Took cooking class in NOLA and gumbo was:
Chocolate roux
Trinity
Chicken stock
Whole crab
Half capful of mild Cajun spice
Bay leaf

Summer 45"
Crab meat and shrimp x 10"
Serve over rice

Result: very bland little taste no heat

Then had gumbo at brennans much richer, tastier and more heat. Had some andouille sausage in it. Does the sausage make that much difference in terms of Rick deep flavor, or does it also require slot more spice?

I like heat and spice and need suggestions to try to elevate this dish at home. TIA

Great thank you gentlemen! Will implement these tips and see how it goes

If not using file doesn't the slime from the okra also act as the thickening agent like the roux?

Also if adding beans to chili make it "not chili" and is verboten how does adding sausage to seafood gumbo keep it seafood gumbo.......unless of course one makes shark sausage .......

I put chicken, sausage and shrimp in my gumbo. No okra, file on the side.

I do chicken sausage shrimp and crawfish tails with a dark roux and okra. Over never had any complaints, and gumbo is always what you want to make out of it.

Okra

Since Thanksgiving is near, I use bones from smoked turkey (Greenberg's are great, heavy smoke) to make stock, dark roux (peanut oil and flour) then use V&V sausage (from Flatonia, TX), chicken thighs, usually add okra, like to add jalapenos and poblanos to trinity and also add ancho chile puree (borrowed from a Stephan Pyles recipe). I like to use Paul Prudhomme's poultry blend to season chicken and veggies. Usually turns out pretty good, won a couple contests at Central Market back in the day.

Wow great ideas gents
TY for your help!

Chicken and sausage for me. I like that andouille from HEB with the alligator on the package. I also deconstruct my trinity after sauteing it with a hand mixer in some chicken stock. I like the puree as it makes the gumbo super flavorful.

New Orleans is great and has fantastic food, but a mighty huge chunk of it isn't Cajun. Louisiana hot sauce is definitely needed, and like others said, other seasonings are too. Fido's advice of watching saltiness is spot on though. I typically make chicken & sausage & blacken the chicken first which adds some flavor to be incorporated throughout. Doubling the veg and pureeing it down is a must to me now too (I think that was a Fido tip years ago).

Gumbo has lot of different theories of how they "should be" made. Being from Beaumont, we had lots of duck and I don't recall ever having okra in gumbo at any occasion. I have friends from north of I-10 in Louisiana that swear that it must have okra to be gumbo due to the African influence. Some would swear you can mix seafood and chicken & sausage, but I say do what you like.

Everybody I've eaten with has rice in the bowl, but the "proper" would say rice is in a separate vessel altogether.

Not telling you how it "should" be made but your OP title is confusing a little because Cajun and creole are two different recipes all together. Creole tends to be more earthy and have more vegetables involved. Think tomatoes and okra as opposed to just the trinity and garlic.

I agree also with posters above and Fido's recommendation on stock and salt content. I'd add herbs and spice and heat to that base recipe you posted. Whether you get it from andouille or not in your seafood gumbo, fat brings flavor and if what you have is lacking….. add the richness of fat.

Made this one multiple times with great results. Not only has sausage, but chorizo sausage.

https://www.emerils.com/124326/mr-johns-chorizo-and-seafood-gumbo

Kind of a tangent but I'm curious if any of you guys have ever had Gumbo (Chicken & Sausage) over a different starch than rice? For example: Potato Salad is supposed to be a "Southern" variation. What kind of potato salad though? Mustard, Mayonnaise, Vinegar?

Other starch possibilities… Anyone tried and liked any of these?

-French Fries (have had this in Memphis I think)
- Spaetzle
- Gnocchi/Potato Dumplings
- Rolled or Drop Dumplings
- Pasta/Egg Noodles
- Mashed Potatoes
- Polenta/Grits
- Cornbread or Corn Fritter

Not trying to hijack - just curious.

I was thinking about dropping some red potatoes (like you'd cook in a crawfish boil) because rice is boring and I've got potatoes leftover from Thanksgiving. I think a scoop or 2 of gumbo would also go great on a pile of grits.

IMO Gumbo shouldn't be served on top of any of them. Serve the gumbo in a bowl and rice, potato salad, etc. on the side

FIDO*98* said:

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IMO Gumbo shouldn't be served on top of any of them. Serve the gumbo in a bowl and rice, potato salad, etc. on the side

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Semantics, FIDO. And while I absolutely agree with you (99.5% of people are gonna mix them up), I'm interested in your opinion of the alternative starches and their "appropriateness" when considering the "pairing."

Don't forget the hawd bolled eggs

A few of those would be interesting. I'd want to try them in this order

Cornbread - Surprised you've never had this. It's great
Polenta/Grits
Corn Fritter
Mashed Potatoes

Spaetzel
Egg Pasta
Gnocchi


Dumplings
French Fries (have had this in Memphis I think)