Paleo Gumbo- It don’t get no better!
Posted by Julieandcharles on Aug 26, 2011 in In the Kitchen, Main Dishes, Recipes | 14 commentsWe got to spend a good bit of time chatting it up with John Welbourn in Los Angeles at the Ancestral Health Symposium a month or so ago. John is a great guy and has a pretty stellar laundry list of accomplishments to his resume. He played in the NFL for like 10 years (yes…I could stop there). In addition, he is the founder of Crossfit Balboa and was the leading mind behind the Crossfit Football training program.
So John was tweeting us earlier this week about doing more “cajun” meals on our blog. He was frankly kind of whining a bit about how he wanted some gumbo or etouffee (whining on Twitter…do we call that Twining?). If you know anything about some of these deep south classics, you know that they are all built around making a proper roux. Roux is a mixture of flour and fat that come together to make this lip smacking flavor for so many dishes.
I’ll admit, I’m a gumbo snob. My mother (as you will read in our fabulous cookbook) hails from Mobile, AL. My summers were full of trips to Mobile Bay where we would fish, swim and ski during the summer. Lisa Mayfield comes from a long line of darn good cooks and let’s face it…when you’re on the water and your ingredients are as fresh as they get…it is hard to not make a tasty gumbo. Saying all that, I wasn’t sure we’d be able to pull off a solid roux. Well, in case you don’t know…Julie Mayfield is an absolute genius in the kitchen. The first time she played around with gumbo, I was amazed at how similar the taste, texture and flavor of an almond flour based roux tasted.
So here you go John…Paleo Gumbo!
Gumbo- A Low Country Staple
Ingredients
1/4 cup (60 mL) bacon grease
3 tbs. coconut flour
3 tbs. almond flour
2 cups onions- chopped
2 cups celery- chopped
2 cups green pepper- chopped
3 cloves garlic- minced
1 quart (1 L) can tomatoes
2 cups (500 mL) seafood or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1/2 pound (225 g)lump crab meat-picked over for shells
1 pound (450 g) shrimp
1/2 pound (225 g) andouille sausage- sliced
1 tbs. file powder
Directions
1. To make roux, heat bacon grease over medium high heat and whisk in coconut/almond flour. Stir continuously until roux has a dark brown color (think dark peanut butter).
2. Add onions, celery, peppers and garlic and saute until onions are translucent and celery somewhat soft.
3. Add tomatoes, stock and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
4. Stir in the crab meat, andouille and shrimp, cooking until shrimp are cooked through.
5. Remove from heat and stir in file powder.
6. Serve with cauliflower rice or all by its lonesome.
Don’t forget…there are still a few days left in our drawing for the Cherry Le Creuset Grill Pan. Please e-mail us your order confirmation via the contact us section of this blog.
Le Creuset Grill Pan
**We should also mention that when our Facebook Page reaches 3000 likes, we’ll be giving the world our recipe for Paleo Nutella! That is the gift that keeps on giving!
What is file powder? This looks like a fun dish for a group gathering!
Lorie – very often you can find it in the spice section of your grocery store, and for certain at Penzeys.com. If you cannot find it, okra helps as that thickening agent too!
Lorie, file powder is powdered sassafrass leaf and is used in tons of cajun recipes. It doesn’t add a lot of seasoning, but is very subtle. We never added file in the pot because it changed the texture and could sometimes seem almost “rubbery.” We added ours in the bowl, which was even better because each person could adjust the taste to their own preferences. Zataran makes file and is available in many ethnic food sections of larger stores or in specialty boutiques. Good, authentic gumbo requires file. However, good gumbo survives very well if file isn’t available.
BTW – I, too, am from Alabama and grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Gumbo is a true art form. This recipe sounds amazing!
My husband is going to be in heaven when I make this for him! Thank you!
Katrina – we hope Troy enjoys! If he’s a gumbo purist, you can always ditch the tomatoes too. That’s up to you. But we think the tomatoes go great in this recipe!
File powder is a dual seasoning/thickening agent. It is made from the ground leaves of sassafras and is commonly called Gumbo File. SUPER TASTY!
I’m from New Iberia, La. This may be a good recipe, but it’s not “Cajun”. This would be considered a “Creole” gumbo. Cajuns do not put tomatoes in their gumbos. I do appreciate the roux though….
We are having a debate on this very subject on our “Back in Time” page. Thanks for letting me vent!
Hi Jane – we had that same conversation with another follower! Agree that authentic Cajun gumbo would not include tomatoes…then again, authentic Cajun gumbo also wouldn’t have coconut or almond flour, nor can we honestly call our cauliflower “grits” grits to any tried and true Southerner!
That said, we like the umami flavor the tomatoes bring to this, but you can absolutely leave them out, and instead add in about 2 cups more of chicken stock. Maybe even do 1 cup clam juice or seafood stock and 1 cup chicken stock.
We always welcome such feedback on authentic recipes! Much like Chili, I think that dependent upon where you are, everyone’s interpretation is going to be different. I particularly like this article that demonstrates three entirely different recipes, across 3 different areas! http://www.southerngumbotrail.com/gumbo_recipes.shtml
Oh, but a question for you, Jane: do you use file or okra as your thickener? I know people are divided on that sometimes too!
Whoah, whoah, whoah. Let’s not get carried away with this “everyone’s interpretation is going to be different” nonsense unless by “different” you mean “wrong”. In much the same way that Cajun and Creole aren’t matters for loose artistic interpretation, neither is the definition of chili. That is to say if it includes beans, it is NOT chili any more than it’s possible to make “fajitas” with chicken, tacos without tortillas or murgh makhani without butter. There are elemental ingredients in regional cooking whose absence or inclusion literally define a dish. Calling your dog a cat doesn’t make him one.
I don’t like file…..and although I like okra, it seems my children do not. I have yet to make a Paleo gumbo…so I shall let you guys know how that turns out. My husband and I are doing Very low carb also, so it shall be interesting to see how this turns out. Thanks for all of the ideas!
Jane
Thanks so much for this recipe! Being new to The Primal Blueprint way of eating and living in south Louisiana sometimes do not mesh very well…especially when it comes to roux and gumbo…off to make this today…instead of tomatoes, I will add smothered okra.
I had to come back and leave another comment after I ate my bowl of gumbo…oh, so delicious! I made the roux as per your instruction then added my onions, celery and garlic. Next, I added my pre-smothered okra and 1 quart of chicken stock. That simmered while I browned my sliced sausage and deboned a whole roasted chicken. I added both meats to the pot, seasoned with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and 2 whole bay leaves and another 2 cups of stock. Let all come to a low boil, reduced heat and simmered about 45 minutes. Delicious!!! No going back to a flour roux…ever! I cooked rice on the side from my non-primal family and ate mine with no rice. Thank you much!
My wife and I are from Louisiana. She has been making Paleo gumbo for quite a while. It’s nice to see others embracing the cajun cuisine and bringing it to the paleo forefront. We do ours with chicken and sausage. Very similar except render out the chicken fat and use that for the oil part of your roux, along with some bacon fat. All the other directions same except for tomato and we usually do chicken and sausage in place of seafood ( keeps better).
. We feel best without cauliflower, eat by itself and savor the favors! My wife will fry some okra in coconut oil to top with. Yum! Also will put roasted root veggies in bowl (for those coon-asses who like potato salad in their gumbo). 