If you love gumbo you'll love this version made from our family recipe. It combines seafood, chicken and sausage with all the veggies and spices you love in gumbo.
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As we began to "find ourselves" as bloggers, we narrowed our focus down to our Southern roots and all the traditions that go with it. It's funny how you do many things so regularly with your family that you don't even recognize it as being unique or interesting to others.
We have to really rack our brains to come up with those simple staples that are just facts of life for us, but may be life-changing for our readers. This gumbo is one of those things.
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I have lived in the South my whole life, so I don't know how prominent Cajun food is in other parts of the country or the world. Here in Georgia, Cajun food is just a distant cousin of our local cuisine.
We may not eat it every day, but we're always delighted to have the opportunity. We're the same with with Southwestern dishes and our Roasted Poblano and Corn Chowder is a perfect example.
What the heck is gumbo?
If you're not familiar with gumbo, it is the perfect representation of Cajun culture because it is a mixture of several different cultures that have immersed themselves in the area.
The word "gumbo" comes from a West African word for okra. Some people choose not to use okra in their gumbo, but here in our family, we are of the belief that you can't make a proper Gumbo without okra. Otherwise, it just doesn't have the right texture!
In fact, we think most any southern style soup needs okra to make it perfect. Chicken Vegetable Soup and our Old Fashioned Southern Vegetable Soup are two examples.
If you're an okra lover like us, you'll want to check out this healthy version of that old southern style fried favorite. Air Fryer Okra is just as crispy and delicious, but uses only a fine mist of oil.
Another important ingredient in gumbo is the filé powder, made from ground sassafras leaves. And I'll be honest- I don't have a clue if there is any use for this stuff outside of making gumbo. But it just wouldn't be gumbo without it!
Now, let me be clear when I say there are an infinite number of ways to make gumbo and everyone has different opinions over what should go in it, what texture it should be, how dark the roux should be, etc. Naturally, I think the way we do it is best.
My Uncle David lived in New Orleans for a while and learned how to cook some Cajun staples from locals. He taught my dad how to make jambalaya and gumbo and every New Year they would spend all day making enough of both to feed an army.
The two most common kinds of gumbo are chicken and sausage or seafood gumbo... naturally we combined the two to make this delicious mess. Uncle David sometimes put oysters in it, too!
This recipe is just what you need for this last bit of winter and I promise it's a winner. As my Daddy's favorite Cajun chef, Justin Wilson would say... "I garontee."
Kick off your gumbo day just right with a classic Hurricane cocktail. Sip one while you cook. Just be careful - they can pack a punch!
And if you love a good soup with seafood, you're also going to love She-Crab Soup. Check it out! If you're looking for more crab recipes, our list of the 17 best crab dishes was made for you.
For a fun and quick look at this recipe check out the Google Web Story.
📖 Recipe
Gumbo with Chicken, Sausage, Shrimp, and Crab
Ingredients
- 2-2½ pound chicken cut up
- 3 quarts water
- ½ cup olive oil plus a couple tablespoons extra
- ½-¾ bunch fresh parsley chopped
- 5 celery stalks chopped
- 2 bunches green onions sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound andouille sausage sliced
- 1 pound okra frozen, sliced
- ½ cup flour
- 1 large can tomatoes
- ½ Tablespoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- Tabasco to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1- 1½ pounds raw shrimp peeled
- 1 pound lump crabmeat picked over
- ½ pint oysters optional
- 1 Tablespoon file' powder
Instructions
- Boil chicken in 3 qts water. Bone and set aside. Reserve stock.
- In heavy dutch oven, saute' celery, onion, parsley, and garlic until celery is tender.
- Add reserved stock, chicken, sausage, okra, tomatoes, and seasoning.
- In separate non-stick skillet, heat ½ cup oil and ½ cup flour. Stir constantly over medium high heat until mixture is smooth and turns dark brown. Add to Dutch oven.
- Cook, loosely covered over medium heat 1 ½-2 hours, skimming fat off top frequently.
- Add seafood and file'. Mix well and cook until shrimp is cooked through.
- Serve over steamed rice with saltine crackers and extra Tony Cachere's and Tobasco.
Aunt Susan says
Uncle Dave, or Diamond Dave as we like to remember him, was the best at what he did best, and this was one for the ages!
God bless him, his memory, and his recipes! 🙂
Lovingly, Big sue
Sara says
This gumbo and his jambalaya are literally my favorite foods 🙂
Pam says
It's so good to have a tangible reminder of ol'Diamond. Something we can literally sink our teeth into as we honor his memory. I think he would be proud.
Carol Gornto says
Uncle Dave's Gumbo is my favorite recipe from our family cookbook. Just love it plus it reminds me of Uncle Dave! ***** Five Stars! Love, Aunt Carol
Stacey says
Looks so delicious to this Louisiana girl!
Daniel says
Giving it a try ... but a little frustrated - I went to the store and got the ingredients from your ingredients list. Now I'm reading the preparation instructions, and No. 2 says to add parsley ... which isn't on your ingredients list. Oh well.
Pam says
We are so sorry, Daniel. I hope you made the gumbo and still enjoyed it. We proofread and double check all of our recipes, but being human, something occasionally still gets missed. The ingredients list has been corrected now.
Diane says
How many servings is this?
Pam says
Diane, it will vary greatly according to the size of the servings. It would be at least 10-12 hearty sized bowls, but you could figure on close to double that with smaller bowls. It's a big ol' potful! 🙂
Melanie Zimmer says
Good recipe but way out of line on the roux: the key is a slow cook over low heat, not medium high heat in a nonstick pan. It takes time & cannot be rushed.