Best Cajun Dark Roux Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400F.
• Place flour and spread evenly in a large diameter cast iron skillet or other oven-safe, heavy pan
• Place in the center of the preheated oven.
• Bake for 60 to 70 minutes stirring every 15 minutes at first (I use a wisk or flat spatula).
• After color develops on the flour, stir every 10 minutes or more often if near the end of the cook.
• For a dark roux, the flour will be a dar tan. To judge color as you would with an oil-based roux, place a very small amount of browned flour in a few drops of water and press with the back of a spoon. The sample will be the color of the roux when added to a dish and for the time given will be a mahogony color.

Steps:

• Thoroughly mix together the flour and the oil in a heavy Dutch oven.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and place the Dutch oven on the center shelf of the preheated oven.
• Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or a bit longer if you will have a very dark roux, stirring the mixture about every 15 minutes.
• When it is cool, store in jars in the refrigerator for future use.

Steps:

• Light Brown Cajun Roux: In a black iron pot or skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat to approximately 300 degrees F.
• Using a wooden roux spoon, slowly add the flour, stirring constantly until the roux is peanut butter in color, approximately two minutes. Reserve Light Brown Cajun Roux at room temperature.
• Dark Brown Cajun Roux: Proceed as you would in the light brown Cajun roux recipe but continue cooking until the roux is the color of a light caramel. This roux should almost be twice as dark as the light brown roux but not as dark as chocolate.
• When dark brown Cajun roux is done add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Sauté until the onions become translucent and the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes. Add the smoked andouille or smoked sausage and the seasonings, and about ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and continue to cook another 10 minutes.
• Fry okra with a small amount of grease and salt until okra is soft. (Avoid sticking.) Stir okra into gumbo and cook for another 15 minutes, and then add the stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cook another 30 minutes.
• With the gumbo on very low heat, add the Light Brown Cajun Roux and tomato paste. You'll find the greatest success when whisking the cool roux (that's room temperature cool, not refrigerator cool) into the hot gumbo. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
• ----------> Freeze here for future use (if desired).
• Add blue crabs. Remove the hard top shell from the crabs (reserving for stuffed crabs or for shellfish stock), and break each crab in two down the middle. Remove the claws. Add to the stock.) Simmer for 10 minutes,.
• Add the shrimp 10 minutes before serving.
• Add the oysters and oyster liquor 5 minutes before serving.
• Add the crabmeat just before serving (don't cook the crabmeat, just stir until it is heated through).
• Add additional Shrimp Stock (or chicken broth) if gumbo is too thick.
• Taste and correct seasonings.
• Place about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of rice in each bowl and ladle the gumbo over and around it. Serve with plenty of French bread and good beer or white wine.
• YIELD: About 16-18 entrée servings or 28-34 appetizer servings (omit hard shell crabs if serving cups of gumbo as an appetizer).