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SEAFOOD GUMBO

At least 6 cold beers for the chef! Peel the shrimp and set the shells and heads aside in a bowl in the refrigerator for the stock. Bring a large pot of
4 lbs. medium (16-20 count) salted water to a boil. Add crabs and a generous amount of salt, cover the pot, and boil for 5 to 7 minutes, just
head-on shrimp enough to take them apart. Drain immediately and set the crabs aside to cool.
6 blue crabs
Salt To make the seafood stock, put the chopped onion and celery and smashed garlic cloves in a medium mixing bowl
and set aside. Peel the front flaps and tops off the crabs and place in a large bowl with the shrimp heads and shells.
Seafood Stock Use your fingers to scoop out the orange back fat from the middle of the crab and set aside in a small bowl. Break
1 small onion, coarsely chopped the crab bodies into four pieces and set aside for the gumbo.
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, smashed Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the reserved shrimp shells and heads and the crab shells. Cook,
2 tbsp. vegetable oil stirring until the shells turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the coarsely chopped vegetables, paprika, rosemary, bay
2 tsp. paprika leaves, and 9 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, strain.
1 (4-inch) rosemary sprig
or 2 tbsp. dried For the gumbo vegetables, dice the onion, bell peppers, and celery. Set aside with the jalapenos to add to the roux.
13 bay leaves To make the roux, heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but
9 quarts water not smoking, whisk in the flour and reduce heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly and slowly until the roux has
thickened and is the color of a dark copper penny, 45 minutes to an hour. You’ll want to reduce the heat gradually
Gumbo
1 large onion as you go. When the roux first begins to take on color, for instance, reduce the heat to medium.
2 medium green bell peppers Continue in this fashion, gradually lowering the heat as the color of the roux deepens. By the end of the cooking,
3 celery stalks when the roux is appropriately dark, the heat should be on low. It’s essential to whisk constantly as it cooks (but not
2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded so vigorously that you splatter the roux and burn yourself!), because even if a small bit of flour sticks to the pot, it
and finely chopped
3 cups vegetable oil will become spotty, scorch quickly, and burn the entire roux.
4 cups all-purpose flour Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapenos, and the reserved crab back fat and stir until they are well coated. Stir
6 garlic cloves, minced in garlic, salt, paprika, filé powder, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne, white pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes,
2 tbsp. salt thyme, and hot sauce and continue to cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add two-thirds of the strained stock and the
2 ½ tsp. paprika oyster liquor, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently and scraping the
2 tsp. filé powder
2 tsp. chili powder bottom of the pot to ensure nothing clumps and burns, until the mixture returns to a simmer.
1 ½ tsp. ground black pepper Start skimming the oil from the top of the gumbo almost instantly (by the end of the cooking process, the gumbo
1 tsp. cayenne pepper will have released almost all of the oil from the roux). Continue to simmer and skim for about 1 hour. Taste the stock.
1 tsp. white pepper If it still has a strong roux flavor, gradually add the remaining one-third stock until the flavor tastes more like stock
1 tsp. dried oregano than roux.
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ tsp. dried thyme When the flavor has developed and the stock is clearer (with fewer dots of oil), add the oysters and crab meat. Bring
Several dashes of hot sauce the gumbo back to a simmer and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Skim once more and add the shrimp, and simmer
2 pts. shucked oysters, liquor for 1 more hour.
strained and reserved
1 lb. crab claw meat, carefully NOTE: For an even richer stock, double the amount of shrimp shells, or add 3 to 4 lbs. of fish bones. (If you use fish
picked over for shells bones, add them after you toast the shrimp shells.)
Recipe courtesy of Chef Donald Link.
New Orleans doesn’t just feed you—it draws you in. One bite, one beat, one balcony view later, and
suddenly you’re planning your next trip before dessert even hits.
504-566-5011 | NewOrleans.com
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