Consider this the King of Gumbo. It is the classic and traditional version of Louisiana's favorite meal. It is the gumbo you would most likely be served if you were invited to dine in a Cajun home in south Louisiana. It's filled with sausage, shrimp and crab meat, simmered in a spice-filled roux and beef broth. Serve this with cooked white rice and sweet jalapeno cornbread with honey butter!

• 3 TBSN vegetable oil

• 1 cup preferred all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup cold water

• 1/2 cup celery, coarsely chopped

• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

• 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

• 40 fl. oz. beef broth

• One 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

• One 6 oz. can tomato sauce

• One 14.5 oz can cut okra

• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

• 2 TBSN garlic, minced

• 1 TBSN white sugar

• 3 TBSN hot pepper sauce

• 2 TBSN Worcestershire sauce

• 4 bay leaves

• 2 TBSN  dried thyme

• 2 TBSN Cajun seasoning blend

• 2 TBSN smoked paprika 

• 2 TBSN Gumbo File Powder (separated)

• 1 lb. Andouille sausage, sliced

• 1 lb. lump crab meat

• 1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, remove tails. 

Large Dutch oven or soup pot, whisk, mixing spoon, measuring spoons, measuring cups, large saucepan, sharp knife

Prep: 15 min Cook: 60 min Ready: 75 min.  Serves: 6-8 servings

Before you handle any food, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Clean your kitchen work area and pull back your hair or wear a cap. You want to avoid contaminating your meal with harmful bacteria that could cause food illness.

To make New Orleans Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo: 1.  In large stock pot, add vegetable oil and heat on medium. 

2. Add the chopped celery, onion, green bell pepper, okra, and garlic and cook until onion is translucent.

3.  Add the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until sausage is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. 

4.  Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce to low to simmer. 

5.  Mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.

6.  Mix in 1 TBSN of gumbo file powder and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

7.  Whisk the flour and 3/4 cup of cold water together in a measuring cup  to form a smooth thickening mixture.

8.  Slowly pour the thickening mixture into the simmered broth mixture, whisking constantly until it turns to thick mahogany brown sauce. 

9. Add crab meat, shrimp, and chopped parsley. Simmer 15 more minutes until shrimp is cooked, not over-cooked. 

10. Just before serving, stir in 1 more TBSN of gumbo file powder and remove the four bay leaves. 

1 serving: 300 calories, 18 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 140 mg cholesterol, 850 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate (3 g sugars, x 2 g fiber), 21 g protein.

Crab meat offer a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids, protein and a large variety of vitamins and minerals. Shrimp contains zero carbs, and is also very low in calories (approximately 1 calorie/1 gram of shrimp). Shrimp is packed with protein and is composed primarily of water, but there is also a small amount of fat as well. Shrimp can provide you with your daily mineral intake of iron, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, and potassium, along with vitamin A, vitamin E, and B6, and B12. It also contains iodine, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.​

Big, buttery Chardonnay. Pinot Gris or a dry Riesling is also a good choice as it adds more vibrant layers of fruit.

Voodoo Gumbo

Follow recipe. Replace cold water with cold dark voodoo stout beer. Replace 6 oz. of beef broth with remaining bottle of dark voodoo stout beer.