Jean's Seafood Gumbo
This recipe is from Donna Brazile's book Cooking With Grease: Stirring the Pots in America, a memoir of her life in politics, but with a food theme. I had the pleasure of meeting her at an awards dinner. This is her mother Jean's recipe.
As Ms. Brazile recommends in Step 1 of her cooking instructions, "Pour yourself something cold...You're about to cook with grease." When we prepared this dish, out came the wine and the Dr. John! Many shrimp, oysters, sausages, glasses of wine, and much stirring-and-browning-of-the-roux later, we dished up the gumbo sat down with our guests. Then we raised our glasses and toasted the stirring up of America's pot.
Please note, the preparations have been edited down (and it's still long!). For the full version, which is quite the hilarious read, I recommend purchasing the book. It's worth it!
Total Steps
11
Ingredients
23
Tools Needed
6
Ingredients
- 1 bag Louisiana rice (or white rice)
- 1 pound fresh or frozen sliced okra
- 2 tablespoons filé powder
- 1 pound andouille, turkey, kielbasa or smoked sausage, cubed
- to taste Creole seasoning
- to taste Tabasco sauce
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil or shortening
- 1 ounce tomato paste
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen medium-size shrimp, in shells if possible, for stock
- 1 dozen fresh or frozen blue crabs, cleaned and shells removed (substitute: 2 pounds fresh crabmeat, crawfish, oyster, or turtle)
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 2 green peppers, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
Step 1
Fill a 14-16-quart pot with two quarts of water and bring to a boil.
Step 2
Meanwhile, peel and devein the shrimp, keeping the heads and hulls. Set the shrimp aside in cold water. In the large gumbo pot, boil shrimp heads and hulls for 30 minutes to an hour to create stock. Strain shrimp heads and hulls from the stock and discard them. Set the stock aside.
Step 3
Clean fresh crabs: discard the hard back shell and the yellow insides (known as 'dead man'). Clean and separate crabs and set aside. (Note: Alternatively, you can use meat from king, Dungeness, snow, or stone crabs for your gumbo).
Step 4
Chop the celery, parsley, peppers, onions, and garlic. Put the chopped celery and parsley in a separate container and refrigerate until needed.
Step 5
Place the gumbo pot with the shrimp stock on the stove. Add cleaned crabs and bay leaves, stirring slowly. Add celery, parsley, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and let simmer.
Step 6
In a separate heavy skillet, pour oil or shortening over medium-low heat. Slowly stir in flour to make the roux. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux has a dark mahogany color and appears nutty or grainy. If black specks appear, discard the roux and start over. A good roux could take 30 to 45 minutes to cook.
Step 7
Add onions, garlic, and green peppers to the roux mixture, stirring slowly until the moisture begins to disappear. Add the roux to the gumbo pot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat, cover, and let simmer for approximately 1 hour.
Step 8
Season the gumbo to taste with salt, pepper, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and any Creole seasoning you like. Do not overdo it at this stage; let the roux work its magic absorbing the ingredients.
Step 9
Fry sausages and okra (sprinkle with a little flour if the okra is fresh) in leftover grease. Add to the gumbo pot. Add chopped peeled tomatoes, stirring until well blended. Add more water if necessary. Return to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours over low heat.
Step 10
Skim any excess fat from the gumbo. Add shrimp and slowly stir in as you increase the heat. Stir in filé powder. Cook for another 20 to 30 minutes until the gumbo is thick. Taste and adjust seasonings one more time. Seafood gumbo is served over Louisiana rice (or your favorite rice). Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning again. Turn off heat and remove seafood gumbo from the stove.
Step 11
To cool down the pot before serving, place it in the sink with a few inches of ice-cold water. If needed, add additional salt and Tabasco sauce. (Note: If the gumbo is thin, improve your roux technique next time).