Gumbo Base (Aka Roux)

"A roux is the base of numerous Cajun and creole dishes. In Louisiana, natives have a joke about how long it takes to make the roux for certain dishes. Etouffee is usually a 1 beer roux while a full fledged gumbo is a 2 to 3 beer roux. Obviously meaning how long it takes to DRINK the beer. The cook time will vary depending on how dark you want your gravy. NOTE: The measurements I used are normally what I make for a Sunday pot of gumbo, southern style. That means it makes a lot! You may want to only use half for normal people!"
 
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photo by Linajjac
photo by Neal D. photo by Neal D.
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Ready In:
17mins
Ingredients:
2
Yields:
1 Sunday Pot of Gumbo
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ingredients

  • 34 cup flour
  • 34 cup butter (or oil, but the oil will change the flavor)
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directions

  • Melt Butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium to medium high heat.
  • Slowly sprinkle in the flour a little at a time, stirring constantly.
  • Continue to stir constantly.
  • Do not walk away!
  • If you burn it even the tiniest bit, it is unusable.
  • You will notice the flour beginning to brown.
  • The darker the flour, the darker the gravy.
  • For gumbo, when the roux reaches a deep dark chocolate brown color it is done.
  • At that point you would add your seasonings, such as onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery.
  • You can make this ahead of time and keep tightly covered in the frige or freezer.

Questions & Replies

  1. How much roux is needed for a gallon of chicken stock
     
  2. I have the chicken, sausage, veggies and spices cooking in the slow cooker. There’s a good amount of juice from the tomatoes. Can I make the roux now, and add it to that?
     
  3. Do you add water to it
     
  4. 1st time to make gumbo ever, so please help. Bought the light roux in the jar. We got 1 lbs of crawfish tails and 3 lbs of peeled shrimp. Do I have to add the bell pepper? I'm just out of them right now.
     
  5. I have 3 crabs sausages n shrimp if that's not enough do I just add more while its cooking or too much is better than not enough. I'm using stock I stead of oil or anything
     
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Reviews

  1. I just wanted to say that this is the only way to make a roux so.when you make your gumbo make sure you do it this way,i also use this simple roux recipe for my homemade stews and things.
     
  2. Great tips! I remember when I first made roux for gumbo. The first thing I learned, if you think it’s brown enough? It’s probably not lol. It takes a long time to get a deep chocolate brown. But it’s worth it in the end. I also use this method when I make my beef gravy. So much richer. Nowadays I double the batch of roux & freeze or keep in the fridge. It’s good in the fridge for up to 3 months! Makes the process of gumbo much smoother lol. I freeze in cubes for my gravies. Pop a few out & good to go.
     
  3. I have made roux a zillion times using this same recipe and it always turns out great. Except of course the couple of times I walked away for a couple of seconds. <br/><br/>Today I made it with EVOO and while it turned the right color, dark chocolate, it never got really pasty like I am used to it doing. I also add sea salt, cracked pepper, and cayenne and chili flakes as I think the flavor of the cayenne and chili flakes especially comes out best in the heated oil. Since I usually make at a 1c. to 1.c ratio, when I make 20 qts. I normally make a 5c. to 5c. roux and freeze the completed Gumbo in gallon containers.<br/><br/>Also, if you make any Gumbo and use shrimp, always buy shell on, Gulf shrimp, (head on is even better and you can freeze the heads and shells to make stock later) peel and de-vein prior to serving. Just drop in the hot gumbo and let cook 2 to 3 mins. and serve. If you are make a big batch and want to freeze some, leave out the shrimp and put the shrimp in when you get it reheated. Otherwise the shrimp will get rubbery as it over cooks easily.
     
  4. Very time consuming but good. Just a heads up for other first time roux makers: It will be pasty (almost like frosting)and remain the same yellow color at first but after about 20-25 min of constant stirring the mixture will become a litlle more like gravy and start to finally turn color. I was able to make my roux a dark penny copper color after about 45 min. so if you want to make it a chocolate color it will probably take about 1 hr so be prepared to make muscle. I kept it on medium and stirred it constantly.
     
  5. I like to use a wisk. Cook on low heat. And i sit on a barstool, pop the top on a cold one, crank up some Clifton Chenier or Buckwheat Zydeco. And wisk for about an hour. Enjoy yourself.
     
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Tweaks

  1. I am from a tiny Native American community on the bayou's of South Louisiana. I've been making gumbo for over 40 years, both WITH and WITHOUT roux feeding MANY MANY people. WITHOUT roux has been the most popular.
     
  2. I add some beef bouillon towards the end to give it a little more flavor.
     

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<p>Not much to tell. Love to cook, love to eat!</p>
 
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