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Mamma's Seafood Gumbo

Source of Recipe

From "Besh Big Easy" by John Besh


Recipe Introduction

"When I say I cook at home more and more like my mother and grandmother did, this gumbo is a great example. Cooking it makes me so happy! I get that deep shellfish flavor from cooking the crabs at least 45 minutes before adding the other seafood. It's all about tasting, adjusting the flavors, and really just cooking from your heart."

List of Ingredients

â—¦  ¾ cup canola oil
â—¦  ¾ cup flour
â—¦  2 large onions, chopped
â—¦  6 blue crabs, quartered
â—¦  1 stalk celery, chopped
â—¦  4 cloves garlic, minced
â—¦  3 quarts shrimp or shellfish stock
â—¦  2 cups sliced okra
â—¦  1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme
â—¦  2 bay leaves
â—¦  1 pound smoked sausage, sliced ½ inch thick
â—¦  4 green onions, chopped
â—¦  2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
â—¦  Salt and pepper
â—¦  Tabasco
â—¦  1 pound medium wild American shrimp, peeled and deveined
â—¦  1 pint shucked oysters and their liquor
â—¦  1 cup crabmeat
â—¦  6 cups white rice


Recipe

Make a roux by heating the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Whisk the flour into the hot oil. It will immediately begin to sizzle. Reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking until the roux turns a deep brown color, about 15 minutes.

Add the onions, stirring them into the roux with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to medium low and continue stirring until the roux turns a glossy dark brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the blue crabs and stir for a minute to toast the shells, then add the celery and garlic. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the stock, okra, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring the gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and skim off the fat from the surface of the gumbo (moving the pot half off the burner helps collect the impurities).

Add the sausage and green onions to the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Season well with the Creole seasoning, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Add the shrimp, oysters and their liquor, and crabmeat to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
Serve with rice.

Serves 10