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Good New Orleans Creole Gumbo

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Dive into a soul-warming bowl of New Orleans with this Creole gumbo—rich, smoky, spicy, and loaded with shrimp, crab, and sausage. Every spoonful tells a story of Southern flavor, built layer by layer with care and bold ingredients. This dish is a celebration in a pot—hearty, festive, and made to impress.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup bacon drippings (for roux)

1 cup chopped celery

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb andouille sausage, sliced

3 quarts water

6 beef bouillon cubes

1 tbsp white sugar

Salt, to taste

2 tbsp hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)

½ tsp Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere’s or similar)

4 bay leaves

½ tsp dried thyme

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tomato sauce

4 tsp file powder, divided

2 tbsp bacon drippings (for okra)

2 (10 oz) pkgs frozen cut okra, thawed

2 tbsp distilled white vinegar

1 lb lump crabmeat

3 lbs medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Make the Roux: In a large pot, stir flour into ¾ cup bacon drippings over medium heat. Stir constantly until deep brown (about 20–25 mins).

Build the Base: Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir in sausage and cook a few minutes more.

Add Liquids: Slowly mix in water, bouillon, sugar, salt, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and half the file powder. Simmer 1 hour.

Cook the Okra: In a skillet, sauté okra in 2 tbsp bacon drippings with vinegar until no longer slimy (about 15 mins). Add to gumbo pot.

Finish the Gumbo: Stir in crabmeat, shrimp, Worcestershire, and remaining file powder. Simmer another 30 mins.

Serve Hot: Remove bay leaves and serve over rice if desired.

Notes

Big flavor, bold tradition—this gumbo is Louisiana comfort at its best

Nutrition

Find it online: https://flavorscroll.com/good-new-orleans-creole-gumbo/