Bayou Land Seafood Gumbo File

BAYOU GULF SHRIMP GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Saute the celery, onion, green pepper and garlic in drippings until tender., Transfer to a 4-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the bacon, clam juice, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and marjoram. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours., Stir in shrimp and okra. Cover and cook 1 hour longer or until shrimp turn pink and okra is heated through. Serve with rice if desired.

BAYOU SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine stock, bay leaves, red pepper, ham and 2 teaspoons salt in large pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to medium. Cover and simmer 45 minute.
• Meanwhile, make roux by heating bacon drippings in skillet over medium heat. Add flour. Stir until absorbed. Do not let it burn. Stir constantly until flour is light brown.
• Add oil, okra, onions, garlic, green pepper. Sauté until tender. Add tomatoes. Cook another 5 minutes.
• Add sautéed vegetables to beef stock. Add 1 tsp salt, thyme, catsup, hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook over low heat for one hour.
• Add shrimp, crabmeat and green onions. Cook 40 minutes. Add gumbo file during last 30 minutes. Serve with rice.

EMERIL'S COUNTRY FILE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat the roux in a medium-sized heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions, celery and bell pepper. Stir mixture until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the browned sausage, bay leaves, Worcestershire, hot sauce, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
• Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until gumbo is slightly reduced, about 50 minutes. (Gumbo should cook long enough for the roux flavor to mellow and for any floury taste to dissipate.)
• Season the shrimp with the Essence in a small bowl. Stir in the seasoned shrimp, crabmeat, green onions, parsley, thyme and basil. Cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Sprinkle in file powder and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more, or pass file at the table for guests to thicken as desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.
• Serve in warmed soup bowls over steamed white rice.
• Place a heavy, iron Dutch oven, (or iron skillet with deep sides) over medium heat and heat the oil until just smoking. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to desired color. Be careful not to produce specs of black. The roux must remain an even color throughout process. If specs appear you must start over.
• For a Light Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the color of peanut butter. Remove about 1 cup of the light colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for the Delmonico's Seafood Okra Gumbo.
• For a Medium Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the color of a copper penny when ready. Remove about 13/4 cups of the medium colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for Emeril's Country File Gumbo.
• For a Dark Brown Roux, cook the mixture an additional 35 to 45 minutes. The color should resemble dark chocolate when ready. Remove all of the remaining dark roux from the pan and cool completely. Set aside for the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. (See Cook's Note)
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

BAYOU LAND SEAFOOD GUMBO FILE'

Steps:

• 1. In a heavy bottomed stock pot, stir together the flour and oil forming a rue. Cook the rue over a medium high heat, stirring constantly until the flower darkens to a deep cafe'au'lait color. Add onions and continue to cook until the edges of the onions begin to turn brown. Stir in celery, bell pepper, and garlic, continue to cook until mixture becomes a deep dark golden brown. Stir in 1 quart of the seafood stock and seasonings. Stir in Shrimp, allow it to begin to boil before adding in the remaining 3 quarts of seafood stock. Cook for 30 minutes over medium heat. ( If you are using raw, whole gumbo crabs you should add them in as soon as the mixture comes back to a boil after adding in the shrimp.)
• 2. Add in the oysters with their liquor and the crab meat, the parsley and green onions. Allow Gumbo to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Sprinkle gumbo file' over the top of soup, stir into mixture gently. Serve over hot rice.
• 3. Note: Gumbo is usually served as a main course soup. I like to put 1/2 cup of rice into the bottom of a deep soup bowl, sprinkle the rice lightly with additional gumbo file'. Then ladle on about 1 1/2 cups of the broth, make sure to get some of all the seafood in each bowl. At my house, I always make potato salad to accompany gumbo, it just goes really well with it.

BAYOU GUMBO

Steps:

• Mix flour and oil in 1-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring constantly; reduce heat to medium. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture turns reddish brown.
• Place flour-oil mixture in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients except rice, water and shrimp.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 9 hours or until okra is tender.
• About 25 minutes before serving, cook rice in 3 cups water as directed on package. Meanwhile, stir shrimp into gumbo. Cover and cook on low heat setting 20 minutes. Serve gumbo over rice.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Make the spice mix: Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined. Set aside 2 tablespoons to add to the gumbo and reserve the rest for another use in an airtight container.
• Make the gumbo: In a heavy 4- to 5-quart pot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble slightly, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula to form a smooth paste.
• Cook the mixture, stirring continuously, for 10 to 13 minutes to make a chocolate-colored roux. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to avoid burning. It is important to keep a very close eye on the roux during this step. The roux can go from a nutty color and aroma to burnt beyond repair in a matter of minutes. Lower the heat as needed.
• Immediately add the onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper and tomatoes and stir well. The vegetables will stop the roux from overcooking and burning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to stick to the pan, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the dried shrimp, if using, tomato paste and 2 tablespoons spice mix and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
• While whisking, slowly add the stock and whisk until the stock is completely blended with the roux and vegetable mixture. Add the okra, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and let simmer for 50 minutes over very low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the lobster, crab, scallops and shrimp and simmer just until cooked through, about 10 minutes more.
• Season the gumbo to taste with salt and pepper and serve over rice.