Shrimp Gumbo Recipe

image from here

Yesterday I decided I wanted Shrimp Gumbo.
I'm not sure why. I've never had it before. It just sounded good and I'm always up for trying something new.
So I did some research for some recipes, found 3 I liked and combined them.
1. Alton Brown
2. Paula Deen
3. Betty Crocker
Probably Not the most authentic but I didn't have the time, want all of the ingredients, or have the dutch oven to cook in.
So I improvised.
And the results were delicious! At least it was to the those of us who've never had the real thing that live in my house.
Oh and the one of us who's had the authentic-real-deal stuff......well.....he like it too! He liked it to the tune of 3 helpings!
I call that a success.

I thought I'd write down what I did here so I can easily find it when I make it again. And I forgot to take a picture so that's why you get to look at Pepe the King Prawn.

Shrimp Gumbo
1/4 C. Butter or Margarine
1 med. onion chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 banana pepper
1/4 C. chopped celery
2 cloves garlic mashed and finely chopped
2 Tbl. all purpose flour
3 C. beef broth
1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme finely chopped
3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper sauce
10 oz. frozen okra
1 (14.5 oz.) can whole tomatoes un-drained (I used one quart jar of my home canned tomatoes)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 lb. cooked-frozen shrimp (thawed and rinsed)
1 lb. smoked cooked sausage sliced
3 C. hot cooked rice for serving

• In a stockpot or dutch-oven melt butter of medium heat. Add onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally for 5 min. or until onion becomes translucent. 
• Add flour and stir well until bubbly.
• Remove from heat and add broth, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, red pepper sauce, tomatoes and tomato paste, okra and sausage.
• Bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat and simmer 10 - 15 min.
• Add Shrimp, cover and simmer an additional 5 min.
• Serve over rice.

It looks like a lot of ingredients but it came together surprisingly fast and was delicious on a cold February evening.

And just in case you are wondering....Yes it was hard to find Okra in Utah. No one had fresh (of course), No one had canned okra although I was surprised to find canned, sliced potatoes (what's up with that?) and I couldn't find any in the frozen section at a couple of supermarkets plenty for frozen peas, carrots and corn but no okra.

But the man that was ringing up my purchases at Fresh Market in Centerville asked me if I'd found everything I needed. I said "No, I couldn't find any Okra but I guess there's not much of a demand for it here in Utah."

He said, "We have okra. I buy it all the time. I used to live in Louisiana and love okra. I'll go get you some."

He came back with a bag of frozen okra....bless him because I don't think the gumbo would have been the same with-out it.

He wanted to come for dinner but lived too far away and wasn't going to be off work in time.

Maybe I should take some back to Fresh Market today for him to have on his break?

Would that be weird?

Probably.

Anyway, if you decide to try my recipe let me know!

P.S. MDH is already planning on us having it again in a couple of weeks. <3