The roux is the foundation of many, many Cajun dishes. You will find it referred to in a number of recipes. The roux that follows is the one I have used for many years.
What is a Cajun Roux?
Ohhh, you wanna know what a Cajun roux is? Lemme tell ya!
A roux is da start of all good cookin’ down here in south Louisiana. You take equal parts flour and oil—maybe a lil’ bacon grease if you feelin’ fancy—and you stir it. You don’t stop stirrin’, no sir! Stir it slowww ‘til it’s the color of a brown boot and smellin’ like heaven.
Burn it? Throw it out and start over. But get it right? Whoo boy—you got the base for gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée—all dat good eatin’ and I gaah-ron-tee you gon’ love it!
Variations on Cajun Roux
Although all roux are pretty much the same in Cajun kitchens, there are variations by some stubborn ol’ cooks. For instance, after you make the basic roux, you can add a small can of tomato paste, stirring this all the time until the roux returns to the color of the flour before the paste was added. Then add a small can of tomato sauce, stirring this into the mixture until it turns dark brown again.
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Justin Wilson’s Cajun Roux
This is the basic roux. Cajuns will say that a finished roux shines. This is the only roux recipe you’ll ever need — I GARONTEE!
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil or bacon drippings
- 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Cooking Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over a medium fire.
- Add the flour and cook very slowly, stirring almost constantly. The flour must be cooked to a very dark brown, nearly black, but not actually burned. This takes more time than you might think is necessary, but a good roux must be cooked slowly to get the floury taste out of it and to ensure uniformity of color.
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