Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo

Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo is a West Coast take on a Louisiana classic.  Made with a roux, flavorful and hearty Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo incorporates the “Holy Trinity” ingredients of Louisiana’s Creole and Cajun cuisines, along with okra, the all-important seasonings, crab meat and shrimp. When making the roux, especially if you’ve never made one before, prepare a roux that is a deep café au lait color which will yield a deep flavor base to the gumbo. Start out with a Grilled Radicchio and Arugula Salad, then serve Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo with a Louisiana-style hot sauce, filé powder, sliced scallions and optional white rice at the table, accompanied by a Barolo, Cabernet Sauvignon or even Chianti for a memorable weekend dinner.  Leftover Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to five days without any diminishing of its flavor.

Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo

Total Time: 2 1/2 hours. Serves 8.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs
  • 1 Tb Cooking Oil (Olive/Canola Oil blend recommended)
  • ¼ tsp fine Sea Salt
  • ¼ tsp ground Black Pepper
  • 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
  • ¼ cup Cooking Oil (Olive/Canola Oil blend recommended)
  • 1 lb. piece Smoked Ham
  • ¾ cup Cooking Oil (Olive/Canola Oil blend recommended)
  • 1 cup all-purpose Flour
  • 1 ½ cups chopped Onion
  • 1 ½ cups sliced Celery
  • 1 ½ cups Green Bell Peppers, trimmed, cored, seeded and diced
  • 1 ½ Tb minced Garlic
  • 1 cup thinly sliced Scallions/Green Onions
  • ½ Tb dried Oregano leaves
  • ½ Tb dried Thyme leaves
  • ½ tsp ground Cumin
  • ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • ½ tsp ground Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp Sweet Paprika
  • 3 Bay Leaves, preferably fresh
  • 1 lb Okra, trimmed and cut into ½-inch slices
  • 2 Tbs Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 qt no salt or low salt Chicken Stock
  • 2 cups Water
  • 6 oz Lump Crab Meat
  • 1 lb. raw, peeled and deveined, tail-on 26-30 count Shrimp
  • Louisiana-style hot sauce
  • Filé powder
  • Steamed White Rice (optional)
Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo

A cafe au lait roux provides a perfect base for the gumbo.

Preparation:

  1. Place the chicken thighs in a bowl, add one tablespoon of cooking oil and rub the oil into the chicken thighs. Sprinkle both sides of the oiled chicken thighs with ¼ teaspoon each of fine sea salt and ground black Pepper.
  2. Heat the grill to high; you should be able to hold your hand an inch of above the grill surface for only 5 seconds.
  3. Place the sausages and chicken on the grill surface and grill until browned on all sides but not fully cooked, approximately 15 minutes.
  4. Remove the grilled chicken thighs and sausages to the bowl. Once they have cooled sufficiently to be handled, cut the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces and slice the sausages into ¼-inch thick rounds; return the chicken and sausage pieces to the bowl along with their juices and set aside.
  5. Dice the ham into small cubes and add to the chicken and sausage pieces.
  6. Cut up the onion, celery, bell peppers, garlic, parsley and scallions/green onions. Combine the onion, celery, bell peppers and garlic in a bowl; reserve the parsley and scallions in a separate bowls.
  7. Add ¾ cup cooking oil to the 5-quart or larger Dutch oven over a high heat. When the oil is hot, lower to a medium-high heat, sprinkle the flour evenly into the pan and stir constantly to make the roux. Stir until the roux is a café au lait color, about 15 minutes.
  8. Add the onion, celery, green bell peppers, and garlic to the roux in the Dutch oven, stir to mix everything together, cover and continue to cook for 35 minutes.
  9. While the vegetables are cooking in the roux, combine the seasonings (oregano, thyme, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and paprika) in a bowl. Slice the okra and set aside in a second bowl.
  10. Once the vegetables have softened, stir the seasonings, bay leaves and meats into the vegetables in the Dutch oven, cook uncovered for 5 minutes to allow the seasonings to bloom.
  11. Add the okra, parsley, vinegar, chicken stock, and water to the Dutch oven, stir, cover and cook over a high heat to bring to a boil.
  12. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra has softened, about 25 minutes.
  13. Add the crab meat and raw shrimp to the gumbo, stir to mix all the ingredients together and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the shrimp have turned pink.
  14. Remove the bay leaves and serve Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo in bowls, with a Louisiana-style hot sauce, filé powder, sliced scallions, and optional white rice at the table.

Grilled Meats Creole Gumbo