My Mom’s sister, Aunt Sarah and her family lived in south Louisiana. We visited them in Cajun country every summer when we were growing up. It was on those summer visits that I first experienced Cajun cuisine. Being the adventurous eater that I was even at a young age, I fell in love with this style of food. My first exposure to crawfish was at a local restaurant in Lake Charles. I ordered the crawfish and they arrived at the table on a huge platter covered with a domed lid. My mother tells the story that my eyes were as big as as silver dollars when the waiter lifted the lid and I saw a mound of the crustaceans staring at me. I’m sure there were 2 pounds on the platter. Needless to say, I finished the entire platter and I became a devoted fan of the Cajun cooking.
Gumbo is a classic Cajun stew. The roux, a mixture of oil and browned flour, forms the base of gumbo. Gumbo is easy to make, but making the roux requires patience. Mine took about 20-25 minutes over low heat with constant stirring. The flour will burn quickly if not attended to.
Gumbo can be made with many different ingredients. I’ve made it with various seafood, chicken, and andouille sausage. Any combination is delicious. I made this version with shrimp, bay scallops, crabmeat, and oysters. I found that the oysters gave the gumbo a flavor that was a little strong for me, so I’m leaving them off the recipe. If you love oysters, feel free to add them. This recipe makes a large quantity, but gumbo freezes well.
Ingredients
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced okra, fresh or frozen
2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb bay scallops
1 lb lump crabmeat, picked for cartilage
6 cups chicken stock
1 28 oz chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 scallions, green part sliced
Instructions
1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add flour and whisk until completely mixed.
3. Stir constantly for about 20 to 25 minutes until roux turns the color of milk chocolate.
4. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery.
5. Continue stirring for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
7. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
8. Simmer for 15 minutes.
9. Add okra and simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Add shrimp, crab, scallops, and parsley.
11. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until seafood is done.
12. Add Tabasco sauce and additional salt and pepper to taste.
13. Serve with steamed rice and whole grain garlic bread.
14. Garnish with scallions.
https://southernboydishes.com/2012/09/25/seafood-gumbo/
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I’m a military brat and my Dad did two tours in Mobile AL (Coast Guard, I served 6yrs myself). I grew up eating Cajun as my Mom (from NY) loved cooking. I now cook a lot of Cajun dishes and my family has enjoyed it all (i’ve added Okra to my family garden for this reason). Perusing your recipes and stories has brought back a lot of great memories. Thanks for that…
Cheers, Raymond
A perfect seafood gumbo recipe! I love gumbo and ate my fill of it growing up in Louisiana. I don’t get near enough of it here in New Mexico because it’s hard to find good crabmeat and okra – forget it. It’s hard to find it frozen! You making me really, really homesick for gumbo!
Your gumbo looks to die for!!! The pictures are gorgeous – really appreciate the little touches you put to make your meals look so elegant and beautiful! Can’t wait to try this recipe!! Thank you so much for your delightful blog!!! Love it!!!!!!!