Spicy Weekend Gumbo – familiar ingredients like garlic, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, flour, butter, shrimp // simmered for an hour or two on the weekend to make for awesome meals all week!
SCALE
INGREDIENTS
for the base:
- a quick swish of olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 hot peppers like serrano or jalapeño, minced
- 4 cups mirepoix*
- 2 cups additional chopped veggies (optional)
- 3 tablespoons cajun seasoning mix
- 1 28-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 12 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 lb. raw tail-off shrimp
for the roux:
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups milk or chicken broth
- heavy pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- VEGETABLES: Heat the oil in a big, deep pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, hot peppers, mirepoix, and vegetables. Saute for 10 minutes or so until it’s all soft and fragrant.
- BASE: Add the tomatoes, broth, and spices. Bring to a low boil; reduce heat and simmer for an hour or so for the best flavor.
- ROUX: Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and let it all bubble in the pan for a few minutes. Add the milk or broth a little bit at a time, whisking to incorporate it and make it smooth. Season with salt.
- FINISH: Add the roux to the gumbo pot and stir to combine. Simmer for a little longer over low heat or just let it all hang out for a while to help the flavor develop. Stir in the sausage and raw shrimp. When shrimp is pink (fully cooked), stir in a handful of chives and serve over brown rice, red quinoa, white rice, or just by itself. It’s that good. Remember: make sure to season with salt! This will vary per individual recipe based on your cajun seasoning mix.
NOTES
*Mirepoix: This is just a fancy name for diced onion / celery / carrots – you can cut up your own or buy it already chopped and mixed for extra time-saving.
*Other vegetables – I made ours with and without. You could use okra, sweet potato, bell peppers…
*Cajun spices: A pre-made mix works great. This is a good one – it doesn’t have MSG. Otherwise you can make your own easily with pantry spices. If your mix does NOT have salt, be sure to season with salt generously at the end!
*Sausage: Any brand works, but Aidells is my favoritebecause 1) it’s cleaner than most – no weird ingredients, and 2) it packs the HEAT.
If you add the shrimp too soon in the cooking process, it shrinks up into tiny little shrimpy-things that get really tough. Don’t do that.
This makes GREAT leftovers which is why I consider it a perfect weekend recipe! I stored leftovers in the fridge for a few days, but it freezes well too.
