Spicy Seafood and Sausage Gumbo: Gulf Grub

What is a New Orleans dinner without a little gumbo?? This came out really delicious and was a spicy compliment to the jambalaya. I had some serious issues trying to find fish stock or a bottle of clam juice that had more than 1 cup of juice in it, so I substituted 3 cups of the liquid with chicken stock. Oh and filé powder.. that is like trying to find a needle in a haystack here. I went to 3 stores then promptly gave up. Guess it’s not a staple here in AZ? I went ahead and reflected my changes to the recipe below. This would make a really yummy winter dinner. It’s warm and a little spicy :)

Spicy Seafood and Sausage Gumbo

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1/2 lb. okra

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

6 Tbs. all-purpose flour

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices

3 cups chicken stock

2cups bottled clam juice

2 bay leaves

2 1/2 Tbs. Creole seasoning blend

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 lb. andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch
slices

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup fresh-cooked crabmeat, picked over
to remove any shell fragments

Cooked white rice for serving

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Dice the onion and the green and red bell peppers. Set aside. Trim the stems from the okra pods, then cut the pods crosswise into slices 1/2 inch thick. In a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the canola oil. Add the okra and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pot over medium heat, warm the remaining 6 Tbs. oil for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour until incorporated. Cook the mixture, or roux, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until dark brown, about 4 minutes. Do not let the roux turn black. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the reserved okra, the tomatoes with their juices, stock, bay leaves, Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.

Stir in the sausage, shrimp and crabmeat and cook until the sausage is heated through and the shrimp are pink, 3 minutes more. Sprinkle in the filé powder and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves.

To serve, spoon white rice into warmed bowls, ladle the gumbo on top and garnish with the parsley.

Serves 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection