Email to Cat      

Creole Seafood Gumbo

Source of Recipe

From "Chowderland" by Brooke Dojny


Recipe Introduction

"Oh, how I love gumbo! I make it every year for a Mardi Gras party, using a version of the recipe developed for my cookbook The Best of New Orleans (Collins, 1994). Some Creole gumbos are thickened with okra, and some with fil� powder (ground sassafras leaves), but this uses both, for flavor as well as texture."

List of Ingredients

◦ ⅓ cup vegetable oil
◦ � cup all-purpose flour
◦ 1 large onion, chopped
◦ 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
◦ 2 celery stalks, chopped
◦ 1 (10-ounce) package frozen okra, trimmed an thinly sliced
◦ 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
◦ 2 teaspoons dried thyme
◦ 2 bay leaves
◦ 4 cups seafood broth (see Note)
◦ 2 to 3 cups water
◦ � teaspoon cayenne pepper
◦ 12 ounces andouille or other smoked sausage such as kielbasa, cut into �-inch-thick slices
◦ 1 pound shelled and deveined medium or large shrimp (see Note)
◦ 8 ounces crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage
◦ 1 pint shucked oysters with their liquor
◦ 1 tablespoon fil� powder
◦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
◦ � cup thinly sliced scallions
◦ � cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
◦ 4 cups hot cooked white rice


Recipe

Heat the oil in a large heavy soup pot. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon almost constantly until the roux is a deep reddish brown and has a toasty aroma, about 15 minutes. (Be very careful of spattering; hot roux can cause severe burns.) Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, okra, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves, and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the seafood broth, 2 cups of the water, cayenne, and sausage, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Add the shrimp, crabmeat, and oysters, and cook over medium heat until the oysters begin to shrink and the edges curl, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the fil� powder, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the gumbo aside to cool at room temperature for at least an hour or, better yet, refrigerate for up to two days.

Reheat gently when ready to serve, adding more water if it seems too thick. Stir in the scallions and parsley.
Ladle into bowls, top with a scoop of rice, and serve.

Makes 8 servings



❧ Note:
If you have shrimp shells, make a quick broth:
Combine them in a pot with � teaspoon salt and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain. Or use seafood broth, which can usually be found�in cans or shelf-stable cartons, or in jars as a concentrate�with the canned chicken and beef broth in the supermarket.