Gumbo
Gumbo is an all-time favorite dish. It is also a very flexible dish
to prepare. You can make gumbo with just about any meat product (shrimp, crab, oysters,
chicken, sausage, fish fillets, etc.) and it's delicious.
Seafood Gumbo
Ingredients
The Meats
- 1 lbs. bacon
- 1 lbs. fresh shrimp
- 2 dozen fresh crabs
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The Veggies
- 2 cups onion
- 2 cups celery
- 1 cup green onion
- 1 cup bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 lbs. okra, sliced
- 8 oz, can tomato sauce
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The Spices
- 1 tspn. paprika
- 1/2 tspn. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tspn. thyme
- 1/2 tspn. oregeno
- 1 bay leaf, ground
- 1 1/2 tblspn. Tabasco
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The Stock
Some of y'all are gonna think i'm a nut, but prepare a seafood stock by
throwing the shells from the cleaning of the seafoods (yes, heads and all), one large
onion quartered, and several celery stalks into a large pot. Fill the pot with water and
bring to a boil. Simmer several hours, add water as needed to keep about 2 quarts of
liquid.
While the stock simmers, relax and watch a VCR movie. When the stock
smells so good you can't stand the feel of your backbone rubbing a hole in your
bellybutton anymore, start chopping the veggies. All the veggies are chopped finely except
for the okra, which is sliced. Set aside the rest of the veggies for use with the roux.
Blend and grind the dry spices and set aside.
The Okra
Chop up the bacon into 1 inch pieces. In a skillet, fry up the bacon,
then sauté the okra in the bacon and grease until the edges are golden brown and set
aside.
The Roux
The roux is what gives gumbo its deep, rich flavor and dark color. This
is an important step that is really not as difficult as most people believe. The key to a
good roux is never stop stirring!
Use a large cast iron skillet about 3 or 4 inches deep. Heat 3/4 cup
oil over medium low heat. As the oil starts to get hot gradually blend in 3/4 cup unsifted
flour. Stir constantly. Use a wooden spoon or spatula. If the mixture starts to bubble or
boil, turn it down. Stir constantly. Slowly, before your very eyes, the mixture will shade
from a creamy white to a deep, dark, reddish brown.
The Basic Gumbo
When the roux darkens, start adding the veggies previously set aside.
You may need to turn up the heat slightly. Keep stirring. Stir in all the veggies except
the okra and cook until the roux mixture has turned dark brown and the vegetables are
cooked. Turn off the heat and set aside. Strain the shells from the stock (unless you like
crunchies), stir into the stock pot the roux and veggies mix, add the sautéd okra and
bacon, dry spices and Tobasco. Bring the gumbo to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer
for an hour or so.
The Final Touch
Twenty minutes to half hour before dinner, add the seafood to the
stock/gumbo pot and continue simmering. Make up a batch of rice and garlic bread for
dipping. Serve in bowls over rice.
Note: Gumbo takes awhile to cook and you will boil off quite a
bit of water, don't let your gumbo dry out and scorch!
Texas Gulf Coast
Fishing
