This recipe for Granny’s “Gulf” Gumbo is an easy gumbo recipe loaded with shrimp, crab, oysters, and your choice of sausage, chicken or alligator! It’s the perfect filling recipe for a comforting family dinner.
If you enjoy this soup recipe you should also try my Rosemary Ham Bean Soup or my Roasted Poblano Chicken Cauliflower Soup.
Table of Contents
Granny’s Gumbo
This recipe is for my Granny’s gumbo. My grandmother was born and raised in Louisiana and this is her famous gumbo recipe. I followed her around the kitchen the last time I visited writing down and measuring everything as she added it it to her gumbo pot!
This recipe does require a roux. If you have never made a roux, I promise it is easy to make. It is equal parts of fat and flour, that you cook on the stove until nice and brown. Just follow the directions and you will be fine!
This Easy Gumbo Recipe Has Been In My Family Forever
My Granny has been making this recipe forever. Ok, so maybe not forever, but for as long as I can remember…and as long as my Mom can remember…so a long time 😉
Granny's "Gulf" Gumbo
This recipe for Granny's "Gulf" Gumbo is an easy gumbo recipe loaded with shrimp, crab, oysters, and your choice of sausage, chicken or alligator! It's the perfect filling recipe for a comforting family dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
- 16 oz frozen cut okra, precook until soft (or fresh if you are as patient as my Granny)
- 1 14 1/2 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
- 4 lbs shrimp, cleaned
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 to 3/4 cups vegetable oil (Do not do 1:1 ratio like “traditional” rouxs. It will make a greasy Gumbo)
- 1 lb crab meat
- 8 oz oysters
- andouille sausage or chicken or alligator (pre-cooked), roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 4-5 tablespoons slap ya mama
- 5 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
Instructions
The hardest part of a good gumbo is the roux. After that, it should be pretty easy. Using a 12 qt stock pot over medium-high heat, add flour and oil. Continuously stirring until the roux reaches a dark reddish brown color. You cannot stop stirring otherwise it will burn and you will have to start all over again. Have everything chopped and ready to go before starting so you do not risk a ruined roux.
After you have gotten your roux to the desired color, you are going to mix in the “Holy Trinity”, a.k.a. the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until wilted (only takes a minute or two). Next add shrimp, and cook for just a few minutes until they just begin to turn pink, but have not completely cooked.
Turn heat down to low and add 8-10 cups water to the roux, 2 cups at a time. You can decide how much water you would like to add. A traditional gumbo should be a little less thick then a bisque, but if you prefer it to be a little soupier, add more water. Now, in a separate pan, sauté the okra with a little Pam until it is soft, and add it to the gumbo. Next add the additional meats (sausage, chicken, or alligator) you have chosen. Also add tomatoes, garlic powder, Slap Ya Mama, and Tabasco. Make sure your gumbo does not come to a boil. At this time you can add more water if your rue is too thick.
Cook for 1 hour on very low then turn off and while it’s still hot add both crab and oysters and place lid back on and let sit for a while until the oysters and crab meat cook (about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your Oysters). Check your seasonings and adjust accordingly. Serve over rice.
Notes
Notes on this recipe: I have written the recipe below, but the great thing about Gumbo is that it can be anything you want it to be. Shrimp, Oysters, Sausage, Crab Meat, Chicken, or Alligator...or any other meat you can get your hands on. In the recipe it states that things like Sausage, Chicken, and Alligator should be slightly pre-cooked. Meaning that you should have it cooked partly before adding it, and let it finish cooking in the Gumbo. Things like crab meat or oysters should be added at the very end, since they cook fast and are easy to over cook. You can also adjust any seasonings to your liking. We like it hot, but below I have left it at what we consider to be mild. Season along the way so you do not end up with too spicy of a Gumbo. And lastly, this makes a very large batch of Gumbo....probably enough for 8-10 people (depending on if someone eats 3 bowls like my Dad did). You can size down the recipe, or like my Granny does, just freeze it! It freezes wonderfully in a Ziplock freezer bag. And whenever you are ready for gumbo, just let thaw in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1237Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 44gCholesterol: 778mgSodium: 3717mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 109g
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I want to make this soon! I LOVE GUMBO! I have a question though.
When you say
1 1/2 to 2 cups flour
1 1/2 to 3/4 cups vegetable oil (Do not do 1:1 ratio like “traditional” rouxs. It will make a greasy Gumbo)
Do you mean 1 1/2 cups flour and 3/4 oil to make the roux? And what determines if you use 2 cups of flour? Would the ratio then be 2 cups of flour and 1 cup oil? Thank you! I LOVE YOUR BLOG! 🙂
Thank you for this! I grew up in Mississippi and practiced law in Louisiana before moving out west. I crossed that bridge across Ponchatrain countless times going between N’Awlins and Slidell. Very proactive of you to argue from the heart and so sweet to share a family recipe.
This is definitely going to be a feature for my first football party. Thanks for sharing!
The gulf situation is devastation; I’m sorry about your beloved place.
At the very least there is delicious gumbo!
Great post – nice to hear a Foodie talk about it.
And your Dad is PRESH!
This is a fantastic post. Thank you so much for keeping all of us alert on the crisis in the Gulf. I hope that you, your family, and everyone in the area remain strong and continue to give us updates. This recipe looks amazing. I’ll look into making a donation right away!
I live just south of Tampa, and everyone I know is so angry about the spill. It is certainly close to everyone’s hearts and their wallets too actually.
Your soup does look wonderful though-hopefully things will get better and everyone will again be eating stuff like Granny’s Gulf Gumbo…!
WELL DONE for linking the oil spill info onto Foodgawker via your granny’s yummy recipe & just helping to keep the message out there.. I’m an ex-pat from Savannah, GA, living in Ireland, & am hugely distressed by what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico. Also v.distressed at the lack of news info on what is the earth’s most devastating (man-made) ecological disaster ever. AND still ongoing.. Unbelievable. The links are v.helpful, & we’ll all help to keep everyone informed & do whatever can be done.
I love you post this week! Love you!
Wow. This is a lot of good information in one place regarding donations and volunteering. Thank you!
Your dishes are adorable. I just hope there will be any shrimp left to make gumbos.
I friggin love gumbo! We make a 1:1 roux and skim off the fat in the end. 🙂 Oh, and since I’ve burned a few batches of roux trying to get it to that crazy dark brick color, I’ve found Alton Brown’s way to make roux (in an oven) absolutely amazing. 🙂
you had me at gumbo… you really had me with the gulf and i am so making this when i saw the okra! 😉
i hope our gulf can be saved, jessie! 🙁