Well, of course I know that, but I’m talking in context. I see that you commented before I inserted “(at least for Cajun/Creole)” cuz I knew I was asking for a nitpick. 
Yeah, there are generally three types of gumbo:
- Okra-thickened
- File-thickened
- Roux-thickened
Despite some misconceptions, gumbo does not have to have okra in it.
Well, you expressed skepticism that butter would work at all in a Cajun roux:
I’ve made plenty of dark rouxs with butter, and they seemed to turn out just fine, but who knows, maybe I’ve been burning my roux this whole time and didn’t know it.
I’m not nitpicking, I’m just trying to fight ignorance-- mine as much as anybody’s!
You are more brave than I am. Do you do your roux over high heat? I tend to go hot and fast rather than slow and patient, so I know I’d burn my butter right quick, though I slow down when I get to the peanut butter stage.
Yep, I go hot and fast as well, stirring constantly. Sometimes with an old penny nearby as a color cue for when to stop 
Interesting. Still probably too rich for my blood to use all that butter. I looked through a couple more books: Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen uses oil and flour in his gumbos, and looking through The New Orleans Restaurant Cookbook, from 1967, all the various roux bases there from historical NO restaurants all seem to be flour and shortening. I guess any fat should work.
ETA: Oh, cool. My Donald Link book, Real Cajun, has a specific note about it:
This was a note under the recipe for “Cathy’s Shrimp, Corn, and Tomato Stew” for full context.
Hmm…it’s possible I’m not making my roux dark enough, because I would have thought peanut butter colored roux to be a roux on the dark side, not a ‘light’ roux.
What oil is best to make a good dark roux then? I usually use peanut oil in high-heat situations, but peanut oil doesn’t sound right for a gumbo roux. I wouldn’t want to use shortening since it’s a hydrogenated oil.
Well, I think he’s saying the roux is “light peanut-butter-colored,” so on the light side of peanut butter roux, not “light, peanut-butter-colored” saying that peanut butter rouxs are light.
Peanut-butter is toward the blond roux there. Chocolate and dark chocolate rouxs are quite dark.
Oh, here’s a cooler chart:
Ok, yeah, I’ve never gone darker than the color of an old penny, which would be considered ‘light brown’ on that spoon chart. I’ve never gone to that shade of ‘dark brown’.
So what type of oil should I use to get a ‘dark brown’ roux like the one on the spoon chart? As I said upthread…
I use vegetable oil. I also use okra on top of my roux. There’s no “purity” in Gumbo to violate - pretty much the whole point of Gumbo is that you can put anything in it.
I use whatever oil I have around. Peanut would be fine; I use sunflower oil since I’m a sunflower oil house. I don’t think it matters all that much. Online I see mentions of vegetable or canola oil. Just don’t use like extra virgin olive oil or something like that.
That’s what I learned when I took cooking classes in New Orleans. The teacher was Cajun.
Thanks! I’m a peanut oil house, since I do a lot of stir-frying. Next time I make a gumbo I’ll try making a dark roux with peanut oil.
Yeah, I learned using oil and flour. I’m guessing you could have some luck using ghee, but I wouldn’t try it with regular butter.
Shrimp, celery, and bell peppers purchased, and some prep dicing work will take place in a few minutes, as soon as I’ve rested after shopping and drunk an iced tea.
It’s funny: Mr. brown detests celery, green pepper, and okra, but he’s okay with them in a gumbo. I dice them all on the fine side and that seems to make them all a bit more acceptable.
My gumbo came out brilliantly. I think it’s the best I ever made. I think it’s because I took care to get flavorful wild-caught white prawns and super-fresh prime okra. And we have leftovers for dinner tonight!
Leftover gumbo is even better the next day!