I used to love watching his show

That was one entertaining man to watch, and listen to. Anyone here ever see him live at a Ducks Unlimited event?

He's one of my heros!

That's cool. I've given up on Gumbo. Louisiana Products makes a mix, better than I've ever made...

I use store bought roux.

I've never used store bought roux. Sure would save some time. What's a real good one?

I use Karrys. There are not mant brands in each store.

I doubt it is outside of Southeast Texas, but if you can find Douget's roux, it is wonderful.

The good thing about store bought roux is that you can use them in almost any stews, gravies, or sauces. I add a little to the Creole sauce which I make up from my garden, and freeze, as well as to my stuffed peppers.

I thought you guys were going to share your Gumbo recipes...lol

dry roux. brown in the oven. store in a zip lock in the oven. very easy to use and you don't have to skim grease. give it try.

Roux is one of the secrets to great gumbo, and the easiest way to make a great roux is in the microwave. No problem taking the grease off later. The other secret that very few people know about is buy your shrimp with shells, boil the shells and add the stock to the gumbo. Below is my recipe - best da-n gumbo you will ever eat.

1C oil & 1C flour. Put in microwave in one minute intervals – whisk in between- until roux at color you want. Put about ½ in big pot ( I use 6 quart pressure cooker)

Add:
2 large onions, chopped
5 to 6 ribs celery, chopped
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped

Put all in pot and cook in the roux until tender.

Make stock from shrimp shells, heads, etc. Boil with 3 or 4 cups of water. Add stock to pot.

Add below to taste – measurements are estimates depending upon taste.
1 or 2 cans rotel tomatoes (to taste-run in blender first)
1 (14-ounce) can diced or stewed tomatoes(run in blender first)
3 or 4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or ¼ tsp powdered cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoon dried oregano ( mexican is best)
2 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoon granulated onion
3 or 4 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
5 beef bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons salt I suggest holding until after bouillon cubes added and tasting first.
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped (if available)
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste (your choice I don’t use)

Add additional water and roux to your taste for volume and thickness. Cook all above for about 20 minutes. Then add:
1 pound cut okra, frozen (If you fry the okra off first it will cook off the slime)

Cook above about 10 minutes. Then add (seafood is to your choosing):
1 or 2 pounds shrimp
1 pound scallops
1 pound fish of your choice
any other seafood you want to use

Cook 10 minutes and serve over rice.

I judge restaurants by the quality of their gumbo! Here on the coast every family has their own recipe and for some reason it is a big secret. Gumbo, like chili or sauce' picant~ is a big flavor greatly modified by the chef or lady of the house. A close friend of mine's mother had a glorious gumbo recipe and she took her recipe to the grave. Her blue crab gumbo had a deep, dark rich roux ~

I like oysters in mine.

Another secret for good gumbo is in the stock.

Me too ~

I'm cooking a chicken and sausage gumbo for my super bowl party today. Like some have said, a lot has to do with the roux. The secrect to a good roux is, use 50/50 oil and flour, med/low heat and use a flat sturring utensil, like a spatchula, spell check that. It takes me about 30-40 minutes to make my roux. Just before the smoke alarm is about to go off, I toss in my onions to stop the cooking process. Plus, the saute's the onions quicker. Another secret is, don't add the okrs till about 20-30 min. before you're ready to serve it, the okra will fall apart and the seeds look like crawfish eyeballs floating in your gumbo.