Shrimp and okra gumbo is a delicious Cajun style shrimp stew, perfect for celebrating Mardis Gras or just having a big bowl  of comfort on a cold day.

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

by Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

Shrimp and okra gumbo is my recipe of the day today for the Soup Swappers group.

It’s February and that means Mardis Gras is upon us, so the obvious soup is gumbo.

I first had gumbo when I was a child, when my Uncle Curtis and Aunt Eudocia came to visit us from Texas. Aunt Dochie was from the gulf area and had a culinary history of both Cajun and Mexican food. Among other things, I got to watch her make gumbo, make flour tortillas from scratch, and learned by her hand how to catch and clean crab for stuffed crab and other things (including gumbo). I also got to watch my Uncle deviously slip past the soup pot, and when he saw he was spotted, put a slender finder to his lips to ensure secrecy as he dropped one of the hot chillies he so loved in there with a wry smile.

I didn’t mind. We have the same chilli loving blood.

But my parents would howl about how spicy it was. LOL

Spicy or Not?

You don’t have to put chillies in your gumbo if you don’t want. In  fact, you don’t have to even add the Louisiana pepper sauce. I don’t really think that sauce is all that hot, but you know, it does vary by brand. And since I make a lot of my own hot sauces from scratch, the kind of sauce I shake in there might not be from your usual garden variety pepper.

I know my uncle would approve, although I don’t think he partakes of it as much in his golden years.

Food & Memories

And the spirit of my mother, who I feel certain watches over every single cooking thing I do, and every food related post I write, may have just had a “spiritual realization” of what used  to go on back in the day. Perhaps she is wondering if she should haunt her brother right now? I suspect she might.

Oh man, is Uncle Curtis ever going to get it. You can run…but you can’t hide from Mom (forever!)

I’m hoping you enjoy this and get a bit of a spiritual experience from it yourself. I doubt it compares to my Auntie’s version of gumbo, but it most certainly reminds.  She came to mind when I tasted it.  RIP Auntie. You were greatly loved, and so was your delicious cooking.

~Sue

Soup Swappers

Gumbo

• Chili Gumbo by Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Green Gumbo by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm
• New Orleans Style Gumbo by Rebekah of Making Miracles
• Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo by Sue of Palatable Pastime (You are Here!)

Shrimp  and Okra Gumbo

You might also like:

Mardis Gras King’s Cake

Shrimp Dirty Rice

Louisiana Syrup Cake

Bourbon Street Chicken

Fried Oyster Po’ Boys

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

Sue Lau

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Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main Dish, Soup, Stew

Cuisine American, Cajun, Southern

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound fresh okra pods trimmed and sliced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup  chopped celery
• 1 cup diced green  pepper
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon Cajun spice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• salt to taste; add the Cajun spice before you  taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1/4 cup light roux
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 pound small raw peeled and deveined shrimp
• 2 teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• 2 scallions sliced
• gumbo file optional garnish

Instructions

 

• Saute okra in a large skillet until browned; stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, bay leaves, garlic  and thyme and cook until vegetables soften,  adding the garlic the last minute so that it does not burn.
• Place vegetable mixture in a heavy bottomed pot large enough to hold 2-1/2 quarts.
• Whisk the roux into the vegetables. We are using light roux here, and  you may use homemade or use a purchased type, whichever you prefer. Generally,  roux is half flour, half oil, cooked and stirred over low heat until it is the color of peanut butter.
• When  roux is mixed into the vegetable, stir in the broth.
• Bring  mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour.
• Stir shrimp, hot sauce, parsley and scallions into gumbo and cook just until they brighten and begin to curl; do not overcook.
• Serve gumbo with steamed white rice, garnished with extra parsley or scallion and gumbo file if desired.

Notes

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This recipe has been updated from February 6,  2015 to include blogging group information.