Seafood Gumbo

REAL CAJUN SEAFOOD GUMBO (FROM A LOUISIANIAN)

Steps:

• In a 7-quart cast iron dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until brown roux is achieved. Do not allow roux to scorch. Should black specks appear in roux, discard and begin again.
• Once roux is golden brown, add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté approximately 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.
• Add andouille, blend well into vegetable mixture and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Add claw crabmeat and stir into roux. This will begin to add seafood flavor to the mixture.
• Slowly add hot shellfish stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until all is incorporated.
• Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes. Add additional stock if necessary to retain volume.
• Add green onions and parsley.
• Season to taste using salt, pepper and Louisiana Gold.
• Fold shrimp, lump crab meat, oysters and reserved oyster liquid into soup.
• Return to a low boil and cook approximately 5 minutes.
• Adjust seasonings and serve over cooked rice.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Make the roux: Combine the flour and vegetable oil in a wide Dutch oven over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until dark brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Bring 10 quarts water to a boil in an extra-large, wide pot. Stir in the onion, bell peppers and roux and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft, about 45 minutes. Add the blue crab and lobster tail and boil until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the lobster tail and crab; discard the crab. Let the lobster cool slightly, then remove the meat from the shell and cut into small chunks; refrigerate until ready to use.
• Add the Creole seasoning to the pot and bring to a boil; cook until the liquid reduces by one-quarter, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook over medium heat until firm, about 20 minutes. Add the crabmeat and reserved lobster meat and cook 10 minutes. Stir in the scallions and parsley and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• In a heavy Dutch oven, combine flour and oil until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir about 10 minutes more or until mixture is reddish brown. , Add the onion, celery, green pepper and green onions; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, water, okra, paprika, salt, oregano and pepper. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. , Add shrimp and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until seafood is done. Remove from heat; stir in Cajun seasoning.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large, heavy saucepan or dutch oven melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until roux is a peanut butter color, about 20 minutes.
• Immediately add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and bay leaves and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 8 minutes. Add stock and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, skim surface, and reduce heat to a simmer. Add crabs and cook for 1 1/2 hours, until thickened and flavorful. If gumbo seems too thick, thin with water or seafood stock.
• Add shrimp and fish and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink and fish is cooked through. Add oysters (with their liquor), parsley, and green onions, and cook until edges of oysters curl, about 5 to7 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, and serve in large bowls over hot white rice.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• To make a roux, heat oil, add flour and cook over medium heat until VERY dark but not scorched, stirring constantly. If using butter, be very careful because it burns easily. Set aside.
• In large dutch oven, saute onion, celery, and okra until limp.
• Add roux, broth, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, crab boil packet, and salt and pepper. (NOTE: If you can't find Crab Boil at your grocery, please refer to recipe # 3252 by Candie Yoder or # 34801 by Miller)
• Simmer for 2 hours.
• 10 minutes before serving, add all raw fish and seafood and the file powder.
• Simmer until done, but do not boil.
• Serve over bowls of rice.

AUTHENTIC NEW ORLEANS STYLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make the Roux*: In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, "cookie dough" like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.
• Brown the sausage. In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.
• Cook the vegetables in broth. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot.
• Add remaining 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.
• Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
• Taste and serve. At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking--salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe's stuff or more chicken broth--until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Add 1-2 teaspoons of butter or oil to a saucepan or skillet.
• Then throw in shrimp shells, the remaining scraps of onion, garlic, celery together with aromatics like bay leaf and thyme.
• Saute for about 5 -7 minutes, stirring constantly, to prevent any burns. Add about 7 cups of water to it.
• Bring to a boil, lower heat, and let it simmer for about 10- 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and strain using a sieve. Set the shrimp stock aside.
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven, over medium heat, then add sausages, brown for about 3-5 minutes, remove and set aside.
• Pour in remaining oil, butter, and flour, cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 10-15 minutes or until it turns a rich deep brown color just like chocolate. Do not walk away from the stove during this process. It might burn.
• When you have achieved your desired color, add the onion, garlic, green bell pepper, and celery to the pot and cook for about 8- 10 minutes -stirring often.
• Then return the sausages back to the pot, followed by crab legs, Creole seasoning, chicken bouillon or cubes, paprika, thyme, bay leaves, and let it cook for 5 minutes.
• Pour in 6 cups of shrimp stock, bring to a boil, and let it simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes. Add the shrimp, and simmer for 5 more minutes.
• Stir in the gumbo file powder, green onions, and chopped parsley.
• Adjust the thickness of the soup and flavor with broth or water and salt.

SHRIMP GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Put the oil and flour into a 5- to 6-quart cast-iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.
• While the roux is baking, de-head, peel, and devein the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a bowl and set in the refrigerator. Place the heads and shells in a 4-quart saucepan along with the water, set over high heat, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer until the liquid has reduced to 1 quart, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid into a container, discarding the solids.
• Once the roux is done (it will be a brick red-brown), carefully remove it from the oven and set over medium-high heat. Gently add the onions, celery, green peppers, and garlic, and cook, moving constantly until the onions begin to turn translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves, and stir to combine. Gradually add the shrimp broth while whisking continually. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and cook for 35 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, add the shrimp and sausage, and stir to combine. Add the filé powder while stirring constantly. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes prior to serving. Serve over rice.

SEAFOOD AND OKRA GUMBO

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of Vegetable oil over medium heat. Add okra and cook, stirring frequently for 25 to 30 minutes or until okra is lightly browned and no longer slimy.Remove from heat and set aside.
• While okra is cooking, make the roux.Heat butter and remaining vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot until butter is melted.
• Add flour and and cook and stir for 30 minutes, or until a dark brown color. Heat should be medium to medium-low. If the heat is too hot, the roux will burn and you will have to start over.
• Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook, stirring often for 8 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, salt, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, thyme, white pepper and okra. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes uncovered.
• Add crab meat and parsley and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes or until they are mostly pink.
• Add oysters and cook just until their edges start to curl, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve with rice.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Place shrimp shells and tails in a colander and run under cold water. Drain.
• In a medium pot, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high. Add shrimp shell mixture, 1/2 cup each onion and celery, and garlic cloves; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until shells are pink and mixture is fragrant, 10 minutes. Add 10 cups water and parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until flavors develop and stock has reduced to 8 cups, about 45 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof container.
• Meanwhile, in a medium pot, whisk together 3/4 cup each vegetable oil and flour to combine. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until roux smells toasted and is the color of butterscotch, about 20 minutes. Set aside. (Make sure to re-whisk roux before using, as it will separate when it cools.)
• In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium. Add remaining 1 cup onion and 1 cup celery, along with the bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and spices and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce and shrimp stock. Bring to a simmer, then add in your roux, a few spoonfuls at a time, until combined. Taste and re-season if needed. Simmer, partially covered, about 1 hour. Add crab and shrimp and cook, stirring, until shrimp is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add okra and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened slightly but still crisp and holding its shape, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Serve gumbo with chopped parsley, sauteed okra, rice, and hot sauce.

EASY SEAFOOD GUMBO RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium/high heat.
• Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the mixture starts to turn golden brown and smell nutty, approximately 3-4 minutes. (Do not stop whisking or the roux will burn.)
• Stir in the onion, bell pepper and celery. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the vegetables begin to soften.
• Add the sausage to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute longer.
• Stir in the garlic, mustard, cayenne, garlic powder, creole seasoning and file powder. Cook for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly and scraping up any brown bit on the bottom of the pan.
• Slowly add the chicken stock to the pot stirring to combine. Bring the soup to a boil.
• Turn the heat to low. Stir in the shrimp and oysters with oyster liquor (juices). Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper to the soup and stir to combine.
• Simmer for 10 minutes or until the soup begins to thicken. Stir in the crabmeat.
• Serve the seafood gumbo over rice, if desired. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and parsley for an extra pop of color.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Peel and devein shrimp, placing shrimp shells in a large pot. Refrigerate shrimp until needed.
• In a large pot, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add shrimp shells and cook until pink. Then add broth.
• Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm until needed.
• In a large Dutch oven, cook sausage until browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add oil and remaining 1/4 cup butter to Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat until butter is completely melted.
• Add flour and stir with wooden spoon until smooth.
• Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring frequently until roux is a dark caramel color. This will take 30 to 40 minutes.
• Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add green pepper and celery and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often.
• Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
• Add beer and stir in well.
• Pour shrimp stock through a fine-meshed sieve into Dutch oven. (I like to add it in 3 separate additions, mixing well between additions.
• Add Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves, plus the reserved andouille sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• Add green onions, parsley, and shrimp. When shrimp are pink, remove from heat and stir in crabmeat.
• Serve with white rice.

SEAFOOD GUMBO RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice the green onions, reserving green tops.
• Heat bacon drippings in a Dutch oven over medium; gradually whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until flour is chocolate colored (about 30 minutes).
• Add the sliced green onions, bell pepper, onion, celery, garlic, and tomato to the roux, and cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add 2 quarts plus 2 cups water, parsley, table salt, ground black pepper, and ground red pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.
• Pick the crabmeat, removing any bits of shell.
• Increase heat to medium-high, and add the shrimp, oysters, okra, and green onion tops; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in fresh lump crabmeat and gumbo filé; let stand 15 minutes. Add water, if necessary, for desired consistency. Serve over hot cooked rice.

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.

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 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.