F Figure G

Q: I need a good crowd-pleasing main course that I can make well in advance. What do you suggest?

A: (from Ask DIY culinary expert Paul Sturkey) Here's a recipe for a shrimp and andouille sausage gumbo that's both savory and simple to make.


Steps:

1. Like most Cajun dishes, the first and perhaps most important step in the process is to make a roux. A roux is simply a base made of flour and oil, cooked and stirred over low to moderate heat. The roux for this dish requires about 10 to 12 minutes to prepare. A wooden spoon is recommended for stirring the roux as it cooks. The roux is done when it has thickened and begun to take on a golden brown appearance, and a slightly nutty aroma.
   
   
   
2. Once the roux has thickened, you'll want to add some of what's known in New Orleans as "the holy trinity": onions, celery and green bell-peppers -- all medium diced (figure A). Most authentic New Orleans gumbos contain all three of these.
   
   
   
3. Add the vegetables to the roux, increase the heat slightly, and continue stirring (figure B) for about 2 minutes.
   
   
   
4. After stirring for about 2 minutes, you can begin adding the herbs and spices. For this gumbo, the flavoring included dried thyme, chopped garlic, and oregano. Dried spices are suitable for this recipe since a long simmering time is involved.
   
   
   
   
5. Next, add Creole spice (figure C) and cayenne pepper. Bay leaves will be added later in the cooking process.
   
   
   
   
6. After the spices, add some chicken stock (figure D). The key factor when adding stock is to ensure the stock is cold when pouring it over the hot roux and vegetable mixture. Adding the stock in this way helps ensure that the flour does not turn lumpy in the gumbo.
   
   
   
   
7. Once the stock has been added, you can introduce the bay leaves and begin adding the meat. For this gumbo, fresh, peeled shrimp (figure E) were used, in combination with andouille sausage -- a spicy, smoked sausage used commonly in New Orleans. Andouille sausage can now commonly be found in most supermarkets and specialty food stores. The shrimp used were 16-20 sized shrimp (meaning there are about 16 to 20 shrimp per pound), and they were diced to about 3/4 inch.
   
   
   
   
8. Once the shrimp and sausage have been added, bring the liquid to a boil and let it simmer. As the gumbo simmers, the final step in preparation is to add some gumbo file (figure F), a flavoring and thickening agent made from ground sassafras root.
   
   
   
   
9. Serve the gumbo in a bowl, over white rice (figure H).
   
   
   
   
10. One of the attributes of this recipe that makes it so versatile is the fact that the gumbo can be refrigerated for serving later, or can even be frozen and kept for later use.

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