A Dozen Divine Gumbo Recipes

Whether thickened with a Creole tomato-and- okra base, a rich Cajun dark roux , earthy filé powder , or some combination of the three, the classic stew remains one of Louisiana’s most well-known dishes—and one of the world’s most versatile comfort foods. Once the “holy trinity”—that essential mix of celery, green bell pepper, and onion—has been diced, all sorts of other components can be added to the pot. Seafood gumbo, made with crab legs, prawns, crawfish, or oysters, is popular primarily along the Gulf Coast, while gumbo z’herbes , a restorative vegetarian iteration defined by its mix of fresh greens, is traditionally enjoyed during the Catholic period of Lent.

Besides the holy trinity, the only essential component is time, necessary for creating the depth of savor elemental to any great gumbo. Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo “There are as many ways to make gumbo in Louisiana as there are cooks,” says chef Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen’s restaurant in New Orleans, “but the thing they all have in common is the use of a roux.” Get the method > Dan Dao Maison Premiere Gumbo This seafood gumbo from Brooklyn’s Maison Premiere features smokey andouille sausage, seared shrimp, oysters, and crab.

Get the method > Thomas Payne ‘Green’ Gumbo (Gumbo z’Herbes) This meatless gumbo, made with various greens, is a traditional Lenten dish in Louisiana’s Catholic communities. Ham, sausage, or meat stock is often used in the soup at other times of the year. Get the method for ‘Green’ Gumbo (Gumbo Z’Herbes) > Thomas Payne Smoked Turkey and Andouille Gumbo Located in a Lafayette, Louisiana farmhouse from the 1830s that has served as both a Confederate Army headquarters and, during the city’s 1980s oil boom, a singles bar, Café Vermilionville smokes the turkey for this luxurious gumbo right out back in a makeshift smoker.

The resulting dish embodies the rich flavors of dark roux and barbecued meat. Get the method > Ingalls Photography Fried Chicken and Andouille Gumbo New Orleans chef Donald Link was born. Raised in the Cajun town of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and this rustic gumbo, which is often served at his St.

Going to To give the gumbo, flavor, Link makes his roux with the same oil he uses to fry the chicken, which he later shreds and adds to the pot, along with his homemade andouille sausage. Get the method > Chris Granger Creole Okra Gumbo Most gumbos begin with a roux—a flavorful thickener made by preparation fat with flour.

But there are as many ways to make a gumbo as there are cooks in Louisiana. Many versions of the dish, especially those of Creole origin, are made without a roux, including this recipe from The Times Picayune’s Creole Cookbook (Random House, 1989), which uses a combination of tomatoes and okra as a thickener. While adding tomatoes to gumbo is heresy in many Cajun kitchens, Creole cooks are fans of the bright, sweet complexity they add to the dish—and so are we.

Get the method > Ingalls Photography Oxtail Gumbo One of the best things about gumbo is that it’s a truly imaginative dish—one that can be made with whatever happens to be in your kitchen at any given time. This recipe—based on a hand-written version given to us by Barbara Sias, a cook at the Rice Palace restaurant, in Crowley, Louisiana—combines inexpensive cuts of meat, including oxtail, ground sausage, and turkey necks, yielding a rich, hearty gumbo that, despite its humble elements, is nothing short of extraordinary. Get the recipe > Ingalls Photography Seafood Gumbo Abbeville, Louisiana native Janice Macomber, who teaches Cajun-style cookery at the New Orleans Food Experience, gave us the recipe for this seafood-laden, subtly spicy gumbo made from the bounty of Louisiana’s waters.

Into the pot go blue crabs, shrimp, and delicious chunks of lump crabmeat, resulting in a dish that’s reminiscent of the bayous of south Louisiana. Get the method > Todd Coleman Smoked Duck Gumbo Prejean’s restaurant in Lafayette, Louisiana, dishes up this rich gumbo chock full of smoked duck and andouille sausage.

Get the method > Ingalls Photography Stuffed Quail Gumbo This dish is sort of a gumbo in reverse: quail, roasted to a deep golden brown, is stuffed with dirty rice and smothered in a chocolate-colored purée of roux, andouille, duck, and vegetables.