Longanisa Gumbo

What is Longanisa Gumbo?

Longanisa Gumbo is a rich Louisiana-style stew that weaves together Cajun and Filipino flavors. The dark roux is cooked with bell pepper, onions, celery, tender shrimp, chicken and a sweet sausage called longanisa. Then, instead of your average white rice, it is served with fragrant garlic fried rice. 

Where’d It Come From?

To put it simply, the type of longanisa we worked with in this recipe comes from the Philippines and gumbo comes from Louisiana. But if you want to drill down further, the dishes originally came from Spain and France. If you want to get even more complex, they’ve also been linked with Canada, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

Want to dig deeper into the roots of these dishes? Check out our Food History 101 Blog!

– Click here to learn about the origin of Longanisa

– Click here to learn about the history of Gumbo

How’s It Made?

Makes: 6 servings |  Active prep/cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs

• ½ lb longanisa

• ½ lb shrimp – deveined and cleaned

• 1 cup uncooked white rice

• ½ tbs salt

• ½ tsp pepper

• ½ tsp paprika

• ¼ tsp cayenne

• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ cup flour

• 1/2 tsp worcestershire

• 1/4 tsp soy sauce

• 1/4 tsp fish sauce

• 1/4 tsp white vinegar

• 1/2 tsp hot sauce

• 1 garlic head – minced

• 1 green bell pepper – finely chopped

• 1 celery stalk – finely chopped

• 1 cup okra – cut into 1/2” thick slices

• 1 onion – chopped

• 2 green onions – thinly sliced (separate white from green)

• 6 cups chicken broth

• Oil

Instructions:

1. Make rice according to package instructions.

2. Combine salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

3. Place chicken in one bowl and shrimp in the other. Marinate each bowl with ⅓ of the seasoning mix (set aside the remaining ⅓ of seasoning).

4. Sear chicken until golden brown – about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

5. Add longanisa and cook until browned and cooked through. Slice into 1”-thick slices. Set aside with chicken.

6. Strain drippings and reserve 1/2 cup (if there’s not enough, make up for it in oil).

7. Heat drippings over medium heat and whisk in flour. Whisk constantly until roux is a milk chocolate color. 

8. Reduce to medium-low and add onions. Saute until soft for about 10 minutes.

9. Add white part of scallions, celery, bell pepper, and 1 tbs garlic. Cook until soft for about 10 minutes.

10. Slowly and carefully whisk in broth. 

11. Add thyme, bay leaf, chicken, sausage. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 45 minutes – all while skimming fat from surface.

12. Remove chicken, chop or shred and set aside.

13. Stir in okra and remaining liquid ingredients. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

14. While gumbo simmers, make garlic fried rice. Heat 1/4 cup oil in skillet, add remaining garlic and cook until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, remove 1/4 of the garlic and set on paper towels.

15. Reserve 2 tbs with garlic and heat on high (be careful not to burn the garlic). Add rice and cook for 45 seconds until grains start to sizzle, toss and repeat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

16. In the gumbo pot, stir in shrimp and remaining okra and simmer until okra is tender and shrimp is cooked – 5 minutes.

17. Add chicken back in. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste.

18. Serve gumbo with garlic fried rice and garnish with crispy garlic bits.