There’s a great little Asian market we visit fairly often and yesterday I was beyond excited to see a tub full of blue crab. Fresh crab is one of the things I miss most about Louisiana, along with Gulf shrimp of course. Normally Jason cooks on the weekends but this was a joint effort because making roux takes a little experience and, in fact, I never even attempted it until I moved here because you can buy roux off the shelf in Louisiana. I never put okra in my gumbo because there’s only one person on earth who cooks it the way I like it and I swear it took her all day long. She would cook it down for hours until it went past the sticky slimy stage into more of a dry paste and *then* she would start her gumbo. I have a lot of patience but I don’t like okra enough to do that. If you like okra then you should add 1 or 2 pounds chopped okra for a traditional seafood gumbo.
Julie’s seafood gumbo
6-8 crabs, steamed, cut in half and cleaned
1 1/2 pounds Gulf shrimp (heads on if possible)
pint of oysters with their liquor
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 bunch of thyme
4-6 bay leaves
1 can crushed or diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken or shrimp broth
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
gumbo file
In a large stockpot, melt butter with oil and flour and cook over high heat, stirring contantly, until flour browns to the color of chocolate (if you haven’t done this before, reduce the heat when the flour begins to color as it can go from brown to burned rather quickly). When the flour is browned, stir in the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are softened. Stir in the garlic and cook a further 60 seconds. Now add the broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, Cajun seasoning and crab. Simmer gently about 90 minutes. I leave the end of the thyme branches sticking out of the liquid and remove them after 30 minutes or so when the leaves have come off into the broth. Add the shrimp and cook until pink. Add the oysters and leave only the only about 60 seconds longer. Let stand 2 or 3 minutes more before serving. A drop or two of Tabasco and a sprinkle of file should go on at the end, serve over hot cooked rice. You’ll need napkins and a plate for shrimp shells and crab carcasses.
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September 25, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Looks yummy. Poor Mike hates shell fish… I never can get enough.