I grew up getting to eat gumbo fairly regularly - some of my favorite memories are times when we would go to fairs down in Georgia or South Carolina. It wasn't until I was grown up that I realized you can actually make your own gumbo - you don't have to wait for summertime or a trip down south where okra is more readily available. They sell okra sliced in the freezer! Yay! I made this particularly recipe for book club, since we'd been reading a book based in the south. It was a perfect excuse to whip up some gumbo. And, because I wanted every Southern comfort food at the same time, I made some of my biscuits n' gravy with the naturally sweeter (coconut flour) biscuits and peach cobbler for dessert. We had fun. Enjoy!
Make Rice:
This is great to start making around the same time as your gumbo. Then everything will be ready when you're wanting to dig in!
Make 3 cups jasmine rice to serve the shrimp & okra gumbo over according to the package or make as described here:
In a pot, bring to a boil over high heat:
4 1/2 cups water (measure with a liquid measuring cup)
3 cups white jasmine rice
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
Once it's come to a good boil, place the cover on the pot. Immediately lower heat to somewhere between low and medium-low and let the rice simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat (keep the lid on) and let it rest 15 minutes before fluffing and serving. You can make this at the same time as your gumbo.
Make Gumbo:
In a large pot over medium heat, melt:
6 Tbsp butter
Add and cook, stirring regularly for 10 minutes:
2 cups onions, finely diced
2 cups green peppers, diced in small to medium sized pieces
2 cups celery, finely diced
Add and cook, stirring regularly for another 5 minutes:
5-7 cloves garlic, minced
Add and cook, stirring well for 1-2 minutes:
1 1/2 tsp ground thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Stir in the following:
~30 oz frozen sliced okra, partially thawed (I used three 10 oz bags and let them rest on the counter until I was ready to use)
4 cups chicken broth (GF chicken bouillon paste or Asian mushroom seasoning work)
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz cans)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 oz can OR just an additional can of diced tomatoes, but you get an extra bite of flavor from fire roasted tomatoes)
3 bay leaves
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low (or low). Let vegetable mixture simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Optional, to thicken the gumbo just a little bit more after simmering 30 minutes:
In a small bowl, mix together:
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
Stir this into your gumbo, then add the shrimp and hot sauce.
You'll want to add the following shortly before you're hoping to serve the food, since you don't want the shrimp simmering for long. Add the following to your pot:
2 lbs cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails on or off - if it was frozen, thaw and rinse well before adding to your pot)
1 - 3 tsp hot sauce (Tabasco works well - taste-test after adding 1 tsp and add more if desired)
Let gumbo come back to a simmer.
Salt & pepper, to taste.
Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice! This shrimp & okra gumbo is delicious!
Fresh shrimp & okra gumbo - ready to serve with rice. Yum!
Shrimp & Okra Gumbo - Served over rice
Based off a recipe from Southern LivingMake Rice:
This is great to start making around the same time as your gumbo. Then everything will be ready when you're wanting to dig in!
Make 3 cups jasmine rice to serve the shrimp & okra gumbo over according to the package or make as described here:
In a pot, bring to a boil over high heat:
4 1/2 cups water (measure with a liquid measuring cup)
3 cups white jasmine rice
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
Once it's come to a good boil, place the cover on the pot. Immediately lower heat to somewhere between low and medium-low and let the rice simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat (keep the lid on) and let it rest 15 minutes before fluffing and serving. You can make this at the same time as your gumbo.
Make Gumbo:
In a large pot over medium heat, melt:
6 Tbsp butter
Add and cook, stirring regularly for 10 minutes:
2 cups onions, finely diced
2 cups green peppers, diced in small to medium sized pieces
2 cups celery, finely diced
Add and cook, stirring regularly for another 5 minutes:
5-7 cloves garlic, minced
Add and cook, stirring well for 1-2 minutes:
1 1/2 tsp ground thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Stir in the following:
~30 oz frozen sliced okra, partially thawed (I used three 10 oz bags and let them rest on the counter until I was ready to use)
4 cups chicken broth (GF chicken bouillon paste or Asian mushroom seasoning work)
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz cans)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 oz can OR just an additional can of diced tomatoes, but you get an extra bite of flavor from fire roasted tomatoes)
3 bay leaves
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low (or low). Let vegetable mixture simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Optional, to thicken the gumbo just a little bit more after simmering 30 minutes:
In a small bowl, mix together:
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
Stir this into your gumbo, then add the shrimp and hot sauce.
You'll want to add the following shortly before you're hoping to serve the food, since you don't want the shrimp simmering for long. Add the following to your pot:
2 lbs cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails on or off - if it was frozen, thaw and rinse well before adding to your pot)
1 - 3 tsp hot sauce (Tabasco works well - taste-test after adding 1 tsp and add more if desired)
Let gumbo come back to a simmer.
Salt & pepper, to taste.
Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice! This shrimp & okra gumbo is delicious!
Mmm... it smelled so delicious.
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