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Everything But the Kitchen Sink Gumbo

Source of Recipe

From "Sweetie Pie's Cookbook" by Robbie Montgomery


Recipe Introduction

"When you get set to make gumbo, plan on making a big pot, because it's a dish that's meant to serve a crowd. Gumbo comes from Louisiana, but here I've made it my own by adding my favorite ingredients. While you'll find old-school Cajun ingredients like gumbo filé powder, roux, andouille sausage, and shrimp in my gumbo, I also include crab, lobster, and a whole chicken. When I make this gumbo, my friends and family come over with two bowls — one to eat from and another to take home. I happen to like to eat my gumbo with saltine crackers, but the traditional way is to spoon it over plain white rice."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 (2-pound) whole chicken
â—¦ 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
â—¦ 2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
â—¦ 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
â—¦ 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ â…“ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ ½ pound andouille sausage, sliced into 1-inch rounds
â—¦ 1 tablespoon gumbo filé powder, or more to taste
â—¦ 1 cup chopped okra
â—¦ 2 pounds snow crab legs or stone crab claws
â—¦ 2 pounds lobster tail
â—¦ 1 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp
â—¦ 1 tablespoon hot sauce, or to taste
â—¦ Salt


Recipe

In an 8-quart stockpot, combine the chicken, onion, bell peppers, and celery. Ad 6 quarts of water, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a soft boil. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes before adding the roux, skimming the top as needed.

Meanwhile, make the roux:
Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until you have a light brown roux, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the roux to the pot with the chicken and stir well.

Heat another medium skillet over medium heat, add the sausage, and cook until browned, turning it once, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the sausage pieces with a slotted spoon and add them to the chicken mixture.

Continue to cook until the chicken is tender enough to pull easily from the bone, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the pot, cool slightly, and pull the meat from the bones. Discard the bones and skin and return the chicken to the pot. Add the gumbo filé powder and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the filé begins to thicken the gumbo.

Add the okra and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, then add the crab and lobster tail and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes more. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce and season with salt. Serve over rice.


Serves 10 to 12