Okay okay okay. I know that like, literally, everybody that has ever had a gumbo recipe believes it is the world's best gumbo. I get that 100%. But this is actually the world's best gumbo. You're just going to have to trust my cajun husband and my home-ec grandmother on that point and give it a try.
Obviously we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. Ryan was, thankfully, was able to get vaccinated at work, so he's one shot in. But I'm zero shots in and waiting for more doses to become available. We wanted to have some friends come over and see them and also wanted to be safe about it, so we planned on eating outside on our driveway. We moved into our house in March and we have made a TON of great decisions and progress on our house, but our outside eating situation has not been improved on, unfortunately, but we do have lots of space and seating. So Ryan sets up a fire pit he bought at target along with tour chairs 6 feet a part and we sit, basically in the dark (because we also haven't sorted out our outside lighting yet).
Texas has a pretty mild winter, but it can still get cold at night. So we figured if we were going to sit outside with only a fire pit to keep us warm, we better have something warm for our bellies! So here comes the gumbo!
My Grandmother's original recipe called for shrimp OR gumbo. If Ryan could eat exclusively seafood for the rest of his life, he would, so the first time he made this he opted for shrimp AND gumbo. And thus, the best gumbo was born.
Start with a heavy kettle or Dutch oven and start cooking, over medium heat, your salt pork (Ryan just uses bacon... because bacon) until it is crispy. The recipe calls for 1 cup, but Ryan has just been using a whole package of bacon, diced. Again, because bacon. He highly recommends it, but if you feel strongly about only using 1 cup and hate happiness, that's your call.
After the salt pork/bacon is cooked thoroughly and crispy, remove the pork from the pot and start making your roux. The key to a good roux is 1:1 fat and flour, so if you go Ryan's route and use the whole package of bacon, be sure to pour the bacon grease into a measuring cup to see how much you have. Ryan typically uses about 1/2 cup to 1 cup for the roux--with the same volume of all purpose flour--and then reserves about 1/4 cup bacon grease for later in the recipe.
To make the roux, combine your bacon grease with the same volume of flour and stir constantly over medium heat. CONSTANTLY. It's really important not to burn the roux, and ultimately you can cook it to whatever color you like. Ryan prefers a darker roux--see the color below--but you can absolutely do a lighter roux if that's your preference. You can also go darker if you're brave, but you risk burning it, especially with the bacon grease. Once you've got the roux to your liking, remove it from the pot so you don't risk burning it while you cook the sausage, onions, and garlic.
In order to avoid crowding the pan, cook the sausage first, remove it, then the onions and garlic. Ryan typically uses andouille sausage, but you can use whatever you prefer. Slice the sausage and then cut the slices in half, which should leave you bite-sized pieces. Dice the onion and garlic as well. Brown the diced sausage in the pot with a bit of bacon grease (it's already fully cooked, so you're really just getting it a bit crispy). Remove the sausage, then add the onion and garlic to the remaining bacon and sausage grease (yum!) and cook it until it's tender.
Once the onion is cooked, add the roux and bacon back to the pan, and then add the tomato paste, brown sugar, and bay leaf (Ryan uses two bay leaves, but YMMV). Stir everything together thoroughly, bring to a simmer, and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
After the mixture has simmered for 10 minutes, add in the 1.5 quarts (6 cups) warm water and then season to your liking. Grandmother's recipe calls for salt, pepper, and a red pepper, but if you go Ryan's route and use a full package of bacon, you may not need to add much salt at all. Ryan also typically uses a couple of dashes of Tabasco (to taste) rather than the red pepper, so that's up to you. If you're not sure how much Tabasco to add, it's always better to go with less now and then add more later or to your own bowl once it's cooked! Mix everything together well, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Finally, add back the sausage along with any shrimp, crab, or okra that you're using and simmer for another 15 minutes. Ryan typically leaves out the okra due to his personal taste, but don't let that stop you!
Eat well!
SHRIMP & CRAB GUMBO SERVES: 8 - 10 | PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES | COOK TIME: 50 MINUTES
1 cup salt pork, finely diced (or just use bacon) ½ cup bacon drippings ½ cup flour
1 smoked sausage, diced (roughly 1.5 cups) 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped 1 large onion, chopped 6 oz. can tomato paste 1 tsp. brown sugar 1 bay leaf 1 ½ quarts warm water Salt to taste Black pepper to taste 1 hot, red pepper (optional)
Tabasco (optional) 1 ½ cup chopped okra 1 Tbsp. minced parsley 1 lb. peeled raw shrimp 8-12 fresh crabs (if not available, use equivalent of other seafood
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Using a heavy kettle, brown salt pork in bacon drippings. Add flour and brown (make a roux). Remove roux if you are worried about it burning. Add garlic and onion. Cook until tender.
2. Add tomato paste, brown sugar, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
3, Add warm water, salt, red pepper, black pepper, and parsley. Return to boil, then reduce to simmer and Cook 15 minutes. Add okra and prepared crabs and shrimp. Cover and cook 15 minutes.
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