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seafood gumbo
This afternoon Dom was watching the premiere episode of the second season of Alton Brown’s Feasting on Asphalt, set in New Orleans. (That episode, by the way, has one of the best titles ever: “Strong Brown God.“ Quote my favorite T. S. Eliot poems and I melt.) Alton was playing with crawfish and talking up gumbo. I went to lie down for a nap and dreamed about chasing crawfish around the kitchen and into a big tide pool. Naturally, I woke with a strong craving for seafood gumbo. (Of course, Karen Hall may have had something to do with it too.)
So Bella and I took a quick trip to the grocery store to load up on ingredients. Unfortunately, in my hurry I forgot to pick up stock. I was about to send Dom back to the store while I continued to chop vegetables and remove shrimp tails (why can’t they sell them without the tails?) when he recalled that we had some lobster stock in the freezer. Perfect.
Lobster stock, by the way, is really easy to make. Just save the water when you boil lobsters. Freeze it and it makes a great base for fish soups.
Even Bella enjoyed a sip of the gumbo broth. Dom was in heaven and I was able to satisfy my craving for spicy, fishy stew.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound okra
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced green pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 pound andouille sausage
1 pound pre-cooked shrimp, tails removed
1/2 pound lump crab meat
2 quarts lobster stock (may substitute fish stock or chicken stock)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 bay leaves
salt
Tabasco sauce to taste
1/4 teaspoon file powder (optional)
cajun seasoning (optional)
Directions
In a large non-stick skillet heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil on medium heat. When oil is hot, add okra, a pinch of salt and about 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until okra is no longer slimy and starts to brown. (About 10-15 minutes.) Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or stockpot heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium heat. When oil is hot, add flour. Cook, stirring constantly so the flour doesn’t scorch, until flour is dark brown and has a nutty smell. This is the famed Cajun roux.
Add onion, green pepper, celery, pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and stir to coat with flour mixture (roux). Cook until vegetables are soft.
Add herbs and spices—except for file—as well as tomatoes, sausage, stock, and okra. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle shrimp with Cajun seasoning (optional). Add shrimp, crab meat and a dash of Tabasco to pot. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Add file.
Serve over rice.
COMMENTS
The recipe looks great, and I like the background story as well. It’s a good thing you had that Lobster stock on hand!
Posted by Alice Gunther on 08/6/07 at 04:13 PMYeah, sometimes having a lobster-obsessed husband does come in handy!
Posted by
on 08/6/07 at 04:27 PMCommenting is not available in this weblog entry.
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