Does anybody have the recipe to a really good gumbo?!
Does anybody have the recipe to a really good gumbo?
Answers:
SEAFOOD GUMBO
Seafood gumbo. It ain't a recipe, it's dozens, if not hundreds, of recipes. There are so many different ways to make this dish, and it is made in so many different ways by so many Louisiana cooks and chefs, that it's almost futile to list one recipe here. I'm going to list a few, but please by no means think these are definitive. They're good gumbos, and good places to start off. As you learn more about Creole cuisine, feel free to experiment with different combinations of seafood, roux or no roux, filé or no filé, okra or no okra, tomatoes or no tomatoes (I don't like tomatoes in my gumbo, me ... but lots of Louisianians do). Just remember ... you CANNOT have a good seafood gumbo without a good seafood stock. Don't use water, and don't use bottled clam juice.
Remember to use a non-reactive (non-cast iron) pot for any gumbo (or any dish, for that matter) that includes okra or tomatoes, as they will discolor.
These recipes can be cut in half if you don't want to feed an army.
Do NOT under any circumstances use imitation crabmeat, or surimi, in any crab gumbo dishes. If you tried that in Louisiana, you'd be shot on sight. If you try it elsewhere ... I'll know. And I'll come into your dreams and haunt you and you'll be slowly devoured by dull-toothed alligators.
This gumbo uses a very small amount of roux, so that it remains light. You may omit the okra if you like, and thicken the gumbo with filé powder instead -- it'll still be good, but will have a quite different flavor.
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup flour
2 medium onions, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
3 ribs celery, finely diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 tomatoes (or 8 Roma tomatoes), seeded and diced (if you like tomatoes in your gumbo)
1 cup tomato purée (see above)
2 pounds okra, chopped
4 quarts shrimp stock, crab stock or fish stock
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning blend
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 dozen oysters, freshly shucked, liquor reserved
4 blue crabs, cleaned (optional)
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 tablespoon filé powder (if okra isn't used)
8 cups cooked long-grain white rice
In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and add the flour. Stir constantly until a light brown roux is formed, then add the onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Sauté until the onions become translucent and the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée, if you wish, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. (I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm not one of those people who likes tomatoes in my gumbo, but lots of people do. Your mileage may vary.)
Add the seasonings, and about 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and continue to cook another 10 minutes. Add the okra, and cook for another 10 minutes, then add the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook another 30 minutes.
(If you wish a more rustic gumbo, you may add whole blue crabs. Remove the hard top shell from the crabs (reserving for stuffed crabs or for shellfish stock), and break each crab in two down the middle. Remove the claws. Add to the stock.) With the gumbo on very low heat, add the shrimp 10 minutes before serving, the oysters and oyster liquor 5 minutes before serving, and the crabmeat just before serving (don't cook the crabmeat, just stir until it is heated through). Taste and correct seasonings.
If you don't like okra, or if you just prefer to make a filé gumbo, remove from heat and sprinkle the filé powder on the surface of the gumbo, then cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Then uncover and stir to mix. Be careful if there are leftovers -- filé doesn't reheat all that well, and you must be careful to reheat gently. If the gumbo comes back to a boil after the filé has been added, it will get stringy.
Place about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of rice in each bowl and ladle the gumbo over and around it. Serve with plenty of french bread and good beer or white wine.
YIELD: About 10-12 entrée servings or 20-24 appetizer servings (omit hard shell crabs if serving cups of gumbo as an appetizer).
Chef Chuck Taggart's recipe He's from New Orleans
This is a great recipe for anyone who wants to try out their hand making authentic gumbo for the first time. It may seem like a lot, but don't let it scare you. It's easier than it looks. I like using chicken and shrimp in mine but you can use just about any kind of meat(s) you want. For those of you who don't realy like okra, good news, you can leave out that part if you want. It'll still taste great. Well, have fun cooking and enjoy! P.S. Cooking this goes great with a beer!
6-8 servings 1? hours 20 min prep
1/2 onion
1 large bell pepper
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) bag frozen cut okra
3 stalks celery
3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup cooking oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons flour
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken stock, and 1 1/2 cup of that to set aside for roux mixture
chicken meat or shrimp or seafood, thoroughly washed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
for extra flavor add
1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Seasoning
4-6 drops louisiana hot sauce
You'll need a large cooking pot and 1 frying pan (iron skillets always work best for this).
Cut up chicken into cubes and start boiling it in the large cooking pot. Let chicken cook until step # 13. May need to keep adding water as it boils down.
Dice onions, bell pepper, and celery then set aside (a.k.a. the ‘trinity’).
Heat the ? cup cooking oil in pan then add okra and cook for 15-18 minutes (browned a little bit) then set the okra aside.
Put the 3 tablespoons of butter in the 2nd large cooking pot, heat it up and start sautéing the onions, bell pepper, and celery (trinity) for 10 minutes. You’ll want to burn it a bit to help add flavor to the gumbo.
Add the large can of tomatoes along with it’s juices and smash up the tomatoes as you stir.
Add the 2 cups of chicken stock, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, ? tspn. oregano, ? tspn. Garlic powder, and okra, excluding the okra oil.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
*While that’s cooking make your roux:.
In frying pan heat 3 tablespoons oil up on med high.
Add 3 tablespoons of flour, and brown till you get a dark chocolate color , stirring constantly (this is the stinky part of making gumbo, but necessary).
Once brown, add the 1 ? cup of chicken stock to make a gravy. Stir out all the lumps with whisk and set aside.
After the 30 minutes cooking time is up, add the roux and meat(s) to the pot.
Add salt and pepper (and Tony Chachere’s Seasoning & Louisiana Hot Sauce).
Cover again and cook for additional 30 minutes.
Serve over rice or eat as a soup.
Bless your heart dear!
I am a chef from n'awlins (33 Years cookin' professionally)
I"m currently a chef for the International House at U.C. Berkeley. You; and anybody else, that wants a guaranteed
whoop-*** gumbo recipe, E-mail me at:
theunclebingo@yahoo.com