Jambalaya Skewers with Andouille Sausage, Shrimp and Fresh Okra
One of my hopes when I signed up for my CSA was that the random deliveries would force me to seek out new recipes that experiment with vegetables I may be less familiar with. We’ve already seen this to be the case with kohlrabi. Although I’m still not convinced that anyone really knows of a true purpose for kohlrabi. There is an entire post on the Kitchn on tasty ways to prepare kohlrabi, but come on: “roast it, steam it, eat it raw” they’re not really saying anything revolutionary. The message is pretty much “use it in place of some other starchy vegetable.” Can we add “name your first child after it” to the list? Or has that already been done? I haven’t read the last few issues of People.
I’m getting horribly off track. Back to the point. I recently found myself with another vegetable I’d never cooked: okra. Unlike the possibly purposeless kohlrabi, okra is used in much of the world, including right here in the U.S. It’s commonly found in Southern cookin’, almost always fried, of course. While I’ve dabbled a good bit in Spanish, Italian, Indian and Thai, my experience with Southern cooking is quite limited. I had to head to Foodgawker, where I found plenty of okra inspiration. While this okra parmigiana looked delicious, I ultimately went with the kabobs because they looked a little lighter, a whole lot simpler and also allowed me to incorporate the amazing mini heirloom tomatoes that came with the okra.
This recipe can be served on the skewer or deconstructed and stuffed in a bun. I prefer the breadless version myself, served along side a nice little salad.
Jambalaya Skewers with Andouille Sausage, Shrimp and Fresh Okra
Adapted from Pickled Capers
Ingredients:
- 4 links of Andouille Sausage (I used Trader Joe’s Pre-Cooked Chicken Sausage)
- 1 lb large Shrimp (cooked or uncooked will work, just adjust cooking time)
- ½ lb Fresh Okra
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes (the heirloom ones are beautiful!)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow or White Onion
- ¼ Cup Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
- 1 Package Hot Dog Buns (optional)
- Skewers
Instructions:
- Peel the shrimp and set aside. If you are using uncooked sausage, par-cook it in boiling water for 5-6 minutes. Let cool and cut into roughly 1″ chunks. Otherwise, just cut into 1″ chunks. Chop onions and peppers into roughly 1″ chunks.
- In a large bowl mix seasoning and oil. Put in all ingredients and toss until well coated.
- Carefully skewer ingredients. Shrimp should be skewered separately. All other ingredients should be skewered together in an alternating fashion.
- Grill the veggie/sausage skewers on a well-oiled grill, with lid closed, over medium heat for gas or over direct flame for charcoal. Skewers should be flipped at about 5-8 minutes – look for charring on veggies and a little bubbling on the sausage. Repeat on other side. Remove and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
- For the shrimp, grill on well-oiled grill with lid open for about 2 minutes per side or when pink color starts creeping up over the top half of the shrimp. Flip and cook other side for same amount of time.
- Serve as skewers, or remove all ingredients and serve on toasted buns, if desired.
4 Servings
