Monday, October 12, is National Gumbo Day.
Here in Michigan, that lands right when the weather turns with that first real cold snap. You know the kind of evening where you want a warm pot simmering on the stove and people ready to gather around the table. Gumbo was made for that.
I have three gumbo recipes on the site. Each one is a little bit different but all answer to the same question: what makes a gumbo? One is a Cajun classic shared by one of New Orleans’ most popular chefs. One is from my own pot, the one that turns up in this house throughout the winter. Another comes from a New Orleans chef who carried his recipe to Nashville.
Three pots. Three philosophies. Here’s how to pick yours.
The three pots at a glance
- Chef Isaac Toups’ Chicken and Sausage Gumbo — a 45-minute milk-chocolate roux in grapeseed oil. No okra. The roux does all the thickening. Chicken thighs and andouille. This is Chef Toups’ recipe, from his cookbook Chasing the Gator.
- Chicken and Sausage with Okra Gumbo — my own recipe. A dark chocolate roux, and there is okra in the pot. Chicken thighs, smoked sausage, and bacon.
- Seafood Okra Gumbo from the Marsh House — a brown roux in vegetable oil. Okra in the pot, filé whisked in at the very end. Shrimp, crab, and oysters. This is Chef Brian Landry’s recipe, from the Marsh House in Nashville.
Whichever pot you pick, the rules don’t change.
The roux takes the time it takes. Every one of these pots starts with flour and fat and patience, whether it’s 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or until the color is right. Dark chocolate. Peanut butter. Keep in mind that the darker the roux, the deeper the flavor, and there’s no shortcut that gets you there.
The trinity goes in when the roux is ready. Onion, bell pepper, celery. That’s the Holy Trinity of Creole and Cajun cooking, and it’s the moment the whole kitchen starts to smell like gumbo.
Like most dishes, especially my red beans and rice recipe, it’s better the next day. The flavors settle, the roux mellows, and everything comes together even more.
[photo credit: Denny Culbert]
Pot #1: Chef Isaac Toups’ Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
This isn’t my recipe. This is Chef Toups.
The chicken goes in twice: the thighs roast first until the skin browns, and all that rendered fat goes straight into the pot. The roux stirs for 45 minutes, milk-chocolate dark. Then an amber beer hits the hot roux and lifts everything off the bottom — the most unusual move in the recipe, and one of the reasons the finished gumbo has so much depth. Ten cloves of garlic. A bare simmer for three hours. And the rule the chef is famous for: do not skim that little oil slick off the top. Taste that. That’s what the rice is for.
No okra anywhere near this pot. The roux does the work, the way Toups learned it in the Cajun kitchen. He calls this one “Gumbo 101.”
→ Chef Isaac Toups Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Pot #2: Chicken and Sausage with Okra Gumbo
This one’s mine.
It starts the way a lot of good evenings in my kitchen start: bacon and smoked sausage browning in the pot, chicken thighs seasoned and browned in the rendered fat. Then olive oil and flour, stirred into a dark roux — be patient, it can take 30 minutes or more. The trinity goes in. Then the chicken, the sausage, the bacon, and two cups of okra come back to the pot under the stock.
I wrote this recipe during one of the coldest stretches Detroit has ever had, and it’s still the pot I reach for when the cold settles in. Serve it over hot cooked white rice — or try it the way some folks do, with a scoop of potato salad — and put the hot sauce and filé on the table so everybody finishes their own bowl.
→ Chicken and Sausage with Okra Gumbo
{photo credit: Mayter Scott}
Pot #3: Seafood Okra Gumbo from the Marsh House
The third pot left Louisiana and landed in Nashville — and kept its soul.
Chef Brian Landry brought this gumbo with him to the Marsh House, and it’s a Creole seafood pot through and through: a brown roux, blue crabs in the base, tomatoes, sliced okra, and crab stock added a ladle at a time. The shrimp go in near the end, just until they’re cooked through. Then the crabmeat and the oysters, simmered until the oysters begin to curl. Filé whisked in right before it hits the table.
It serves ten, and it should. This is a pot you build a gathering around.
→ Seafood Okra Gumbo Recipe from the Marsh House
What goes on the table with it
Rice, first and always. Beyond that, gumbo can also be served with a scoop of potato salad on the side. It’s a Louisiana move worth trying at least once. You won’t regret it! French bread never hurts. And my Easy Sweet Cornbread Muffins are perfect for a bowl like this.
Want one more great-tasting Louisiana-inspired flavor on the side? Smothered Okra and Tomatoes with Andouille Sausage works especially if your pot is the no-okra one and somebody at the table is asking where the okra is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does gumbo have to have okra in it?
No. Not all gumbos include okra — some rely on a roux alone, while others use filé powder or okra as the thickener. Two of the pots on this page cook with okra; Chef Toups’ pot doesn’t, and it’s a classic either way. I can’t make your grandmother’s gumbo – I can make mine, and both can be great. Same goes for okra.
Can I make gumbo ahead of time for National Gumbo Day?
Absolutely — I’d encourage it. Gumbo tastes better the next day: just like a pot of beans, the flavors settle, the roux mellows, and everything comes together even more. Cook the gumbo the day before, then gently reheat it. Make a fresh pot of rice, and call some people over.
How dark should the roux be?
Most cooks aim for a dark chocolate or peanut butter color. The darker the roux, the deeper the flavor – but the darker the roux, the less thickening power it has. These pots balance depth and body, which is why patience at the stove matters.
One last thing
A gumbo is never just a recipe. It’s a reason for people to come together.
If you want the story behind the first pot on this page — how Chef Toups fed his neighbors through a hurricane, and what red beans mean to him — read my interview with him: CHEF ISAAC TOUPS: How Do You Red Bean?
I also talked to Chef Brian Landry about red beans and rice, too. You can learn about his rise as one of New Orleans top chefs in my interview: CHEF BRIAN LANDRY: How Do You Red Bean?
And if you cook one of these three to celebrate National Gumbo Day, tell me which pot you picked and whether your table is Team Okra or Team No-Okra. I read every comment.
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Keep the red beans cookin’!
Eric
Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
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