Okay, so today I decided to tackle a question that’s been bugging me for a while: What goes well with gumbo? I mean, gumbo’s great on its own, this rich, flavorful stew, but sometimes you want a little something extra, you know?
My Gumbo Experiment
First things first, I cooked up a big pot of chicken and sausage gumbo. My usual recipe, nothing fancy. While that was simmering, I started brainstorming sides. I wanted to try a few different things, see what really clicked.
Here’s what I ended up with:
- Plain White Rice: This is the classic, right? Gotta have it.
- Potato Salad: I saw this suggested online a lot, so I figured, why not? Made a simple, creamy potato salad.
- Cornbread: Another classic Southern side. I made mine a little sweet.
- Green Salad: Needed something fresh and light to balance out the richness of the gumbo. Just a basic salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and a vinaigrette.
- Fried Okra: Okra’s already in my gumbo, but I love it, so I fried some up too.
So, the gumbo’s ready, the sides are prepped, and it’s time for the taste test. I dished up a bowl of gumbo and started experimenting.
The rice, obviously, was perfect. Soaks up all that delicious gravy, doesn’t compete with the flavors. Can’t go wrong there.
The potato salad? Surprisingly good! The cool, creamy texture was a nice contrast to the warm, spicy gumbo. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it totally worked.
Cornbread was another winner. Dipped it in the gumbo, crumbled it on top… delicious. The sweetness played well with the savory flavors.
The green salad was… fine. It did its job, added some freshness, but it wasn’t anything special. Wouldn’t say it enhanced the gumbo, but it didn’t hurt either.
And finally, the fried okra. Okay, maybe this was overkill, having okra in the gumbo and on the side. But hey, I enjoyed it! Crunchy, salty… good stuff, but probably not necessary if you’ve already got okra in your gumbo.
The Verdict
For me, the top contenders were definitely the rice, potato salad, and cornbread. Those are the ones I’ll be serving with my gumbo from now on. The salad was okay, and the fried okra was a bit much, but hey, it was a fun experiment!
If you’re making gumbo, give some of these sides a try! You might be surprised at what you discover. What about you? What is your favorite side to pair it with?
