Gumbo soup is a popular dish and is considered the official dish of the state of Louisiana, USA. Today, the culinary section Into the Kitchen will share with you the recipe for this delicious soup with a unique and appealing flavor!
1. Seafood Gumbo
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
2 hours
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Seafood Gumbo Serves 5
Crab 3 pieces Fresh shrimp 200 gr Fish fillet 120 gr (Can use catfish fillet) White rice a little All-purpose flour 100 gr Onion 2 bulbs Celery 3 stalks Green bell pepper 3 pieces Carrot 2 bulbs Okra 10 pieces Green onion 2 stalks Minced garlic 2 tablespoons Bay leaf 4 leaves Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter 100 gr Cajun seasoning 4 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (sugar/salt/pepper)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh shrimp
- You should choose live shrimp with a transparent outer shell, having a characteristic sea smell rather than a fishy odor.
- The head of the shrimp should be firmly attached to the body, the tail of the shrimp should be folded together, and the body of the shrimp should be straight or only slightly curved, indicating that the shrimp is still fresh.
- If buying frozen shrimp, you must choose shrimp that still have all their parts, feeling firm and naturally flexible (to avoid buying shrimp that have been injected with gelatin to increase weight) and without a fishy or spoiled smell.
- You should not choose shrimp that have black spots under the shell, a round curved body, and a tail that spreads out as these are shrimp that have been injected with water, of poor quality, and the meat will not taste sweet and delicious.
See details: How to choose fresh shrimp
How to choose fresh crabs
- When selecting crabs, buyers need to squeeze the shell and the belly of the crab to see if it is hard; if it is hard, it indicates that the crab is meaty. Conversely, if it is soft, the crab may be lacking in meat.
- Gently squeeze the part of the thigh of the swimming leg under the crab shell; if the crab shows signs of struggling with the entire leg, it is a healthy and meaty crab.
- Check the color of the skin on the upper joint of the crab’s claw. If it is pinkish-red or dark pink, the crab is meaty.
See details: How to choose delicious sea crabs
What is Cajun seasoning?
- Cajun seasoning is commonly used in Creole and Cajun cuisine of the Mexicans. Its main ingredient is spicy chili powder.
- You can find Creole seasoning at imported food stores or e-commerce websites.
- Additionally, you can try making your own Cajun spice mix at home using the following recipe.
The Cajun spice mix includes:
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of paprika powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
-800x450-48.jpg "2 Ways to Cook Seafood and Chicken Gumbo, a Specialty of Cajun Cuisine 3")
Required tools
Oven, pot, knife, cutting board, scissors,…
How to make Seafood Gumbo Soup
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Prepare the vegetables
Peel 2 onions, wash them with water, then drain, cut 1 onion into wedges, and dice the other. Rinse 3 bell peppers, cut off the stems and seeds, then dice them.
Cut off the ends of 3 celery stalks, 2 carrots, 10 okra pods, and 2 green onion stalks, wash them, drain, and then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
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Prepare the seafood
Wash 3 crabs and 200g of shrimp with several washes of water. For the shrimp, peel the shell and separate the shell from the shrimp meat.
Preheat the oven for about 5 – 10 minutes to stabilize the temperature, then place the crabs, all the shrimp shells, and 1 onion cut into wedges onto a tray and roast at 150 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. When the seafood mixture turns golden and the edges are slightly charred, take it out.
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Make the broth
Place a pot with about 5 liters of water on the stove, add the roasted crab and shrimp shells, 2 carrots, and 1 celery stalk chopped into small pieces into the pot and cook for about 1 hour on high heat.
After cooking for the required time, strain the mixture to get the broth, discard the other ingredients and keep only the 3 crabs! (After boiling with the broth, separate the crabs and remove the meat).
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Make the Roux sauce
Place a pot on the stove, add 100g of unsalted butter and 100g of all-purpose flour, stirring continuously over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and turns a chocolate brown color.
Note: To ensure the sauce is delicious and doesn’t burn, cook on low heat and stir continuously.
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Stir-fry Vegetables
Add the diced onion and bell pepper along with 2 chopped celery stalks into the Roux sauce pot, then add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper of each kind, and 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning and stir well. When the vegetables start to soften, add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and stir well.
Tip: Since the pot is very hot and garlic burns easily, do not add it right away with the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Stir-fry the other ingredients until soft and release their juices before adding the garlic!
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Cook the Soup
Add the prepared broth into the pot with the stir-fried vegetables and stir well to create a liquid soup.
Season the soup with 4 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 3 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning, then stir well and cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes.
Note:
- To prevent the soup from clumping, you should add the broth one tablespoon at a time, stirring well to combine before adding the rest of the broth.
- To make the soup clearer and tastier, you should skim off any foam and excess oil while boiling.
- If you want the soup to be spicier, you can add a little chili sauce!
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Completion
Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and crab meat prepared earlier (set aside a little crab meat for garnish after finishing), then add 120g of fish fillet, 10 chopped okra, and stir well. When the soup comes to a boil again, you can adjust the seasoning to your taste and then turn off the heat.
Scoop some soup into a bowl, add a little white rice, sprinkle some crab meat, chopped green onions, and a bit of ground pepper to finish.
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Finished product
The seafood Gumbo soup is completed, very fragrant and appealing. The broth is rich and has a sweet taste from the seafood and vegetables blended with the distinctive aroma of bay leaves and Cajun spices.
Gumbo soup is usually eaten with white rice, or you can also try eating it with bread, which will also be very delicious. Wishing you success in your preparation!
2. Chicken Gumbo
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
2 hours
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Chicken Gumbo For 4 people
Chicken thighs 4 pieces Smoked sausage 4 sticks All-purpose flour 74 gr (about 10 tablespoons) Bell pepper 1 fruit Celery 2 stalks Onion 1 bulb Green onion 2 stalks Chili pepper 1 fruit Garlic 6 cloves Bay leaves 4 leaves Thyme leaves 5 gr (dried thyme) Beer 250 ml Chicken broth 1 liter Cooking oil 130 ml Salt/pepper A little Shallots 1 bulb
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh chicken
- You should choose chickens that are of moderate size and weight, with skin that is naturally pink or yellow depending on the type of chicken.
- Use your hand to feel the chicken skin; it should feel smooth and have good elasticity.
- Do not buy chickens with bruises, dark spots, or unusual colors; if it smells bad, it is not a quality chicken.
- It is advisable to buy chicken from reputable establishments or grocery stores to avoid purchasing water-injected or low-quality chickens.
See details: How to choose fresh, quality chicken
Where to buy chicken broth
- For convenience, you can buy canned or packaged chicken broth at grocery stores, e-commerce sites, etc. When purchasing, remember to check the can or package carefully, including the production date and expiration date.
- Additionally, you can also make chicken broth at home to ensure quality.
How to prepare Chicken Gumbo Soup
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Prepare the chicken and other ingredients
The chicken thighs you bought should be deboned and skinned, washed with diluted salt water to remove any bad smell, then rinsed with clean water and drained.
Peel the onion, wash it clean, then dice it. Clean the bell pepper and chili, remove the stems and seeds, then dice them.
Wash the celery, then dice it. Peel the garlic and crush it. Wash the green onions, cut off the roots, and chop them finely.
The smoked sausage should be sliced thinly, about 1/2 finger length.
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Sear the chicken
Place a pan on the stove, add the 4 prepared chicken thighs, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, then cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is cooked and golden brown on both sides.
Next, add about 100ml of beer to the pan and stir well to dissolve the spices stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes before turning off the heat.
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Make Goux sauce
Place a pot on the stove, add the remaining cooking oil to the pot, when the oil is hot, add 74g of all-purpose flour, use a whisk to stir well, cook the sauce mixture on the stove for about 20 minutes until the sauce mixture is thick and smooth and turns dark brown.
Note: To make the sauce delicious and visually appealing, you should cook on low heat and stir continuously to prevent the flour from burning.
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Sauté vegetables
When the sauce has thickened and smoothed, add 1 shallot, 1 bell pepper, 1 chili pepper, and 2 celery stalks all diced along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and sauté for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
When the vegetables are soft, add 6 crushed garlic cloves and stir well.
Tip: Since the pot is hot and garlic burns very easily, you should add garlic last!
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Cook the soup
Add about 150ml of beer to the sautéed vegetables and stir over medium heat to let the alcohol evaporate. Then, add 1 liter of chicken broth and stir well.
Note: To prevent the soup from clumping, slowly pour the chicken broth in and stir continuously to blend it!
Next, add all the sautéed chicken mixture, 4 dried bay leaves, 5g thyme, sliced smoked sausage, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper into the pot, then stir well to combine all the ingredients.
You cover the pot and cook on low heat for about 1 – 2 hours until the soup thickens. Before turning off the heat, taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference, then stir well. And that’s it, the dish is ready!
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Final Product
Scoop the soup into a bowl, sprinkle some chopped green onions on top, and when eating, add a little white rice and mix well to serve immediately.
The finished Gumbo soup will have a distinctive flavor of smoked meat, bay leaves, and thyme combined with the sweetness of onions and a slight spiciness from the peppers.
This will definitely be a unique dish for your family’s menu. Let’s get cooking right away!
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh bell peppers
- You should choose bell peppers that have bright colors, a smooth surface, and the stem still tightly attached to the body.
- When holding the bell pepper, it should feel heavy, and when squeezed gently, it should have a certain firmness.
- Do not buy bell peppers that have wrinkled skin, feel soft when held, or show signs of damage or rot, as these are peppers that have been stored for too long and will not taste good or be of good quality.
See more: How to choose bell peppers
How to choose fresh and delicious celery
- Choose celery stalks that are thick and sturdy, bright green in color, with fresh leaves.
- Fresh celery will be crisp, and when you snap the tip, it will make a “crunch” sound and have a natural fragrance.
- Avoid buying celery bunches that are bruised, have darkened ends, or are leaking water, with broken and heavily scratched stalks.
What is Gumbo Soup? The origin of Gumbo Soup
Gumbo is a popular dish and is considered a specialty of New Orleans, USA. This soup is a blend of French cuisine with local ingredients to create a rich flavor.
The essential ingredients of this soup are onions, bell peppers, and celery, which are also three “sacred” and key ingredients in Cajun cuisine.
This soup can be cooked with chicken, smoked sausage, or ham, or with seafood in coastal areas. The ingredients are simmered until tender, and the spices blend together. The broth is rich and thick, making it suitable to be served with white rice to create a complete meal.
See more:
So TasteVN has shared with you 2 ways to cook seafood Gumbo and chicken soup characteristic of authentic Cajun cuisine that is not difficult at all. This will be an attractive new dish for your family that you should try making. Wishing you success!
* Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel Munchies and Food52.
