recipe reviews for:

Merwin's Shrimp Gumbo

“This is a recipe for a classic, dark brown, shrimp gumbo in true Louisiana Cajun country fashion. Serve over rice. Browning the chicken pieces in the oil used for the roux adds flavor to the dish. I use the cooked chicken for chicken salad. File is added off the heat to thicken the gumbo. If added while the gumbo is still cooking, it may become stringy and unpleasant. File is ground sassafras leaves. It is available in many supermarkets.”

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Reviewed: Feb. 26, 2012

I am from New Orleans and this is the REAL DEAL. It is a bit bland but it is up to you to add your spices. If you taste while you cook, you can get it right. I should have tasted mine more...I used 2 tsp of cajun spice mix and 1/4 tsp of salt. Next time I will try 3 tsp of spice mix and 1/2 tsp of salt. (I am cautious on the salt because I am borderline hypertensive.) I also used a cup of okra because I believe you gotta have okra in gumbo. I'm surprised this didn't have celery in it and might try it with that next time. Also might try substituting some of the water for chicken stock just to up the flavor. This is my 3rd attempt at gumbo and definitely the best one I have made so far. This is a great recipe to start with, now just need to make some tweaks to make it PERFECT. As we say in New Orleans, "dats good eatin'"!

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1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Lysa

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Living In: London, Greater London, England, U.K.

Reviewed: Jan. 16, 2012

This is good, but not spicy enough for me and the fam, so I like to "up the ante" a little bit by using 1 cup of cayenne instead of 1/8 teaspoon. Aye Aye Aye!

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1 user found this review helpful

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JesusPotatoes

Reviewed: Aug. 28, 2011

I tweeked mine a little bit more and everyone loved it!!

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2 users found this review helpful

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Mizzbess

Reviewed: Jul. 3, 2011

This was good, but overall I was not impressed. I had to add much more spice to kill the blandness.

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2 users found this review helpful

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Alicia

Reviewed: Mar. 4, 2011

Turned out amazing! I added celery, carrots, okra, more spices, and kept the chicken. But other than that I will keep this recipe close by to use over and over!

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3 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Megan

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 21, 2011

I would give this recipe zero stars if i could. It was bland and did not have a very good flavor at all. 8 cups of water was definately too much. When I served this to my family they barley touched it and I refused to eat it myself. sorry this just wasn't good.

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2 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Cheala M.

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Feb. 13, 2011

Tastes great and the leftovers were awesome! Made this for my boyfriend...he loved it! Will make again :-)

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Jes

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Warner Robins, Georgia, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 6, 2011

I've made this gumbo twice now and it is THE BOMB!!! Just finished making for the Super Bowl party and it is going to be a hit. Thanks Merwin!

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Debbie B.

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Jan. 20, 2011

I thought this was just ok. I did not expect a New Orleans dish but I did hope for something closer than this turned out.

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5 users found this review helpful

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Jimmy IV

Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Greenwood, Arkansas, USA

Living In: Conway, Arkansas, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 16, 2011

Aside from the fact it took four hours from start to finish,I found this recipe to be very bland. I found 8 cups of water to be too much...very watery. I ended up adding a can of diced tomatoes, some chicken bouillon, and more cayenne to spice it up some more. I also added the chicken at the end; seems wasteful to not use it. Definitely not worth the time and effort for a mediocre recipe.

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6 users found this review helpful