{"id":116482,"date":"2025-02-27T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/life\/cooking-for-pleasure-shrimp-gumbo-for-mardi-gras\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T21:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T06:30:00","slug":"cooking-for-pleasure-shrimp-gumbo-for-mardi-gras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/life\/cooking-for-pleasure-shrimp-gumbo-for-mardi-gras\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking For Pleasure: Shrimp gumbo for Mardi Gras"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t
I love gumbo. Several years ago I was lucky enough to go to New Orleans and sample it at many of their wonderful restaurants. I also purchased a couple of local cookbooks, hoping to find the perfect recipe so I could make it here.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Without fresh crawfish or live crabs I had to develop a recipe that took into consideration the availability of ingredients in Juneau. I like okra, a vegetable thought to have been brought over by enslaved Africans. Fresh is preferred but I end up using frozen because it is what is available locally. Fortunately andouille sausage can be found local stores. If you truly dislike okra, you can leave it out, but I recommend you try it in this recipe at least the first time.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
The term gumbo is from a an African word meaning okra, and the stew or soup is from ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures including West African, French, German, Spanish and Native American Choctaw, and has been part of Louisiana culinary history since the early 19th century. Gumbo recipes vary widely throughout the south, but some ingredients are always used. One is the roux which can take a half hour or more of constant attention while it turns a deep dark brown. Without it a true gumbo doesn’t exist. The other is the “trinity,” celery, onion and green pepper that is a signature aspect of the soup.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t