Reviewed: Oct. 13, 2008

This was an excellent recipe. Even for a first time fixing a roux it came out better than expected. I did encounter a few problems. Andouille sausage was not to be found here in Raleigh, N.C. I used kiebasa instead, and it came out great.Also, fine powder is hard to find. Our neighbors had some so it worked out ok.The prep time is more than 10 min, but whatever time it takes it is well worth the effort. Be sure to make it a day in advance. The flavors need to mingle.

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2 B's in a Pod

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Living In: Youngsville, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 10, 2008

can't even tell you how many times I've made this recipe since finding it - totally awesome gumbo! ( Okra grosses me out, so I don't add that, LOL!)

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CINDYNETTLES

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Reviewed: Jul. 29, 2008

I demonstrate sausage on weekends and so had lots of Cajun andouille sausage on hand. I added shrimp and some crab meat and it was good, not as good as I remember eating in New Orleans. I will make it again however.

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wizardofoz.com

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Reviewed: Jun. 23, 2008

Excellent - I can not wait to try this with the File powder!!!

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Paige

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Portland, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: May 29, 2008

My husband for years has sworn that he does not like gumbo. I made a batch (sticking as close to the recipe as my personality allows me to). He not only had a second helping, but when he met a gentleman from Louisiana the next day, bragged that his wife made the best gumbo! Excellent Recipe!!!! Thanks, now I can enjoy homemade gumbo again!!

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AUDREYSMOM

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Reviewed: May 26, 2008

I love gumbo and this recipe is really good. I make a few changes (main one is flour small chicken pieces and brown in canola oil first) but the recipe is great as is. I think a key to good andouille gumbo is to get the beswt andouille sausage you can. More smoke = better flavor in the end.

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wannabechef

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Bertram, Texas, USA

Living In: Spicewood, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: May 7, 2008

This is a great dish! Don't let it intimadate you. I use chicken breast instead of awhole chicken. Smoked sausage instead of andouille, because the andouille is really too spicy for my young children, and shrimp. I also don't use the file powder, and I still get rave reviews! It's my 'go to' dish these days for guests. Everyone thinks it must be hard to make,but it is really so simple!Thanks

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leahwo

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Mar. 2, 2008

This recipe is really great. Only thing different I did was add onion, garlic & used a can of Rotel tomatoes instead on Italian style. Also added some crawfish because I love it. I have even made it with a bone-in boston butt that was left over. Excellent recipe, just added things I really like to it. And no one says gumbo is a "quick fix meal". If you want it to turn out right you have to do it the right way with no shortcuts or substitutions just to save time, not fair to complain in a review when you dont do it the right way to begin with. This is an excellent recipe, thank you for sharing.

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michelle9491

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Asheville, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 25, 2008

To start off, I made the roux in the microwave using the following method: mix 3/4 cups of oil and flour in a glass measuring cup and microwave on high, uncovered, for 6 to 7 minutes. Check and stir at 6 minutes and continued cooking on high for up to a minute more to reach the desired color brown. Add 1 cup celery and 2 cups chopped green bell pepper to roux and cook on high for 3 minutes more. Add 4 cloves garlic, minced and 2 Tbsp. dried parsley and saute on high for 2 minutes more. Voila! perfect roux mixed with veggies in less than 15 minutes and practically no stirring. I also cooked the gumbo in the slow cooker on low for 6 hrs adding 1 cup non-instant rice in last hour. I used smoked sausage, 1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken, didn't precook the okra (I used frozen), used 14.5 oz can of Italian stewed tomatoes, and added 1/2 lb. cooked shrimp with the rice. I kept the spices the same except for the red pepper; I used 1/8 tsp. The results were wonderful, but beware this recipe makes a big batch. Don't know if I'll be making this again b/c it was a lot of work. Anyway, thanks for posting even though I altered the recipe quite a bit. BTW served with Corn Casserole II from this site.

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MaryLizBeth

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Mobile, Alabama, USA

Living In: Alabaster, Alabama, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 25, 2008

It was decent gumbo. Put the okra in the last 10 minutes of cooking or it will fall apart.

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Mary

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: San Diego, California, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 20, 2008

Loved this. Next time I'm making it with shrimp, crab and sausage. Oh and you forgot the ONION!! (the trinity...onion, celery and bell pepper) It was also a little bland so I added a few tablespoons of Cajun Seasoning.

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Samantha

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Feb. 19, 2008

I threw everything into the pot at once, using frozen kielbasa, frozen okra, and frozen broth and chicken I had put away. This made the recipe VERY quick and easy. Cutting back on the meat made the recipe low calorie and fairly healthy, too.

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MOIREBRI

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Blue Springs, Missouri, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 8, 2008

I made this one yesterday. It was my first time ever making gumbo, but WOW! It was total success. I also made alterations to the recipie. I used part of Emeril's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo recipie and used the trinity (onions, bell pepper, and celery). Added 3 cloves of garlic too. My fiance likes his gumbo THICK so you can eat it with a fork. I added an extra pound of chicken, and instead of half a cup of flour and half a cup of oil, Emeril used 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of flour for extra thickness. Roux turned out great, but was time consuming. Being a gumbo lover, I understand that this is the most crucial part of making gumbo so it was okay. I also omitted the tomatoes, because homestyle Lousiana Gumbo usually does not have tomatoes. I also used Tony Chechrerre's instead of the seasoning mix and I used Earl Campbell's spicy sausage instead of andoullie. Also, omitted the okra cause fiance does not like it. My fiance said it could have used more salt, but I am sick (can't taste too much now) and would rather under season it than over season it. He gave it two thumbs and a big toe up. I say that it's a great base for a recipie, but the whole point of cooking is too make it your own. Stop following recipies to the T. Sometimes you have to freestyle a bit to get recipies (especially soul food) the way you want it.

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Veronica Rockett

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Houston, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 5, 2008

Cher Christine, you cannnot have a proper Cajun dish without the "Trinity", i.e., ONIONS, celery and bell peppers. I would saute the trinity for a few minutes, adding the Pope (garlic) about half way through before adding the tomatos. Adding file powder to hot gumbo 15 minutes before serving will make a some thick dish.

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russn

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Reviewed: Feb. 5, 2008

good stuff

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atticus

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Reviewed: Feb. 3, 2008

this is very good gumbo. although many simply taste like thin red beans and rice, this actually has a really nice flavor to it. dont saute the okra, but cook the sauage in its place. food is love and this recipe shows it...

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chefboy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Manchester, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 2, 2008

This is a great recipe with a little tweaking. I used a whole chicken cut up, 1 bag of frozen sliced okra (I skip that part where the okra had to be cooked, I think it's unnecessary) I add a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes - crushed, added a chopped onion, I double all the spices, Double the sausage, slice the sausage and brown it (you can also use Italian Hot sausage and it turns out great, if not better) then I also add about 6 cups more chicken stock. With these changes this is probably the best gumbo I've ever had. Thanks for sharing.

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Shelly

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Jan. 28, 2008

Great recipe, I knew how to make Gumbo just had problems with my Roux, lots of great additions, the only additions I added was Crab and Shrimp...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmm GOOD!!!

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IN AND OUT THE KITCHEN

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Los Angeles, California, USA

Living In: Bellflower, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 28, 2008

This was delicious! I did make a few changes. I started out with maybe one to two strips of bacon that I chopped up in the pan. Added one med onion (we love onion) and the okra once the bacon had browned a bit. Made the oil and flour in a separate pan and added the stock to that pan then poured it all into my big dutch oven with the bacon, onion, okra mix. then added the rest of the ingredients as listed. I did use orange pepper instead of green and I also added about 1/2 head of green cabbage that I chopped up since I am always trying to get in more veggies. Did not use the File Powder as I didn't have any but did sprinkle in some Wondra Flour towards the end. Also didn't add the tsp of Cayenne, just a sprinkling as the Andouille was spicy and I didn't want to over do the heat. Served over long grain brown rice which I cooked in the remaining chicken stock. Very Good and got rave reviews from guests and hubby.

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GABRIELLAM

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Living In: Mundelein, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2007

The spices in this recipe are great. It was easy to alter it slightly for our tender mouths - we just used smoked sausage instead of andouille which is a little too hot for us. I did add like 5-6 drops of hot sauce for that underlying 'kick of taste'. I cut down time spent by using chicken tenders. Browned them lightly with a mirepoix (carrots/onions/celery)and then added the rest of the ingredients. Also a can of fireroasted tomatoes and garlic in with the italian added another depth of flavor. Super nice recipe - we served it with Sweet Thai Black Rice - and it's mildly nutty flavor and color really added awesome visual and flavor interest.

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