Low Carb NOLA Gumbo

Most good gumbo's start with a roux of flour and some sort of oil.  This recipe leaves that out, but still gives you that hearty thick gumbo.  My friend Sam Paul gave me this recipe and I've made it many times. This is the one recipe I've not tried to change.  And if you know me, you know I can't leave well enough alone and always put my own spin on things.  But this is already perfect as it is.

Making this recipe today, is a "perfect storm".  LOL  Kroger had large shrimp on sale for $5 a pound, which is unheard of in our landlocked Tennessee.  Also, I had just made a fresh batch of chicken stock.  And I had just bought some summer sausage because it was on sale.  The only thing I had to make a trip to the store for was the green pepper, celery and frozen okra.

This recipe calls for frozen shrimp, but I've got this beautiful fresh stuff. The first pound of shrimp that you add is going to pretty much disintegrate. But it adds such great flavor.  Add the last pound of shrimp at the end of the cook.  It stays whole that way.

SO Lets get started!!!  Here is all my ingredients (except the onion) ready to go.   Of course I'm using my Papa Smurf!   I love him so much and I've almost worn him out.  He's getting a little temperamental.

I find it's a lot more fun to cook something if you prep everything ahead of time.  That way you know you have everything, and aren't rushing to try to chop or slice when it should have gone in the pot already.  Makes for a few more dishes to wash, but what do we have dishwashers for??  The picture above shows everything but the onion, cause I almost forgot it!  And there is another pound of shrimp waiting in the fridge.

First you sweat out the veggies, onion, bell pepper and celery. When they start getting soft, add the sliced sausage and let it brown up a bit, and let out some of the yummy fat.

Then add your chicken chunks and when they are about half cooked, add the chicken stock and the 2 bags of okra.  Oh, and the seasoning like it says in the directions.

Green pepper, diced


Medium onion diced


Celery, diced (about 3-4 stalks)


2 TBSP butter


Smoked sausage (1 pack Johnsonville)


(3) Chicken breast, cut into chunks


Cajon Seasoning (to taste - I use about 1TBS of Tony's))


Shrimp, frozen (at least one pound)


Chicken stock (Approx. 3 - 16oz containers) I used 48 ounces of home made


Crab boil, liquid (I like this stuff...I use about 2 TBS) Zatarains is really good


Old Bay Seasoning (1/2 TBS)
A couple bay leaves


Tobasco (to taste)


Okra, frozen (2 - 16oz bags) or 3 bags (see my notes)


Shrimp, thawed (1 pound)

Steps

In stock pot, sauté onions, peppers, and celery in butter. After that cooks down a little, add the sausage.


Once it starts rendering fat, add the chicken. Season everything with Tony's seasoning. After the chicken has mostly cooked, add some frozen shrimp, if using. Let that cook for just a few minutes, and then add the chicken broth. To that, add Crab Boil (liquid) and Old Bay seasonings, more Tony's, bay leaves and tobasco.
Once everything is simmering, add two bags of frozen okra. Let this simmer for at least an hour, until the   okra has totally broken down. About 10 minutes prior to serving, add the raw shrimp. You can turn the heat off at this point, as the residual heat will cook the shrimp.


Note:  some people don't want to "see" the okra.  I happen to like it, so I add another bag towards the end, before the last pound of shrimp, and let it cook till done to my liking.


I hope you try this, and let me know how you like it.


Just so you know, I do not blog for profit.  The links in the recipe are only there to show you the product. I make no money off of the links.  I do this for fun and sharing only.