# seafood gumbo recipe



## mackdaddy06

does anyone have a good recipe for seafood gumbo


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## CurDog

I've always used Zatarains Gumbo mix, fresh shrimp, crab meat and sausage.


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## PurpleNGold

Homeade Roux is the trick!


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## Joraca

PurpleNGold said:


> Homeade Roux is the trick!


That and putting in crab quarters.

Joraca


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## Charlie2

*Gumbo Recipe*

I didn't know that there was such a thing.

We always made a roux and threw everything that looked like seafood in it, added water and spices(Zatarain's is good!)Let simmer..

! Homemade roux is king C2


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## 16983

I agree, the roux is the trick. It will make or break your gumbo. Roux, half flour half oil. cook over medium heat unitll it gets dark, very dark. Your eyes should just start to water when you take a deep whiff of it. To stop the roux add your onion, celery and bell pepper. After they soften, add your shrimp stock you made from the shells of the shrimp that will go in later, and water. add bay leaf, salt and cayanne and simmer for 30 min. add the quartered crab, let it go another 20-30 minutes, then your seafood, at the very end so it doesnt over cook. There are a million recipes on the inetrnet on the ammounts of everything, but, really, it's all in the roux. It's a fine line between great and burned. It it burns, throw it away and start over,


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## Charlie2

*Gumbo*

That's the way I was taught by my Grandmother., and do. I make up to 5 gallons at a time for a family reunion in Louisiana. Make you want to cry!

We run a short drag with the trawl in the Lake and use almost everything that we catch in the Gumbo.

The Tony's and Zatarains came much later with their prepared mixture of spices. Not to say or imply that either are not good. They are!

Get the roux right and the rest will follow. Need a tester?

Next will be Jambalaya? Jamon, French( ham) a la Ya African (Rice). It takes a good chef to make it right. New Thread? Just asking. C2


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## daniel9829

Something that was not mentioned in those great recipies is while cooking the Roux keep the heat down to a simmer and stir so to slowley brown the roux if you leave it or cook to hot you will burn it if not careful. \


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## Charlie2

*Gumbo Recipes*



daniel9829 said:


> Something that was not mentioned in those great recipies is while cooking the Roux keep the heat down to a simmer and stir so to slowley brown the roux if you leave it or cook to hot you will burn it if not careful. \


Good advice! You've gotta watch it like a hawk!

I've burned some. Time to throw it out and start over. Be more watchful this time. C2


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## 16983

Charlie2, I would like to see what 'ya got for Jambalaya. I don't have much experiance with that, but, would love to learn. I married a girl from New Orleans and have picked up alot, but, not jambalaya. New thread time sounds like.


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## Joraca

I make my roux over high heat, with peanut oil and constant stirring. If the oil starts to smoke, I move the skillet off the flame. Once the roux is hershey-bar brown, I quench it with a glass of water, still stirring constantly, to keep it from burning after I stop cooking it. It takes maybe 5 minutes to do it this way. Outdoors is best.

Another way to speed up the process is to cook the flour beforehand on a cookie sheet in the oven at medium heat. Say 2 hrs @ 275 F. It will turn darker when it hits the oil.

Whichever way, if it smells burned, pitch it and start over.

Joraca


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## PurpleNGold

Another tip to make it easier use a black pot or skillet. I cook mine hot but I don't move from the stove. Cold beer in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other.


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## Downtime2

Feller may be queer as a 3 dollar bill, but, the recipes are dead on....

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/basics/


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## Charlie2

*Gumbo Recipes*

A very informative site. Thanks for posting it. C2


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## Joraca

Downtime2 said:


> Feller may be queer as a 3 dollar bill, but, the recipes are dead on....
> 
> http://www.gumbopages.com/food/basics/


Thanks for that link, Downtime.

I buy my spices from Apple Market, on E Cervantes in P'cola. $2 for 2 oz of their house brands. What a deal. I blend my own variations of Essence, Cachere's etc. using the Apple Market spices.

Joraca


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## keperry1182

cookin roux over high heat was like cookin fish in a microwave in my house (ya just didn't do it). If it works it works though. I will say that if you make a gumbo the roux is the important thing and a traditional spice called file powder (that's pronounced fee-lay) adds a good touch. But in my experience if you ask 20 cajun people how to cook gumbo you get 20 different answers. Okra, roux and file powder is what I think you must have or it's just stew.


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## cone

I like to make my roux with bacon or sausage grease for a little extra flavor. Don't forget the cajun holy trinity,Onion, bell pepper and celery.


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## jack2

*roux*

never heard of mixing the trinity in roux.
jack


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## Charlie2

*Trinity in Roux*



jack2 said:


> never heard of mixing the trinity in roux.
> jack


Definitely! When the roux gets to the desired color, stir in the trinity to cool it down(stop cooking). Then it's back on the stove for some stock and spice(s).

You don't add the file powder until the gumbo is nearly done. I think that okra(optional) gets it 'slick' enough. JMHO C2


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## mike potter

I like whole okra but no larger than 3.5 inch in length, not so slimey


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## 16983

You can de-slime okra by adding chopped onion and baking @350 doe 25-20 minutes. Try it, just might surprise 'ya


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## Charlie2

*Okra*



HankHill said:


> You can de-slime okra by adding chopped onion and baking @350 doe 25-20 minutes. Try it, just might surprise 'ya


Thanks!

I wasn't bad mouthing okra's slimeliness(?). Some people like it so.

My Mother used to fry okra. Just cut it into slices, flour and fry. Extremely delicious. C2


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## Bent Hook

I should have never looked at this one.Guess I'm on my way to pick up the stuff to make moms gumbo.


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## FishGolfDrink

I can cook just about anything.. except make a solid roux.. that's where I blow it every time. 

How much flour and oil/butter are you using in your 50/50 mix. I've seen it on cooking shows where they measure by weight - is that how you all are doing it or you just going 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup oil?


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## FelixH

FishGolfDrink said:


> I can cook just about anything.. except make a solid roux.. that's where I blow it every time.
> 
> How much flour and oil/butter are you using in your 50/50 mix. I've seen it on cooking shows where they measure by weight - is that how you all are doing it or you just going 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup oil?


I just eyeball it... but for a full sized batch (about a 6 quart pot), I use about 1/2 cup of each.

first, I brown some sliced smoke sausage for flavor. Then pull the sausage out, but leave the grease it provided. Add some more oil to the sausage grease, let it get hot, then add the flour.

After the roux is about milk-chocolate color, add the trinity and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to let the onion, bell pep, and celery soften.

Next add your liquid (water, broth, stock, or any combination of them), then the meat, sausage, seafood, chicken, whatever, and spices.
If you want okra, it goes in now too.
If doing shrimp, you can wait a while because they cook quickly.

I don't add file to the pot. I usually give each bowl a dusting of it on top.
Some hot-pepper vinegar also adds a great flavor to a bowl of gumbo.


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## FishGolfDrink

Thanks Felix.. i'm going to give it a try. I think my mistake is not heating up the oil first before adding the flour.


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## FelixH

Yep, that could make a difference. Let it get hot, but not to the point of smoking.


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## keperry1182

I think a roux over high heat would take more skill, maybe start on med or med high and heat oil, then add flour and stir constantly till it thickens and browns. Takes a while. Tony chachere makes a decent instant roux (for an instant) available at walmart.


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## Charlie2

*Roux*

If you're unsure about making roux, by all means buy the Tony Cacherie's stuff. It's better than burning up a bunch of flour and oil. JMHO C2


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## on the rocks

If you want to make a roux and not have it burn there is a trick to it and it works perfectly every single time. My sister is a chef as is my bother-in-law and they passed this on to me years ago.

Start with equal amounts of oil and flour or you can use unsalted butter and flour...I like the butter when I am making a seafood gumbo because I think it has better flavor. Heat the oil or butter over a low heat on the stove top and stir in the flour till it is mixed well. Then cover and place the pan in the oven set at 350 degrees. Set your timer for 15 minutes. When it goes off take the pan out the oven and stir your roux well and place it back in for another 15 minutes...keep repeating the 15 minutes and stirring till the roux is the color you want. It usually takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour for a roux the color of peanut butter which is where I stop for seafood gumbo. If you like it darker then add more time. I may take a little longer but you don't have to stand over the pan and stir the entire time to keep it from burning. It will always turn out just right done this way. I use a large Caphalon pot for making my roux.


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## daniella

It is so sad that I'm not a good cook. But I know how to eat  and I know how to recognize which dish taste bad or good..:thumbup:


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## Lyin Too

Roux is not the most important ingredient in a good gumbo, the stock is. Put a bunch of shrimp heads and shells and all the throw away parts from the celery, onion and peppers in a pot and boil it for 2 hours, strain and boil it down to about 6 cups. Add this to the roux and cajun trinity with salt, pepper, bay leaves, red pepper and a pound of good sausage cut up, let it simmer covered for 2 hours. Let it cool, put in refrigerator till tomorrow, take it out bring it to a simmer again, put in a pound of crabmeat and a pound of shrimp, simmer 10 more minutes and eat up.


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## Jolly Mon

Lyin Too said:


> Roux is not the most important ingredient in a good gumbo, the stock is. Put a bunch of shrimp heads and shells and all the throw away parts from the celery, onion and peppers in a pot and boil it for 2 hours, strain and boil it down to about 6 cups. Add this to the roux and cajun trinity with salt, pepper, bay leaves, red pepper and a pound of good sausage cut up, let it simmer covered for 2 hours. Let it cool, put in refrigerator till tomorrow, take it out bring it to a simmer again, put in a pound of crabmeat and a pound of shrimp, simmer 10 more minutes and eat up.




I agree about making the seafood stock, easy to do and with things most throw out. Can also do with chicken parts to make a chicken stock.


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## beeritself

Not a seafood gumbo, but this is what I made last night. I killed lots of ducks this weekend, so I made a smoke sausage and duck gumbo. Being patient and stirring frequently with a roux is a must. If you get black flecks in it from high heat, discard and start over.


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