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.
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)
A cafe au lait roux provides a perfect base for the gumbo.
Preparation:
- 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.
- Heat the grill to high; you should be able to hold your hand an inch of above the grill surface for only 5 seconds.
- Place the sausages and chicken on the grill surface and grill until browned on all sides but not fully cooked, approximately 15 minutes.
- 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.
- Dice the ham into small cubes and add to the chicken and sausage pieces.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra has softened, about 25 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
