Quick Sausage Gumbo with Blackened Shrimp

Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add sausage, and cook for about 7 minutes, breaking it up as you go, until sausage is crispy, crumbly, and cooked through.

When sausage has cooked, add onion and okra to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, to soften the veggies. Add garlic and cook for one minute more.

When garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned, add creole seasoning, tomatoes and their juices, and chicken stock. Stir to combine and taste, adding more creole seasoning until the mixture is very flavorful and slightly spicy.

Reduce heat to medium or medium-low the let the gumbo gently simmer for 15–20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the spices to make a spice blend for the shrimp.

When the gumbo has thickened and reduced (near the time you’d like to serve), preheat a skillet with some olive oil to medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the shrimp in one even layer and sprinkle with the seasoning blend. Save any extra of the spice blend for another use. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes or so on each side until just barely cooked through and crispy on the outside—don’t move them too much or they won’t brown.

Serve the gumbo over rice topped with a few of the shrimp. Top with extra hot sauce such as Tabasco for flavor. Enjoy!