Ingredients:
Makes 12 qt

The Base:

• 1/4 cup Canola Oil
• 8 cups Cajun TRINITY = (chopped onion. chopped celery, chopped bell peppers )
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
• 1 Large 28 oz can of Rotel tomatoes (substitute plain diced tomatoes if you prefer)
• 4 quarts fresh Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock
• 3 pounds frozen Cut Okra
• 5 Bay Leaves

 If you like a little bite in your foods……..

• 1/2 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder

The Roux:

• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup All-purpose flour

The Seafood

• 3 pounds fresh large shrimp (peeled and deveined (if needed)
• 1 pound White Crab Meat
• 1 pound Claw Crab Meat
• 1 pound Crawfish Tails (when available)
• 1 pint Fresh Oysters (optional)

Garnish:

• chopped green onions  Gumbo File’< ground sassafrass leaves>  optional

Preperation:

Base:
Begin by heating canola oil in a large stock pot (medium high)
Saute’ Cajun Trinity until vegetables are well cooked. Add 2 tablespoons minced
garlic. Pour in the large can of tomatoes and 4 quarts chicken or vegetable stock.
Bring to a boil. Add okra and stir well. Reduce heat to ( medium) and allow okra to
cook 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom.

When the okra is about done, start on the Roux.

Roux:
In a deep cast iron skillet, melt 2 sticks of butter on ( medium heat). Using a flat
edged high temp spatula or spoon, gradually stir in the 1 cup of flour. Continue to
stir – be careful not to splash on yourself. <This is VERY HOT and can burn you>.
Once you a achieve a dark carmel color, turn off the heat. Keep moving the roux so
it doesn’t scorch. Carefully, pour into the stock pot and stir as you go. This is
best done with two people if possible. Continue to simmer on ( medium low) for 10 
minutes.

Seafood:
Add Shrimp, Crab, Crawfish Tails and Oysters shortly (Approx 5 mins) before you are ready to serve. <The seafood will only take about 5 minutes to cook.>

Serving Suggestions:
Serve over white rice and garnish with chopped green onions and Gumbo File’. A side salad and French rolls are excellent accompaniments.

History:

Seafood Gumbo is a staple in the Cajun and Creole Cultures. As in most Cajun Cooking recipes, we will start with a Roux. A roux is used as a thickening agent for this traditional seafood soup. The word Gumbo derives from the Creole culture which is the West African word for okra.

Okra is also used as a thickening agent as is a special spice called Gumbo File’.
 File’ is ground sassafras. Sprinkle Gumbo File’ on the bowl of gumbo at the table
for a little extra spiciness.

Note***

You may think that Gumbo, whether Chicken and Sausage Gumbo or Seafood Gumbo, is only good in the cold weather. However, you can enjoy Gumbo year round.

Ingredients:

Beans:

• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
• 1 Cup Onion, chopped
• 1/2 Cup Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1/4 Cup Celery, Chopped
• 1 Cup Andouille Sausage, Cubed  <Smoked Pork or Turkey Sausage can be used.>
• 1 Cup Tasso, Cubed (See Note***) < Smoked Hog Jowl may be substituted.>
• 1/2 lb. Small Red Beans (soaked)
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Garlic, Minced
• 3 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock /  Water
• 3 Fresh Bay Leaves
• 1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar / or Regular White Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Italian Parsley, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced on the bias

Rice:

• 2C- Rice
• 2C-Boiling Water

Note:***
Tasso A lean chunk of pork (often shoulder) or beef that is heavily seasoned with
Cajun spices then smoked for 2 days, resulting in a firm, smoky meat used for
seasoning. Tasso is often used in Cajun dishes, such as jambalaya, soups, pastas and seafood.

Preparation:

Beans:
Mix together the Holy Trinity (Onions, Celery, Bell Pepper).
Drain the beans.

Melt 1-TBS butter over medium heat. Add 1/2 of the Holy Trinity, 1 Tbsp of the
Cajun Seasoning, Tasso, and the Andouille, turn the heat to medium high. Cook this for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables start to get some color. Add the beans and cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
Add the Chicken Stock or Water, Garlic, Bay Leaves, the remaining Trinity and Cajun Seasoning. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let this simmer for 2- 2 1/2 Hours.

The first hour is low maintenance; an occasional stir and making sure the beans are
covered with liquid. The second hour, you want to check back a little more often, the beans will really start to absorb some liquid and you don’t want them to stick.

After the beans have cooked for two hours, add the Tomato Sauce, the Parsley and 1/2 of the Green Onions. Cook the beans for another half hour While rice is cooking.

Rice:
In a 2-qt pot place place rice with 1 tsp unsalted butter heat over medium heat 5-10 mim stirring continually. Add 2-C boiling water reduce heat to simmer and cover. Allow rice to cook. When water has been absorbed and rice is tender remove from stove fluff with a fork.   (Approx. 30min)

<Try not to stir rice any more than necessary as it breaks the rice grains.>

Serving Suggestions:
Remove the Bay Leaves. Mound 1/2-C of Rice onto serving plates. Cover
with a generous helping of the Red Beans. Garnish with the remaining Green Onions.
Make sure there is a bottle of hot sauce <I prefer Tabasco> on the table.

Compliments to this meal a simple vinaigrette salad,Good Crusty French Bread Or Cornbread.

Ingredients:

Shrimp Stock:

• The Shells and tails from 2-lb. of Shrimp
• 1/2 Cup chopped Onion
• 1/4 Cup chopped Celery
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Lemon sliced
• 2 Fresh Bay Leaves
• 3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
• 1 tsp. White Pepper

Etouffee:

• 2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
• 7 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 3/4 Cup fresh Tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 Cups Shrimp Stock
• 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• I bundle of Fresh Thyme
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp Hot Sauce (Tabasco)
• 1/2 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp minced Italian Parsley
• 2 lb Good Quality Shrimp, Peeled and De-veined, <Save shells/tails for the stock>
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Ground White Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Stock:
Add all ingredients to a 2 qt. saucepan. Cover this with cold water, it should be
about 6-8 Cups Cups. You’ll need 1 1/2 Cups for the Etouffee. Bring almost to a
boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Strain.

Etouffee:

Season the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the Cajun Seasoning. <set aside>

Melt 4-Tbsp butter in a large cast iron skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, and
celery, saute until translucent. Whisk in the flour to make a blonde roux, stirring
constantly, about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining Cajun Seasoning. Add a small amount of the shrimp stock, stir well to form a paste, add the remaining stock gradually, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You may need a little more stock, but the end result should be the consistency of a gravy, not too thick, not too thin.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, Thyme, worcestershire, and hot sauce, a little salt, White pepper, and Cayenne. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.Add the shrimp, green onions, and parsley, simmer for 10 minutes more or until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the remaining 3 Tbsp butter, and adjust the seasonings to taste.


Serve over Rice.