Williams-Sonoma Seafood & Sausage Gumbo

Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday was this week so this recipe is a few days late. But better late than never! One of the first recipes I started regularly making was gumbo after I took a cooking class on Southern/Creole cooking. The recipe is perfect for Project Sunday as it takes time and patience and quite a few ingredients. As with all Project Sunday recipes, I recommend you get the whole family involved and enjoy sharing the kitchen together.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

About 5 years ago, I took a Williams-Sonoma Southern Food Cooking Class with my mom, where I first learned how to make this recipe. The instructor gave us some great tips but after making it so many times I’ve adapted/changed the order of some steps and ingredients. So this recipe is what I feel to be the PERFECT gumbo recipe. By the way, did you know the word gumbo comes from the countries of Congo and Angola, meaning what we now call okra. Gumbo as a stew originated in Louisiana as early as the 18th century.

It takes awhile, about an hour and a half, and I recommend getting everything chopped and prepped and lined up in order beforehand as some of it needs to be added in a timely fashion. Also, making the roux at the very beginning can’t be messed up or you have to start over—keep stirring the roux!!! For the two of us it makes 3 meals worth! So 2 dinners and 1 lunch usually. If you like things spicier, add in more Paul Prudhomme seasoning, and if you like it thicker add in more filé powder.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Have fun making it, turn your Pandora radio to a Creole or jazz station, and tie on your apron strings. As they would say down in Lafayette, Lousiana, “Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler” (Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay) or Let the Good Times Roll! Here’s my gumbo: +Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma Seafood & Sausage Gumbo ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Spicy Seafood and Sausage Gumbo

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Soup, by Diane Rossen Worthington, 2001

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 65 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded
  • 1/2 lb. okra (frozen works ok)
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 6 Tbs. all-purpose flour
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. Creole seasoning-Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends Seafood Magic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices
  • 5 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice-chicken stock is fine too
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • White rice for serving underneath the gumbo
  • 1/2 lb. andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch slices
  • 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup fresh-cooked crabmeat or crawfish, picked over to remove any shell fragments
  • Chicken pieces (shredded or sliced), browned (use rotisserie chicken to speed things up)
  • 1 tsp. filé powder, Zatarains (this is sassafras powder)
  • 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Dice the onion and set aside. Dice the celery and bell peppers and set aside together. Trim the stems from the okra pods, then cut the pods crosswise into slices 1/2 inch thick. In a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat, warm 2 Tbsp. of the canola oil. Add the okra and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. It’s okay if some of the okra seeds stay in the pot for step 2.

2. In the same pot over medium heat, warm the remaining 6 Tbsp. oil for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour until incorporated. Cook the mixture, or roux, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until dark brown, about 5 minutes. The longer the roux is cooked, the darker it becomes, but don’t let it get black. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

3. Add Creole seasoning, bay leaves, white wine (to unstick the roux in the pan), bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper, and thyme. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to blend the flavors. Start the rice separately now while the gumbo simmers for 30 minutes.

4. Stir in the sausage, shrimp, okra, chicken and/or crabmeat/crawfish and cook until the sausage is heated through and the shrimp are pink, 3 minutes more. Sprinkle in the filé powder and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves.

5. To serve, spoon rice into bowls, ladle the gumbo on top and garnish with the parsley.

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5 Responses to Williams-Sonoma Seafood & Sausage Gumbo

  1. Arleah Taylor

    Hi, your gumbo looks so delicious!! I do have a question. Can it be made without the okra? I’m not a real okra fan. Tried it as a kid, a trenager, and as an adult and still a no go. My parents were wonderful cooks and I learned from them but as nice as I can get it, ewww.

  2. Rebecca Greco

    I love Gumbo, I’ve never made it with seafood though. I bet it would be delicious! I bought a cookbook from our local Cajun restaurant and I make their recipe. It’s extremely time consuming but totally worth it!

    • Everyday Cook

      Thanks Rebecca, it is! The more I make the gumbo the faster and easier it is for me. I bet your local Cajun recipe is wonderful!!

  3. Kim Seghers

    Hi! Your Gumbo looks great! I’m from New Orleans and everybody cooks their Gumbo different. This is the first time I’ve seen someone use fish stock or clam juice in their gumbo. I would love to try it the way you made it! Thanks for sharing.

    Kim from This Ole Mom

    • Everyday Cook

      Thanks Kim! I actually usually use chicken stock but this last time I did use the fish stock. I think if you’re adding shrimp or crabmeat it helps bring out those flavors very slightly.

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