Shrimp and Okra Gumbo

THANK YOU!! Ginnygail21!!!

I was about to put in my 2 cents worth on this "NOT A GUMBO" recipe, but you said everything I wanted to say.  People who want to put in a recipe to sound Louisiana-like should first check out true Louisiana recipes.  Gumbo is NOT served as rice and gravy, but as a soup with a lot of tasty liquid.  In other words, drown the rice!!  And YES, take the tails off the shrimp!!

First, this is a cooking light recipe, so there's been an effort to lighten the recipe up. Second, just because Gumbo is in the name doesn't mean it's an authentic recipe handed down from General Lee's Grandmother herself. This is a quick, easy and lighter version which I enjoyed very much.

I looked this one over and made so many changes that it no longer resembled the recipe as presented. This is the strangest Gumbo I've ever seen.  I was born and raised in Louisiana and have never, ever seen a gumbo made with smoked "ham"!  Smoked ham would go well in a jambalaya.  In gumbo, smoked, cased sausage is used.  Sliced into rounds about a quarter inch or so.  This imparts that special "gumbo" flavor that cannot be found anywhere else!  The sausage is usually a blend of beef and pork sausage, in a casing, that has been heavily smoked and spiced.  But, it can be a blend of deer and pork, or just beef, or just pork.  And, using an oil roux?  Not anymore!  Dry roux is the best because it is a lot healthier!  I always sauté the onions, bell pepper and celery first, then add the sausage that has been pre-boiled in water to remove some of the fat.  By removing some of the fat from the sausage, there is still enough fat left in the sausage to flavor the mirepoix and adds a small bit of flavored fat before adding any liquid.  I use a combination of water and chicken stock.  There is more than enough flavor left in the sausage after the pre-boil to fully flavor the gumbo, way more than enough!Also, there is not enough liquid in this gumbo!  Traditionally gumbo is a bowl chock full of meat, vegetables, and roux gravy served over hot cooked rice!    Gumbo is meant to be eaten by the spoonful.  And, that shrimp had better have been deveined!  It will be gritty if not!  I have never cooked a "GUMBO" with tomatoes in it.  Doesn't fit the gumbo taste!  Other traditional Louisiana cuisine has tomatoes, but gumbo the way I was raised to prepare it, does not. Gumbo is best served over hot cooked rice with a side of potato salad and hot sauce on the table for extra zing.  Some people like hot crusty garlic toasted french bread too!  Many people even drop a few raw eggs into the gumbo, one at a time, at the end and let them cook until hard boiled. Doesn't take but about five minutes at the end of cooking time.  A bit messy, but does taste quite good too!In a gumbo, the shrimp NEVER have the tails left on!  Imagine, getting a big spoonful of gumbo with shrimp and biting down on that tail and then having to spit it out!  This is a "Yankee" recipe, not any kind of Louisiana gumbo recipe I was ever taught to make!  Might do for some who have never had a real gumbo, but not for this deep south Louisiana gal and family!  By the time I finished making all the changes, the printed recipe had changed so much, it was not even recognizable.  Sorry, but this recipe was just not worth more than one star, if that.

I added more liquid to it like I used a whole cup of chicken broth total, skipped wayer, did not drain the tomatoes. It was the right amount of liquid then. Added a dash of red hot and dash of salt when I served made it perfect!

Agree with earlier review, there was too much tomato and a darker roux is better, but I was able to doctor it to make it perfect for my NOLa folks. It definitely needed more liquid - I added much more broth after incorporating the roux into the vegetables. We had a pound of fresh okra instead of the half, and i used andouille and two leg quarters of chicken instead of ham. The flavor still wasn't quite right, so I added some Old Bay. And Tabasco, of course, and once we added the shrimp, it was perfect.

Followed the recipe. This was nothing to write home about. Tasted good for the first few bites but lost flavor thereafter. Through away half that remained in the pot.

as suggested used andouille sausage for smoked ham. lots of flavor and some spice from red pepper in sauce. served with yogurt grits as suggested which is a healthy play on cheese grits :)

The taste was very good. I used andui sausage instead of ham, added a bay leaf and didn't drain the tomatoes. My only issue is that it was still very thick and I had to use a good deal more chicken broth. Served it over just a little rice.

Sorry but it aint gumbo if you don't put it over rice! Great taste and recipe. I added a can of lump crab meat to mine and it turned out great. Andouille sausage is also a good alternative for ham.

Great Recipe ..... I made it for Sundays Dinner and my family loved it. The quality was like I had it prepared by the top CHEF. I used fried okra on top instead of cooking it with the shrimp and tomatoes.

It has potential, however, we, here in LA love SPICY. Andouille, as one reviewer said, adds more flavor. The fat can also be cut, by making a DRY roux (flour browned in the oven, no fat added). Tomatoes need not be drained & no good gumbo maker omits BAY LEAVES! Hot Garlic Bread & rice & you are set!

This recipe was really good considering it was a quick roux with a lot less fat. I substituted an andouille sausage for the ham. It still needed a bit more seasoning so added some Cajun garlic sauce which rounded it out quite nicely. Served it with some plain rice.

The recipe is very good and easy. Im not a big fan of tomatoes so I used half of the amount sugguested. Added a few extra shrimp, no reason, I just like shrimp. Really enjoyed this recipe, will definitely make it again! Will try it was andouilles sausage next time too.

Very good and was able to find fresh okra which made a postive difference. I had our butcher just cut me one slice of smoked ham which was just right for the recipe. We are not able to find white grits in the NW so I had to use yellow Bob's Red Meal Yello Grits--made as suggested with the yogurt. Very good!

Loved this recipe! A bit spicy but my family loved that. Used frozen okra which worked great.

This has far too much tomato, which overpowers everything else. I needed to add quite a bit of extra broth, and serving on grits made the dish mealy. The roux needs to cook to a dark brown and needs more oil, even if that means doing the vegetables in cooking spray! It also needs a bay leaf, some hot sauce, and chopped green onions on top. I love gumbo, but not this one.

This is a decent recipe, but it turned out surprisingly bland. We added more seasoning when it was done: Zatarain's cajun spices and lots of Frank's Hot Sauce. We were also mystified by the ham...why not turkey sausage? Joy of Cooking has a much more flavorful gumbo recipe. While this was good, it won't be replacing what we already make.

This is a great light gumbo. Highly recommended

As someone fairly new to cooking & especially healthy cooking, I was very pleased with how well this recipe turned out! In the arena of light cooking, you can definitely run into some recipe clunkers that have no taste, but both my fiance & I loved this one! I will definitely make again!

Tasty and easy enough to make for a weeknight treat. Like some of the other reviewers, I replaced the ham with andouille. I also used two tbsp of oil for the roux, bringing it closer to the classic 50/50 mix of flour and fat. That only adds 27 calories per serving. For company or a special occasion, I would stick with a classic, not-at-all-cooking-light version of the recipe but I may make this again when I'm longing for something faster.

I made this recipe w/ a hint of reservation b/c my husband is from New Orleans and, as such, is VERY opinionated when it comes to cuisine from "his neck of the woods." However, it sounded good and easy to make, so I gave it a whirl. First things, first, I opted to add Andouille sausage instead of the ham. It added to the overall "heat", but neither of minded. Also, as mentioned by another reviewer, I opted for brown rice b/c I already had it. I also had to use frozen okra b/c my grocery store did not have fresh. Just cooked it by itself and added it to the pot as directed. The preparation was very straight forward and easy (as is usually the case with CL recipes). Now on to the eating party with my husband. After the first bite, he asked if it was his best friend's recipe. (Note: his best friend is also from LA and cooks a mean etoufee, jambalaya, gumbo, etc., ect. He knows how to cook cajun!) So I thought his question was an excellent initial commentary on the dish. Until the last fork-full, he had no complaints. If possible, I would probably rate this dish a 4.5. It was really delicious, easy to make and impressed my husband. PLUS, I'm fairly certain that this recipe likely had few calories (overall, as well as fat) than other "authentic," non-CL versions that we've had time and time again. :) I'd make it again in a heartbeat.

It was a lot spicier than expected. I love spicy foods but this was a tad overwhelming.

Super easy to make on a weeknight. Husband loved it and we will make again. Served with brown rice instead of grits.