Creole Gumbo | Print | Thyme with Niki

Creole Gumbo

Chicken, smoked sausage and king prawn gumbo with okra

A deeply flavoured Creole-style gumbo made with chicken, smoked sausage, vegetables, tomatoes, optional okra and king prawns, finished with spring onion and fresh lime.

Servings 4

Prep 25 min

Cook 45 min

Total 1 hr 10 min

Difficulty Medium

Niki's Notes

I first tried gumbo in Walt Disney World in Florida, of all places. Ever since then, New Orleans has been on my bucket list to try the real thing, along with their beignets! Until I get there (and I will), this is the next best thing!
For the gumbo aficionados, this is a Creole-style gumbo, made with tomatoes. Cajun gumbo usually leaves them out, although Louisiana cooks may happily debate the finer points for hours.
The real work is the roux. Stir it slowly until it turns a deep, dark brown. It can take 30 to 40 minutes, so put on a podcast and resist the urge to wander off. Roux has a nasty habit of burning the moment you stop watching
You can find all the ingredients in the UK now - even Tesco sells both fresh and pre-cut frozen okra.

Ingredients

Creole Gumbo

60 ml Olive oil (plus extra if needed)

2 Chicken breasts skin removed and cut into large chunks (Cubed sweet potato or sweetcorn may be used instead)

200 g Smoked sausage sliced (Chorizo may be used instead)

1 Onion finely chopped (large)

2 Celery stick finely chopped

1 Green pepper deseeded and finely chopped (A red or yellow pepper may be used instead)

2 cloves Garlic cloves finely chopped

22½ ml Cajun seasoning

2 Thyme sprig

1 tbsp Plain flour (heaped tablespoon)

500 ml Chicken stock (Use approximately half this amount when omitting the okra)

400 g Chopped tomatoes (1 tin)

175 g Okra topped, tailed and sliced into 1cm pieces - optional

200 g King prawn peeled and deveined, with heads and tails left on (Mussels, clams or other cleaned shellfish may be used instead)

Salt (to taste)

Black pepper freshly ground (to taste)

1 Spring onion finely chopped (to garnish)

1 Lime cut into wedges (to serve)

Method

Make the Gumbo

Brown the chicken and sausage Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chicken and smoked sausage, brown them on all sides, then transfer them to a plate and set aside.

Brown the meat: 6 min
180°C (356°F) hob

Soften the vegetables Add a little more oil if the pan looks dry. Stir in the onion, celery and pepper, then cook until softened, stirring regularly.

Soften the vegetables: 8 min
170°C (338°F) hob

Add the aromatics Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning and thyme. Stir continuously just until fragrant, taking care not to let the garlic burn.

Cook the aromatics: 20 sec

Cook the flour Stir in the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to turn brown. Return the chicken, sausage and any resting juices to the saucepan.

Brown the flour: 6 min
170°C (338°F) hob

Simmer the gumbo Pour in the chicken stock, using about half the quantity when the okra is omitted. Add the chopped tomatoes and okra, if using. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the gumbo has thickened.

Simmer the gumbo: 20 min
150°C (302°F) hob

Cook the prawns Stir in the king prawns and cook for a few minutes until they are pink, opaque and just cooked through. Season the gumbo with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook the prawns: 4 min

Serve

Garnish and serve Ladle the gumbo into bowls, scatter over the chopped spring onion and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

Recipe from https://thyme-with-niki.uk