I once made a gumbo that I would describe as “hot but not spicy”. I used red pepper and cayenne, but there was still something missing. The blend just needed something more to be the perfect gumbo.

The following is a list of the top 9 reasons your gumbo tastes bland:

1. Not enough salt! Add salt!

2. Too much thyme or cayenne! Use less thyme and/or cayenne pepper!

3. Not enough celery or onion! Add more celery and/or onion!

4. Not enough fat added to the roux! Add in more fat to the roux (butter, oil, etc.)!

5. Not enough liquid! Add in more liquid (water, broth)!

6. Not enough time for your flavors to get to know each other! Let it sit for awhile so all the flavors can get to know each other!

7. Not enough time for your flavors to get comfortable with each other (especially if you are adding fresh vegetables)! Let it sit for awhile so all the flavors can get comfortable with each other and develop better flavor profiles!

I have been asked many times how I make my Gumbo and here are the Top 9 Reasons it Tastes Bland.

1. The Pot is not large enough to hold all the Ingredients.

2. The Meat is not browned before adding the Onions.

3. You are using Water instead of Stock or Bouillon.

4. You are using a Cooker instead of a Pot to Cook the Gumbo in.

5. You are using a cheap cut of Meat that does not have a lot of Flavor such as Blade or Chuck Roast or Stew Meat, or even Chicken Pieces.

6. You are adding too much Water/Stock and not enough Flour/Roux to thicken the Gumbo for serving so you must add Corn Starch or Flour/Roux when it is served to thicken it up since you cannot boil Corn Starch or Flour/Roux in the pot when making Gumbo but you can boil Roux in the pot while making Gumbo, plus adding Corn Starch or Flour/Roux to thin out Gumbo is more difficult than adding more Liquid to thin out Gumbo because once Corn Starch or Flour/Roux has been added to already prepared (cooked) G

Why does it taste bland? A gumbo is supposed to be spicy, right? If you’re feeling a little left out during this Mardi Gras season because you can’t take the heat, then this blog is just for you. It’s time to get that flavor back into your gumbos and remove any blandness.

One of the problems with making gumbo is that it can taste bland. All gumbos have some spice, but sometimes they can be too bland. Here are some reasons why your gumbo might be too bland:

1) The Fish You Used Was Old And Stale

2) The Roux You Used Was Not Dark Enough

3) The Cajun Spice Was Not Strong Enough

4) Your Spices Were Not Fresh Enough

5) You Didn’t Add Enough Vegetables To Your Gumbo

6) Your Seafood Was Not Salted Properly

7) You Used Too Much Cayenne Pepper

8) You Used Too Little Thyme

9) You Didn’t Add Enough Okra

Bland gumbo is a tragedy. It’s also kind of an accident.

I suspect most people who buy a box of Andouille sausage for their gumbo are disappointed when it doesn’t taste like the gumbo they get at restaurants. But restaurants aren’t adding anything to their andouille that you can’t add to yours — except maybe more time, patience, and practice.

In fact, I would argue that if your andouille tastes anything like the stuff you get in restaurants, there’s something wrong with your andouille. It should be hot, smoky, and intensely flavored — as different from mild supermarket pork sausage as pepperoni is from salami.

If your gumbo is bland, it’s not the seasoning’s fault (although your choice of seasoning might have something to do with it). Here are nine reasons why your gumbo probably isn’t spicy enough:

There are a few reasons you might be making your gumbo bland. The biggest reason people seem to have trouble seasoning their gumbos is that they’re afraid of spiciness and aren’t using enough cayenne pepper or black pepper to season it. So if your gumbo tastes bland, this is probably the reason.

The second most common reason for bland-tasting gumbo seems to be using pre-made roux. The common store bought roux available in stores has been sitting on the shelf for a long time and may taste rancid or stale. It’s important to use fresh homemade roux when cooking gumbo so that you don’t end up with a subpar tasting dish.

Another reason why people seem to believe their gumbo doesn’t taste like much is because they don’t use enough seasoning in general. The key components of Creole and Cajun food are the spices and flavors used (see my post on Cajun spice). If you’re not putting enough of these things into your food, then you’re going to have a bland tasting dish.

The final reason why some believe their gumbo isn’t as flavorful as it should be may be because they don’t use enough seafood in their dish. Seafoods such

Nine: Your gumbo is too thick.

The two most common problems with gumbo are inauthenticity (foreigners trying to make a local recipe) and blandness. The latter is easily fixed.

Gumbo comes in two textures (and a third, thin like water). There is the Cajun texture (thick, like gravy), and there is the Creole texture (somewhere in between). Having tried a lot of gumbos, I can confidently say that the ones that have a lot of body are always close to inedible. They are thick like glue and taste like you soaked the meat in flour before cooking it. I do not recommend them. You should be able to eat the stuff you make for the first time without feeling like your mouth is full of cotton balls.

This means that you have to thin your gumbo out somehow. If you use okra, it will thicken as it cooks. A little bit of water will thin it out again. But if you add too much water, it will not just thin out, it will turn bland on you, which brings us to our next point…