A HALF-DOZEN OF us waited in line at the seafood counter. One lady was originally from Baton Rouge, and the couple behind me called Shreveport home. There were some strong opinions about our endeavor. Even the guy behind the counter doling out the crabs and shrimp had something to say on the subject.
A woman who was buying enough seafood and sausage to feed a congregation looked at me skeptically.
“You know how to make a roux, honey?”
“Sure,” I said. “Fat and flour, equal parts.”
She shook her head. “Love, baby. You’ve got to make it with love.”
Dungeness Crab and Gulf Shrimp Gumbo
Stock
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 lb shrimp, shelled (reserve the meat for later)
1 large or 2 small Dungeness crabs, cooked and cleaned (but not peeled)
2 quarts chicken stock
3 bay leaves
Saute the shrimp shells in oil until red and starting to brown. Stir in tomato paste and cook one minute. Add diced vegetables and saute another minute or two, stirring, before adding stock. (At this point you might want to substitute some clam juice for part of the chicken stock; I didn’t have any on hand and wasn’t about to pay $2.69 for an 8 oz. bottle when I get the clams and their juice for free.) Toss in the bay leaves and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. While the stock is simmering, peel your crab, adding shells as you go. This will help to flavor your stock if you opt out of the clam juice. Save the claws and a couple sections of unpeeled leg for later. I tear off the impossible-to-peel “pinkies” and throw them in whole. Simmer the stock for an hour or two, then strain and set aside (see photo at left; photo above shows the ingredients strained out of the stock).
Roux
Heat 1/2 cup of oil over moderate heat and slowly whisk in a 2/3 cup of flour. Stir regularly for 30 min. The roux should turn yellowish, then a golden brown. You may need to raise heat to get the final deep brown. Scrape into a dish for later.
Gumbo
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 lb okra, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 heaping tsp chili powder
1 heaping tsp paprika
1 heaping tsp dried oregano
1 heaping tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp filé powder
salt
shelled shrimp
peeled crab
hot links or other sausage
steamed rice
Saute onion, celery, and garlic in heavy pot until soft. Add the roux and cook over moderate heat until bubbling. Slowly stir in the stock and tomatoes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour or two. In a skillet, saute the green pepper and okra in butter or oil and add spices. Deglaze with a splash of water or stock. Add to gumbo pot. At this point I also add the reserved crab claws and sliced hot links, then let simmer another hour. Just before serving add the shrimp and crab meat. Cook a couple minutes and ladle over rice with a sprinkling of chopped scallions. Serves 8.
Good story…I think i will try that recipe…thanks
Ohhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy!
Dat sum wicked good soundin’ food.
My mouth done gone and got all wet jus thinkin ’bout a bowl of it.
Need to get some Dixie beer for your next batch Finny. Then you be doin it right.
Very nice!
You can add the chopped vegetables right to the roux, rather than adding it to them as they saute in a separate dish. The veggies will stop the roux from darkening much more as they release liquid and you’ll save a step and a pan.
The grocery store scene, love it. Great story. In my mind it’s become an episode on some TV sitcom – Seinfeld could run with this one. Rat droppings be damned, sounds like it was a worthwhile run to the store. Oh, and gumbo sounds good too.
Okay, mushroom knives in my foraging friends’ stockings this year! Thanks for the link.
mmmmm mmmmm. A few years ago my mom started making gumbo for Christmas Eve. It’s turned into a tradition that we all love. We use little rock shrimp from the fisherman out of Coos Bay (where Mom & Dad live) Dungeness, and local rock fish. It’s most delicious…
Thank you for priming the taste buds. I can hardly wait.
By the way, I just found your blog and love it!
Now that’s a serious project! Great story about your grocery store visit. Sounds like there are plenty of good reasons to go back but if you’re ever looking for an alternate supplier we get file powder at the Madison Market co-op.
Wow! Fin, my man, you’ve opened the flood gates – especially for those of us whose roots were pulled out of the fertile soil of the southland to come out to the NW! Not enough room here for proper comments, but I invite you to pop in to the CMS forum and contribute to my “foodie” question.
Oh yeah – a flood of memories, not the least of which is a never-to-be-forgotten visit to Lafayette, LA, just a few years ago. Good stuff Fin.
going razor clamming tonight in ninilchik (alaska) and came across your blog – very nice. but i’ll add that in alaska vernacular “crab” (singular) is typically used to refer to one or more of the edible crustaceans. “crabs” is, well, that little inconvenience some experience below the beltline…..
If I’d had ANY idea we were going to have the hot summer we did, I’d have covered my p-patch up in okra. Such a beautiful plant (as if the okra pods, be still my heart, weren’t enough),
Yes, please! Great post and recipe. Can’t wait to make this soon!