Christmas On The River Seafood Gumbo

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine the red, white, and black peppers, paprika, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and salt; set aside.
• In a heavy pot, 5 quart or larger, heat oil over medium heat, warming the pot first. Add onions, celery, and green pepper. Turn heat to high. Stirring frequently, add garlic, file, hot sauce, and the pepper-herb mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add tomato sauce, and stir as it reduces over high heat. Add fish stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• When ready to serve, add shrimp, oysters, and crabmeat. Cover, and wait 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve.

CHRISTMAS ON THE RIVER SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine the water, lemon, crab boil, and 1 tsp salt in a large Dutch oven; bring it to a boil. Add the shrimp, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and discard the lemon and crab boil. Remove the shrimp, reserving the water. Peel and devein the shrimp; chill.
• Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove the bacon, reserving the drippings in the skillet. Crumble the bacon and set it aside.
• Add flour to the drippings in the skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the roux is caramel-colored (about 5 minutes). Watch the temperature and adjust it according to your stove -- do not burn the roux or you will have to start over. Once the roux is caramel colored, stir in the onion, green pepper and celery; cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
• Add the roux mixture, ham, and the remaining ingredients EXCEPT rice, chilled shrimp and crumbled bacon to the reserved water in the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 50 minutes. After about an hour and 40 minutes, start cooking your rice.
• Stir in the chilled shrimp and the crumbled bacon, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve the gumbo over hot cooked rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve hot sauce on the side.

PAPA'S SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Make a roe with the oil and flour in a skillet. Add more of either flour or oil as necessary. It should be a medium dark brown, and a thin syrup. You should have approximately 3 cups of roe when finished.
• Add celery, garlic and onions to the roe and cook until translucent. Pour this into a very large 20 gallon stock pot.
• Add white wine, and approximately 1 gallon water. Add more as necessary, this is hard to measure but it should be about 2/3 water and 1/3 wine.
• In your original skillet, brown the sausage. Add this to the pot.
• Add seasonings to taste.
• Boil for 1-2 hours on medium high. When it starts to smell good, you know you are starting to get there. Start tasting at this point and add more seasonings as necessary.
• Add okra and oysters.
• Let cook for another 40 minutes or so.
• Add shrimp and crab.
• Let cook until shrimp is pink.
• Serve over white 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.