I’m making land gumbo, but I can’t get a hold of andouille sausages. I’ve got Krakow sausages instead. Would they be a good substitute?

Any tips or recommendations appreciated

23 comments

  1. Yeah they’ll probably work. I’ve made gumbo-ish stuff using different types of meats and while it might not be traditional it’s still tasty

  2. when I make gumbo I like to add some kielbasa, which I think is the same thing as what you’re using. It won’t be exactly the same but I’m sure it will taste fine.

  4. Should be fine. Gumbo is a “throw whatever’s cheap in your region into a stew then season the hell out of it til it tastes good” thing so using what you’ve got is kind of on-point anyway.

  8. No sausage at all! Use shrimp, crab, and oysters to make seafood gumbo. Buy the shrimp in shells and use the shells to make your own seafood stock. Add worchestershire sauce.

    Alternatively, just use vegetables.

  11. Copied my comment from a similar thread a week or two ago

    > Add a scoop of potato salad instead of or in addition to rice. Make a dark roux, some people slow stir and some people make a high heat roux, just depends on what you’re comfortable doing. I like to smoke a whole chicken for an hour or so before I start to boil it for the broth, the smoke adds another layer to the flavor profile. I know a lot of people that will go ahead and make a TON of roux in one sitting and then portion it out and freeze the individual roux “cakes” in a silicone whiskey rocks tray so they can skip that step next time they want gumbo. Hope this helps

    E: whoever is downvoting this comment needs to come down and spend some time in south Louisiana with some real Cajuns

  13. Like others are saying, the Polish sausages should be fine. You might want to try to replicate the spicy flavor of andouille by adding some Louisiana style hot sauce. It’s usually a vinegar-based sauce, with minimal ingredients. Crystal is a pretty classic intro sauce.

  14. The best advice I can give is the best gumbos are always the simplest. You really just need the trinity, garlic, water (or chicken stock), flower, oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Good gumbo comes from letting the roux do it’s thing.

    I tried forever to make a gumbo as good as my grandparents and the problem was I always made it too complicated with my seasonings

  15. My previous comment for gumbo:

    This isn’t a recipe but more of a guide, we don’t typically follow recipes in my area ([Acadiana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadiana)). Gumbo both in Acadiana and New Orleans is the work of Cajuns, Creoles, and the local Native American peoples influences coming together in a bowl

    Gumbo ingredients:

    Boneless chicken thighs (bone in is up to you if you prefer)
    Smoked sausage (andouille is not a requirement)
    Tasso (not a requirement)
    Chicken stock
    Garlic
    Onions
    Bell peppers
    Celery
    Salt
    Black pepper
    Cayenne pepper
    Gumbo file (not required)
    All-purpose flour

    Start with a roux.

    Mix together oil and flour in a pan, preferably cast iron, roughly 3/4 flour and 1/4 oil — add more oil if you need. Stir on medium-high heat, adjusting temperature as you go, until it reaches a dark chocolate color. Mixing in chopped celery, onions, and bell peppers helps it turn darker.

    In a larger pot, move roux over and pour in your stock. You want your gumbo slightly thinner than your average beef stew, so make more roux if you need. Let this simmer on a low heat for a couple of hours so that the raw flour flavor disappears and you get a nice nutty, rouxy flavor. Add your seasonings above how you like it.

    Chop sausage into 1/4 inch or 1cm slices and brown them on both sides. If you have tasso, chop it into small pieces, brown it, and put it in the stock. Tasso takes awhile to get tender, probably 2 hours.

    Put your chicken directly into the stock. Once the chicken is around 3/4s of the way to being tender enough to break with something not sharp, throw in the sausage.

    Let this cook for 45 minutes to an hour longer.

    Serve with rice.

    There’s no need for Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, at any point during the cooking process. Let the above ingredients do their job, which is adding a smoky, rich, gumbo flavor.

    If you want to add okra, go ahead. It’s not a requirement.

  16. Any heavily smoked sausage is a decent substitute for andouille, if not quite as good. And that nasty sausage the French call an anduillette is definately not the same thing.

    I imagine okra is not exactly common in England. I can only sometimes get it frozen in New England, have never seen it fresh in this area. I don’t even know what would be a substitute.

  18. Alton Brown had a [great episode on Good Eats](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/shrimp-gumbo-recipe-1946875) making a shrimp and sausage gumbo but it can work with all meat or all seafood.

    The key is it demonstrated baking your roux and it’s a game changer. I can get a nice deep brick roux without fear of it burning and being chained to the stove stirring.

    >Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.

    I sometimes have to bake it longer, stirring every 30 minutes while I am chopping everything else up and browning sausages etc.

  19. Use Portuguese linguiça if you can’t get andouille. I’d imagine that shouldn’t be too hard to find in England, but I may be wrong.

  23. Italian Sausage works well too.

    Take it easy on the Okra at first, especially if you aren’t used to it. It’s an excellent part of Gumbo, but it can make the soup a bit slimier than one is typically accustomed to. If the soup is too slimy because of the Okra, add something acidic. A tiny bit of lime juice, or even soy sauce, can work.

    When making the roux, make sure you wait until the flour mixture is brownish.

    If you can get chicken bone stock, or make your own, it is better than the broth you buy at the store for the soup.

    Always serve with rice!

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