Jean's Seafood Gumbo

Jean's Seafood Gumbo

  Ready in : 45 mins

Forget going out to eat or ordering takeout every time you crave Cajun food. Try making Jean's Seafood Gumbo at home. One serving contains 524 calories, 68g of protein, and 19g of fat. This recipe serves 9 and costs $5.32 per serving. 6 people were impressed by this recipe. This recipe from Foodista requires thyme, salt, tomato paste, and peppers. It works well as a pricey main course. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes around 45 minutes. It is a good option if you're following a dairy free diet. With a spoonacular score of 87%, this dish is tremendous.

Ingredients

shrimp

shrimp

2 pounds

crabs

crabs

12

celery

celery

4 stalks

parsley

parsley

0.5 cup

peppers

peppers

2

onion

onion

1 large

green onions

green onions

1 cup

garlic

garlic

4 cloves

bay leaves

bay leaves

3

tomato paste

tomato paste

1 ounce

vegetable oil

vegetable oil

4 teaspoons

flour

flour

0.5 cup

salt

salt

2 teaspoons

ground pepper

ground pepper

2 teaspoons

thyme

thyme

0.5 teaspoon

worcestershire sauce

worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon

canned tomatoes

canned tomatoes

1 can

all the tabasco sauce you handle

all the tabasco sauce you handle

1 can

creole seasoning

creole seasoning

9 servings

andouille

andouille

1 pound

filé powder

filé powder

2 tablespoons

okra

okra

1 pound

louisiana rice

louisiana rice

1 bag

Cooking in Steps

  1. 1
    Fill a 14-16-quart pot with two quarts of water and bring to a boil.

    water

    water

    pot
    pot
  2. 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 heads and hulls for 30 minutes to an hour. This will give you Creole gumbo. Strain shrimp heads and hulls from stock and set aside. Discard heads and hull immediately. Otherwise, the next day your kitchen will smell like Bayou St. John.

    shrimp

    shrimp

    stock

    stock

    water

    water

    pot
    pot
  3. 3
    Clean the fresh crabs If the crabs are fresh, you must take time to clean them. Discard the hard back shell and some of the so-called "dead man," or yellow insides. Clean and separate crabs and set aside. (Note: If necessary, you can use meat from king, Dungeness, snow or stone crabs for your gumbo).

    meat

    meat

  4. 4
    Before you fire up the stove again, cut up your celery, parsley, peppers, onions and garlic, especially if you're alone and there is no one to help you stir the pots. It takes time peeling the onions and garlic

    parsley

    parsley

    peppers

    peppers

    celery

    celery

    garlic

    garlic

    onion

    onion

    stove
    stove
  5. 5
    Put the celery and parsley in a separate container from the other chopped ingredients and refrigerate until needed to keep them fresh.

    parsley

    parsley

    celery

    celery

  6. 6
    Place the gumbo pot with the shrimp stock on the stove.

    shrimp stock

    shrimp stock

    stove
    stove
    pot
    pot
  7. 7
    Add cleaned crabs and bay leaves. Stir slowly. You don't want your shrimp stock messing up the floor.

    shrimp stock

    shrimp stock

    bay leaves

    bay leaves

  8. 8
    Add celery, parsley, and tomato paste to the gumbo brewing on the stove. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover, and let simmer.

    tomato paste

    tomato paste

    parsley

    parsley

    celery

    celery

    stove
    stove
  9. 9
    Here comes the roux -- a thick and flavorful sauce that has become one of the most important staples of Louisiana cuisine.

  10. 10
    Pour oil or shortening into a separate heavy skillet (please do not use a thin omelet pan) over a medium-low heat. Slowly stir in flour to make the roux. Keep your eyes on the skillet. If the phone rings, let the answering machine pick it up. Cook roux until it has a dark mahogany color. Do not stop stirring until roux appears nutty or grainy. If black specks appear, the roux is burned. Throw it out and start from scratch. A good roux could take 30 to 45 minutes cooking time.

    shortening

    shortening

    all purpose flour

    all purpose flour

    cooking oil

    cooking oil

    frying pan
    frying pan
  11. 11
    Now you are ready to add the holy trinity of onions, garlic, and green peppers to the roux mixture. Stir ingredients in slowly because the flour is still sizzling. The moisture will begin to disappear. This is when Jean would add another quart or two of water to the gumbo pot.

    green pepper

    green pepper

    garlic

    garlic

    onion

    onion

    all purpose flour

    all purpose flour

    water

    water

    pot
    pot
  12. 12
    Add roux to the gumbo pot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and cover. The kitchen should smell good right now.

    pot
    pot
  13. 13
    Pour yourself another cold something-or-other. You're halfway there. Come back to look and stir in an hour or so.

  14. 14
    Season to taste: add salt, pepper, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and any Creole seasoning you like. Don't overdo it right now.

    worcestershire sauce

    worcestershire sauce

    creole seasoning

    creole seasoning

    tabasco sauce

    tabasco sauce

    pepper

    pepper

    thyme

    thyme

    salt

    salt

  15. 15
    Let the roux work its magic absorbing all the wonderful ingredients. Gumbo is usually very spicy, but you can keep it mild. Remember, if you have decided to use andouille sausage it is also hot.

    andouille sausage

    andouille sausage

  16. 16
    Fry sausages and okra with a little bit of the leftover grease.

    sausage

    sausage

    okra

    okra

  17. 17
    Sprinkle a little leftover flour if the okra is fresh.

    all purpose flour

    all purpose flour

    okra

    okra

  18. 18
    Add to gumbo pot.

    pot
    pot
  19. 19
    Add chopped peeled tomatoes, stirring until well blended.

    canned whole tomatoes

    canned whole tomatoes

  20. 20
    Add more water if necessary. The roux will keep it thick and tasty. Return to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours over low heat.

    water

    water

  21. 21
    Skim any excess fat.

  22. 22
    Add shrimp. Stir in slowly as you increase the heat one last time. It's time to stir in the fil powder. Cook another 20 to 30 minutes until the gumbo is thick. Taste and adjust seasonings one more time. Did I mention the rice? Seafood gumbo is served over Louisiana rice. Of course, you can substitute for your own favorite rice. Just plain old brown or white rice will do. Before serving, taste one more time and adjust seasoning. Turn off heat and remove seafood gumbo from the stove.

    seasoning

    seasoning

    white rice

    white rice

    seafood

    seafood

    shrimp

    shrimp

    rice

    rice

    stove
    stove
  23. 23
    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. If you can see through the gumbo to the bottom of the pot, work on your roux next time.

    tabasco sauce

    tabasco sauce

    water

    water

    salt

    salt

    ice

    ice

    pot
    pot