Seafood and Andouille Gumbo
I am far from an expert on Cajun and Creole cuisine, but I did work as a chef in New Orleans long enough to know that there are about as many gumbo recipes as there are residents in Louisiana. And there is a lot of gumbo critique. If you want your gumbo to be authentic you need to consider the options. The most important of which is if you want okra gumbo or file' gumbo. Historically, okra was used to thicken the gumbo, and if okra was not in season that purpose fell to gumbo file'.
One standard in every recipe, of course, is onion, celery, and green bell pepper. As most everyone knows, this is known as Cajun trinity and is the base element of most every recipe. Aside from that, the amount and type of herbs and seasonings vary from recipe to recipe. I like to use bay leaf and thyme and cayenne pepper, but some people only add salt and pepper in addition to the vegetable ingredients. If I use andouille sausage like I do in this recipe I use a little less spice than if I am using a smoked sausage or kielbasa.
Here, I am using shrimp and half crabs. Actually, I am using some shrimp that my neighbor caught fresh and froze over the summer and some frozen half crabs I was able to find at a local Asian market. Fresh seafood would be better, but this will still be delicious!
Another important factor is using a flavorful seafood stock. I bought some fish bones from said Asian market and made some fresh stock, but you will find several nice packaged seafood stock options at your local grocery store.
The last thing I am going to speak about here is the roux. A proper gumbo will be prepared with a dark roux, and you will find a series of images in the recipe that portray the roux in stages of darkness. I left this roux a little on the lighter side, because I feel if it is too dark the flavor can overpower the seafood. I do make it darker when I include game or other meats. And, when I make etouffe', but that's a different recipe.
After you make this recipe you will be able to experiment with different types of seafood and seasonings, and there will be one more gumbo recipe...Yours!
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup onion, 1/4" dice
- 1 cup celery, 1/4" dice
- 1 1/2 cup green bell pepper, 1/4" dice
- 1/4 cup garlic, chopped
- 2 cup chopped okra (I used frozen)
- 3 qt seafood stock
- 2 Each bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 2 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (size 41/50)
- 3 Each blue crabs, cleaned and halved
In a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, combine vegetable oil and flour. A cast iron or heavy enamal pan is ideal for this.
Stir carefully for 5 to 10 minutes until roux reaches the desired color, be cautious not to spatter hot roux onto your skin. I like to use a wooden spatula, this scrapes the bottom of the pan completely, without danger of scratching the pan surface.
Do not allow roux to burn or to develop any black specks, even a few black specks can give the finished product a burned or dark flavor. It is best to discard and start over if the roux gets away from you.
If the roux begins to smoke it is over-browning. If this happens, quickly begin the next step, adding the onions to stop the browning process.
Add onions, celery, and peppers, stirring after each addition. Continue to saute' the vegetables and the roux.
Add okra and garlic and continue to cook the roux on medium heat until the okra is tender and begins to break down.
Stir in the sliced andouille and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
Add hot seafood stock, 1 quart at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition.
Bring to a simmer while continuing to stir.
Add herbs, spices, and seasoning and continue to simmer on low for about 1 hour.
Increase simmer to medium heat and add halved crabs.
Continue to simmer for several minutes, then add shrimp.
Simmer several more minutes until seafood is cooked. Adjust seasoning.
Serve immediately with white rice, topped with chopped green onion.