Published May 1, 1999.
A great gumbo recipe features a thick, smooth, unified sauce, with lots of well-seasoned vegetables, meat, and fish. For our gumbo recipe, we made a deep, dark roux in half the time by heating the oil before adding the flour. We then added room-temperature fish stock (made from shrimp and clam juice) to prevent separating. For flavor, we used plenty of garlic, dried thyme, and bay leaves but just 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. And we added generous amounts of smoked sausage and shrimp.
Making a dark roux can be dangerous. The mixture reaches temperatures in excess of 400 degrees. Therefore, use a deep pot for cooking the roux and long-handled utensils for stirring it, being careful not to splash it on yourself. One secret to smooth gumbo is adding shrimp stock that is neither too hot nor too cold. For a stock that is at the right temperature when the roux is done, start preparing it before the vegetables and other ingredients, strain it, and then give it a head start on cooling by immediately adding ice water and clam juice. So that your constant stirring of the roux will not be interrupted, start the roux only after you've made the stock. Alternatively, you can make the stock well ahead of time and bring it back to room temperature before using it. Gumbo is traditionally served over white rice.
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