Gumbo is such a versatile dish! You can easily customize it to fit your own tastes. For my crawfish gumbo I use my own homemade blend of Cajun seasonings but you can also use a favorite store bought blend. I am not a fan of shrimp myself, but you can certainly use it whether you decide to cut the crawfish in half to do a mix of the two or replace it completely with shrimp. Some folks even add sea urchin, scallops, crab or lobster meat to their gumbo. Well, sea urchin tongues aren’t actually added to the gumbo but served up along side it plain or marinated.
The thing to remember is to have all of your meat, sausage, poultry, fish, and other additions such as shrimp or crab, all together come to a total of no more than about 4 to 6 pounds. As you can tell by my personal recipe, I really like crawfish tails! I’m happy with 1 pound of sausage and 1 pound of poultry and having all the rest be crawfish — 4 whole pounds of crawfish tails! YUM! My late husband, however, had to have his shrimp or it just wasn’t gumbo worth eating. So every other time I’d make adjustments to suit him. Or I’d adjust it to suit other friends or family taste preferences.
Add one pound of each to start, then, if you like one item more than another include more of it, or add other options, or cut back on this one over here by a half pound and add another half pound of that, etc. — until the total (of 4 to 6 pounds), for all of it put together, has been reached.
Maybe you don’t even like chicken or crawfish at all so will want to completely replace them with shrimp and lobster! The only items that I have personally seen remain a constant in traditional (authentic) gumbo recipes is the addition of bite sized slices of smoky pork sausage, okra, broth, roux, and the use of a Cajun seasoning blend — although the quantities can vary greatly. All other ingredients added (or not) between many different recipes will vary a little or a lot. It can make trying to find just the right recipe difficult to do. So hopefully I’ve given you tips needed to help you develop your very own unique gumbo!
Yes, this is a very large quantity recipe but you can scale it back if need be, serve it at huge gatherings, or freeze some in several smaller containers for later. Due to the numerous steps involved, this is a really good recipe to make ahead and freeze in individual as well as group or family serving sizes.
It takes me several days, due to bone and joint issues, (actually, even before when perfectly healthy) to do the required shopping and to prep everything, all ahead of time, so I can rest up, and then just focus on setting up and cooking it another day. I may even have to cut up and prepare meats then freeze them until the time comes that I’ve recovered enough to thaw it in the refrigerator the day before actually cooking up gumbo. So making a large batch to freeze ahead works best for me. Then in the future all I have to do is transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw the day before, then reheat, and serve — usually a few days after I’ve recovered from the whole ordeal. Trust me, if you are still young, be kind to your body because any major injuries can come back to haunt you with a vengeance as you get older! I am not even a senior citizen yet!
Now that you have a better idea of how to adjust this recipe to your own personal tastes and preferences, and because it is a rather lengthy recipe, I will direct you to a separate posting on actually making it step by step:
Tam's Crawfish Gumbo
Start with 1 lb chicken, 1 lb sausage, and 1 lb crawfish (or shrimp) then add any combination desired up to a total of 1 to 3 lbs more of anything you want to add.
I like my gumbo with 1 lb chicken, 1 lb smoky pork sausage, and up to 4 lbs crawfish tails! My late husband insisted upon shrimp and scallops, Everyone had their own idea about what made the perfect gumbo. So depending upon who I was preparing it for, I had to be pretty versatile.
Ingredients
Chicken Sear
- 1 Tbsp butter or oil
- dash each: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, thyme
- 2 Tbsp Lee and Perrins Worcesterchire sauce
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
Making and Savoring the Roux
- 3/4 cups bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage grease
- 1 cup flour
- dash each: salt, pepper
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, thin slices or coarsely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, thin slices or coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (about 3 medium stalks) celery, diagonally sliced
- 2 fresh garlic cloves, finely minced
Broth
- 12 cups --- use 6 cups beef broth (plus another 6 cups in reserve to add if and as needed 1/2 cup at a time)
Initial Seasonings and Tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp powdered filé, or to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp oregano, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend, or to taste (may use store bought or homemade blend)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Tiger or tobasco sauce, or to taste
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes or 2 cups homemade
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce or 1 cup homemade
- 1 cup diced fresh Roma, Beefsteak, or Vintage Wine Heirloom tomatoes
Preparing the Okra
- 2 Tbsp bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage grease
- 1 lb fresh or frozen cut okra, thawed if frozen, sliced if fresh
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- vinegar mixture (see below); stir before using
Vinegar Mixture
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Simmering, Seasoning, Tasting, Adjusting
- as needed, all previous seasonings and hot pepper sauces
The Rice
- 2 cups wild or brown rice, soaked overnight
Sausage, crawfish, other
- 1 lb andouille sausage (smoked pork sausage), sliced
- 1 lb crawfish tails
- 1 to 3 lbs total: choice(s) of additional sausage, poultry, crawfish, shrimp, bivalves, lobster, or crabs
Optional: plain or marinated Sea urchin tongues (to be served on the side)
Instructions
Searing the Chicken
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In large skillet sauté cubed chicken thighs in a little oil or butter — to prevent sticking and help with glazing/coating and browning — with a dash each of garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper, plus 2 tablespoon L&P Worcestershire sauce over medium heat just until outside is browned. Place in bowl and set aside.
Preparing Savory Lard
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Fry bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage until you have 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of grease to use as directed.
Making and Savoring the Roux
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Make a roux by whisking the flour, a dash of black pepper and salt, with 3/4 cup hot bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage grease in a large, heavy saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns dark; a sort of a brownish color
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Stir the celery, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, the chicken you just seared, and sliced smoky pork (andouille) sausage into the roux.
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Simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning the roux. This step adds an additional layer of flavor to the roux. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Preparing the Broth
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Bring SIX CUPS of broth to a boil in a very large soup kitchen or canning sized pot. I use a 20 quart sized water bath canning pot for anything potentially exceeding the limit of my 8 quart Dutch oven pot.
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NOTE:
If and as needed only, stir in additional broth throughout the remaining steps, but do so only 1/2 cup at a time then stir before adding another 1/2 cup, stir, and keep repeating until reaches the desired amount. If you try to add too much all at once it can drastically decrease the cooking temperatures and take a long time to heat back up to a boil which will throw off your cooking times. You may or may not need some or any/all of the “extra” broth.
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Stir your vegetable roux mixture into your boiling broth. Then, immediately begin to whisk the roux into the boiling broth until combined and well incorporated.
Initial Seasonings and Tomatoes
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Reduce heat to low, and whisk (or stir) in the salt, granulated sugar, Tiger or tobasco pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, thyme, oregano, and powdered file. Then stir in the diced fresh tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. You may safely leave to simmer on a low heat setting, uncovered, and move on to the next step.
Preparing the Okra
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Melt 2 tablespoons of bacon and/or ground pork breakfast sausage grease in a clean skillet, add your okra and shredded carrots, drizzle on the vinegar mixture (give it a stir or whisk it first if needed), then cook the okra and carrots with the vinegar mixture over medium heat for 15 minutes; stirring frequently.
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Remove okra and carrots with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo.
Simmering, Seasoning, Tasting, Adjusting
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Continue to simmer on low heat for 1 hour, stirring briefly every 20 to 30 minutes. Throughout this stage you will want to taste test the broth often and adjust any of your seasonings if needed.
The Rice
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Stir in your wild or brown rice (that was soaked over night). If forgot to soak overnight, just continue to cook until rice is tender before proceeding.
If Adding Shelled Bivalves
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If using bivalves (mussels, clams, oysters, cockles, or scallops) still in their shells you will need to add them now and cook until the shells have all popped open. Do not proceed until the shells have all popped open! You may on occasion have a very few remain closed. They are perfectly safe to eat! They have just sealed as would a canning jar lid due to having an unusually smooth, clean shell rim.
However, if they have been removed from their shells then move on to the next step.
Crustaceans and Unshelled Bivalves
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After the gumbo has finished simmering and the rice is tender, and the shells have popped open:
Mix in crawfish tails, shrimp, crab meat, unshelled bivalves , and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer for another 10 minutes or just until done. Do not overcook! Remove from heat
Sea Urchin Tongues
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If plan to serve with sea urchin tongues on the side (plain or marinated), they should be prepared at this time.
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Optional:
Sea urchin or uni tongues (may be served at the last minute on top of individual servings or better yet on the side). They may be purchased in a tub ready to go or will be need to be prepared. Fresh is best and it should smell of ocean or sea water and not fishy.
To prepare fresh: Wearing clean protective gloves, cut open with clean scissors and scoop out the tongues with a grapefruit spoon. IMMEDIATELY rinse in cool, running tap water to remove any guts (the disgusting black stuff). It's a messy job and it can cause stains so avoid using your 'good' towels for clean up and wear old clothes. Outdoors with a water hose, paper towels, buckets or bowls is recommended. Place them in lightly salted water as soon as they are rinsed and keep them there until ready to serve or ready to marinade and serve.
May be served 'as is' or marinated. For best results, time it so they come out of the marinade when you are actually ready to serve.
Tam's Simple Uni Marinade (for approximately 3 dozen tongues):
Whisk together 4 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp black pepper, a small pinch or dash of Cajun seasoning blend. Toss tongues together with marinade and allow to sit about 5 or 6 minutes to no longer than 30 minutes tops before serving.
You may also use your own preference of seasonings for the marinade and add a splash of wine or sherry. The formula is simple: 2 parts olive oil to 1 part lemon or lime juice plus seasonings and an optional splash
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