Seafood Andouille Gumbo

SHRIMP GUMBO WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Serve: Serve with white rice, garnished with green onions. To eat, sprinkle with filé powder and hot sauce.

SHRIMP AND ANDOUILLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine peppers, onions, and celery in a bowl and have ready next to the stove. In a large heavy skillet (cast iron is best) heat oil until it just begins to smoke. Gradually add flour, whisking constantly. Continue whisking constantly and cook over medium to medium-high heat until roux is dark brown and very fragrant. Add vegetable mixture and stir with a wooden spoon, continuing to cook, for 2 minutes. Add salt and dry seasonings and garlic and stir to combine, cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes, then remove pan from heat.
• Place shrimp stock in a large Dutch oven or stockpot and bring to a gentle boil. Gradually add roux mixture to boiling stock, whisking constantly, until completely incorporated and dissolved. Return to a boil and add the andouille, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then add shrimp and turn off heat. Let gumbo sit for 5 minutes to allow shrimp to cook, then serve immediately over a scoop of plain white rice.
• Note: You can do everything in this recipe up to the point of adding the shrimp beforehand; bring gumbo up to a boil before adding shrimp to serve.
• Cooking the roux can be tricky. For safety's sake, wear good oven mitts while whisking (roux can cook to nearly 400 degrees F!) and be very careful not to let it burn on the bottom. If black bits show up in the roux before it is done, you must start over, boo-hoo. If the roux starts to smoke, remove it from the heat for a few minutes and keep whisking?remember that the pan will retain a lot of heat that will continue to cook the roux even off the flame. This is not a quick project! Your patience will be rewarded with a rich, delicious gumbo.
• Peel and de-vein the shrimp and reserve the shells. Refrigerate the shrimp until needed. In a saucepan or stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Then, add the shrimp shells and cook, stirring constantly, until shells are pink and fragrant. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add water to the pot to just past the level of the shrimp shells and add peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Skim impurities (i.e., scum) from top of stock and simmer for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Strain stock and reserve.

SHRIMP GUMBO WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Peel and devein shrimp. Reserve shrimp shells for broth. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon garlic. Cover and refrigerate. Make the shrimp broth.
• Make the gumbo base: In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery and cook briskly, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir to combine. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring, until flour-vegetable mixture is well browned. Add tomato paste, paprika, cayenne and remaining garlic. Cook for 1 minute, stirring well, then add diced tomato and andouille sausage and cook for about 2 minutes. Season mixture generously with salt and pepper.
• Stir in shrimp broth and reduce heat to medium. With a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pot to dissolve any browned bits. Simmer for about 25 minutes, until gumbo base thickens somewhat. Taste and adjust salt. (You may prepare gumbo base up to this point several hours ahead; bring it back to a brisk simmer before continuing.)
• Add okra and let cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes more. Turn off heat. Stir in filé powder. Serve immediately, sprinkled with scallions, along with steamed rice or cornbread if desired.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat until browned but not crisp. Transfer bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon and transfer rendered fat to a heatproof liquid measure, then add enough oil to fat to bring total to 3/4 cup.
• Stir together fat and flour in skillet with a wooden spoon, then cook roux over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until well browned (a shade darker than peanut butter), about 20 minutes.
• Add celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a 6- to 7-quart pot.
• Stir in stock, tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, cayenne, and 2 teaspoons salt and briskly simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.
• Add parsley, scallions, shrimp, and oysters with their liquor and cook, stirring, until seafood is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in crabmeat and bacon and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt. Discard bay leaf.

SEAFOOD & ANDOUILLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine onions, bell peppers, and celery in medium bowl. Set aside.
• In small bowl, combine bay leaves, salt, peppers, thyme and oregano. Set aside.
• In a heavy skillet, heat oil over high heat until it begins to smoke.
• Gradually add the flour, whisking constantly. Continue cooking & whisking constantly until the roux is a dark red-brown (about 2 to 4 minutes). If it scorches, dump out & start over.
• When roux is ready, add half of vegetables and stir well with wooden spoon or spatula. Stir and cook for ONE minute. Add remaining vegetables. Stir and cook for TWO minutes.
• Add seasoning mixture and stir to incorporate well. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the garlic, stir well.
• Cook and stir for one more minute. Remove from heat.
• In a large Dutch oven or Stock Pot, cook the andouille sausage over a medium heat. Set aside in separate bowl.
• Place Seafood Stock into the large Dutch Oven and bring to boil.
• Once the stock is at a rolling boil, add the roux mixture by the spoonful, stirring until dissolved between each addition.
• Bring mixture to a boil.
• Add the precooked andouille and return to a boil; continue boiling 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes more.
• Add the shrimp, undrained oyters, and crabmeat.
• Return to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and allow to stand for a few minutes without stirring. Gently skim and remove any oil from the surface of the gumbo.
• Serve immediately over rice.