Easy Gumbo Recipe (German Coast Inspired)

Gumbo, you may think, is not German at all. It's correct that influences from France helped to shape this cajun dish, too. However, it was the German sausage making that helped the Louisiana-famous Andouille come to life. So yes, Andouille sausage is German. The German coast where it was invented is an area in Louisiana that is located to the North of New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi River and it's where some of the best Gumbo comes from.

This recipe was crowdsourced with the help of my Instagram followers and then combined with my own research and recipe testing. I arrived at the most delicious Gumbo using spices I already had in my pantry.

Into the veggie mix of onion, garlic, and bell pepper, I added some okra (frozen because it's easy). Along with the authentic German andouille sausage, I added the meat of a whole rotisserie chicken and a small bowl of cooked shrimp (frozen again and tail removed).

This is such an easy and amazingly delicious way to eat a German culturally influenced meal. And the amount of zing in the sausage by German butcher Schaller & Weber really gives it amazing flavor, too.

Ingredients

You don't need any fancy ingredients to make authentic Gumbo at home.

• Andouille Sausage. It's of course best to use some authentic Andouille sausage, such as the andouille by the German-style butcher Schaller and Weber. I love the flavor and zing it brings to this dish. You can order it online and have it shipped to you.

• Rotisserie Chicken. I use the meat of an entire roasted chicken. It saves time to buy a rotisserie chicken from the store and they're usually quite cost-effective, too.
• Shrimp. To keep it easy, I prefer frozen, peeled, fully cooked, and deveined shrimp. You may need to remove the tail (if still attached) before adding it into the gumbo towards the end, but that is minimal work. The combination of the meat and shrimp is extremely tasty.
• Oil. You will use quite a bit of oil when making your roux and I recommend using a high smoke point, neutral-tasting oil, such as avocado oil. Other roux is made using butter, but Gumbo is always made using oil. One reason for this is that the smoke point of butter is low and when trying to make a dark roux, it can easily burn.
• Flour. You will use white, all-purpose flour to create your roux.
• Chicken Broth. You will need a couple of quarts of chicken broth, which will be added in with the roux. Alternatively, you can use dehydrated broth or a broth paste and combine it with water.

• Onions. I use yellow onions in my gumbo.
• Garlic. Please use fresh garlic.
• Bell Pepper. I use green bell pepper, which adds a fresher taste and is actually cheaper than other colors of bell pepper.
• Okra. Okra is such a perfect addition to gumbo. Plus I just love finding ways to add extra veggies to my meals.
• Celery or celery root. Celery is more commonly found than celery root in the United States. Celery root has a milder flavor and I love it. You would use about a first size of celery root or 2 stalks of celery in this recipe.
• Paprika Powder. I use a sweet paprika powder in this gumbo recipe.
• White Pepper. White pepper gives a unique flavor. My Oma cooked almost exclusively with white pepper and not black pepper.
• Black Pepper. The mix of white and black pepper really helps to add depth in flavor.
• Oregano. You can use fresh oregano or dried oregano in this gumbo recipe. If using fresh, double the amount.
• Thyme. Fresh or dried thyme works in this recipe. Again, double the amount of fresh thyme is used.
• Bay leaf. Bay leaf because what's a German stew without bay leaf?
• Cayenne. If you'd like to add a little heat to your gumbo, add some cayenne. The andouille I am using already has a little heat in it, so I used the cayenne sparingly.
• Parsley. I like adding parsley at the very end for freshness.

Tools

You can make gumbo using whichever tools you have on hand, but here are a couple that I think are super nice to have when you're making it.

• A sauce whisk. I burned my first batch of roux when making this Gumbo, which was sad and also frustrating because it was after I had already been stirring the roux for a good 20 minutes. I used a wooden spoon to make it, as it was recommended to me in another Gumbo recipe that I was reading. With my next batch, I made sure to constantly whisk the roux using a sauce whisk but turned the temperature up just slightly. The sauce whisk is super nice because it allows you to pick up a good amount of roux from the bottom of the pan, decreasing the chance of it burning. The roux turned to a chocolate color within just 15 minutes, which is much quicker than what some other recipes state. This makes me believe that a sauce whisk is really an essential tool for making a darker roux, especially if you don't have 2 hours of time to whisk away.

• Enameled cast iron pots. Enameled cast iron pots are super nice to use for this dish. I love this particular enameled cast iron pot with lid because it's beautiful, well made and owned by the same company as the famous German Zwilling company. And it's a great price. I recommend warming up the chicken broth before adding to your roux OR using hot water combined with broth paste or bouillon powder or cubes. That is because when you're adding room temperature broth to your roux, the mixture likes to splatter because of the heat shock. And I prefer that you don't burn yourself.

How to make Gumbo

The most important part about making gumbo is figuring out how to make a dark roux. I added a few tips down below. Butter has a much lower smoke point than oil. That's why it's traditional to use oil for making a dark roux. With dark roux, you're letting your oil and flour mixture cook, while constantly stirring, until it turns a milk chocolate brown color. I highly recommend using a sauce whisk for this process (I burned my first batch using a spoon).

With the sauce whisk, I was able to pick up more bits from the bottom of the pan, while working at a slightly higher temperature. This way, I drastically cut down the cooking time for my roux. It's a game-changer. It's also advisable to warm the broth before adding it to the roux to reduce splatter.

When it comes to the spice mix, I researched some traditional Cajun spices and came up with a blend that I think is the winner! I use a mixture of white and black pepper, thyme and oregano, paprika powder, and cayenne. Bay leaf and fresh parsley are a must, too.

As for the veggies, I like to add chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and okra. Okra is not as traditional to add, but I love adding more veggies to my meals and I have found several gumbo versions adding in okra as well.

The meat combination of chicken, andouille sausage, and shrimp is the winner for me. I keep things easy by using meat from a cooked rotisserie chicken, uncured authentic andouille sausage that I cut into coins, and brown and frozen, peeled and deveined shrimp (so easy).

As for the steps, I like to prep my veggies first. Then make the dark roux next. You really need to pay attention when making the roux, so it doesn't burn. No multitasking while making it. I then add in the chicken broth (hot is ideal to reduce splattering), and set it aside.

Next, I cut my sausage into ½ inch or 1 cm thick coins and cook it until starting to brown. I remove it and add the veggies. I cook those for a bit, then add my roux sauce. Simmer that with the spices.

Add in the shrimp and chicken last just to warm. Don't stir too much after adding the chicken, or else it will just pull apart into shreds and your gumbo won't look as pretty.

Finally, season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne and stir in the parsley. Serve it over steamed rice, and if you would like, with some Louisiana hot sauce to adjust the heat level for everyone at the table.

Detailed step-by-step instructions are found in my printable recipe card below.

Dark Roux Tips

The most important part about making gumbo is figuring out how to make a dark roux.

• Use oil instead of butter. Because butter has a much lower smoke point than oil, it's traditional to use oil for making a dark roux. With dark roux, you're letting your oil and flour mixture cook, while constantly stirring, until it turns a milk chocolate brown color.
• Use a sauce whisk. I highly recommend using a sauce whisk for this process (I burned by first batch using a spoon). With the sauce whisk, I was able to pick up more bits from the bottom of the pan, while working at a slightly higher temperature. This way, I drastically cut down the cooking time for my roux. It's a game changer.
• Warm your chicken broth. Avoid splatter by heating up with chicken broth before adding it to your roux.

I also included these tips at the bottom of my recipe card for you.

For more German sausage-centric recipes, check out my Brizza (a pretzel pizza), this post on how to eat Weisswurst (a Bavarian German sausage), my pretzel dogs, and Currywurst (a Berlin favorite).