18. Authentic Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup bacon drippings
• 1 medium onion
• 1 small or half of a large bell pepper, stem and seeds removed
• 3 stalks celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3/4 pound chicken or pork Andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces  
• 1 1/2 quarts 6 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce Tobasco
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
•  1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 10 ounce package frozen okra
• 1 1/2 pounds uncooked shrimp peeled and deveined
• 8 ounces lump crabmeat I used frozen
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons gumbo file powder
• salt amount varies by preference

Instructions:

1. To make roux, whisk together flour and bacon drippings in a dutch oven and cook in 300 degree oven for 90 minutes, whisking every 15 minutes or so. This temperature should be hot enough to develop a rich dark roux without burning it, but if it smells like it’s burning, reduce the temperature.
2. While roux is cooking, pulse onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in a food processor. You want the cut pieces to be small as if you were dicing them with a knife.
3. Once roux is done, transfer dutch oven to your stove top. Add onion mixture and sausage. Cook over medium low heat. You want to cook the vegetables and sausage while not burning the roux. Stir occasionally. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Slowly add beef broth to mixture in dutch oven. Scrape bottom of pan to loosen anything that stuck during the cooking process. Stir well to combine and bring to a simmer. Add sugar, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, tomatoes, tomato paste, and okra.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for one hour.
5. Add shrimp, crab meat, gumbo file powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for an additional hour over extremely low heat.
6. Add salt to taste. I never specify the amount because I feel it’s based on personal preference, but start out with a small amount, taste, and continue adding until the flavor is right.
7. Serve gumbo over a medium or long grain rice or grits.
8. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days or freeze in air tight container.

Recipe Source

Originally posted 2019-03-12 14:01:44.

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