Seafood Gumbo
An incredible recipe. Not a roux-based gumbo but is out of this world. We have a periodic Gumbo Party centered around making and eating this great gumbo. Family and friends rave.
An incredible recipe. Not a roux-based gumbo but is out of this world. We have a periodic Gumbo Party centered around making and eating this great gumbo. Family and friends rave.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 tsp oregano
- 3 tsp parsley
- 1 bunch celery
- 1 bunch green onions
- 2 medium bell peppers
- 8-10 cloves garlic
- 4-5 bay leaves
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 cans rotel tomatoes
- 2 28 oz cans stewed tomatoes
- 2 1 lb bags slices frozen okra (not breaded)
- tony's seasoning (to taste)
- 1 can beer (i like bud light)
- 3 1/2 lbs shrimp (peeled)
- 1 lb scallops
- 1 1/2 lbs fish fillets (i use snapper)
- 1 lb lump white crab meat
- 1 lb fresh oysters
- 2 lbs sausage (andouille if you can get it)
- light sprinkling of gumbo filã©
- Carbohydrate 3.5128482743125 g
- Cholesterol 162.159272275 mg
- Fat 12.3321159920625 g
- Fiber 0.498000009059906 g
- Protein 32.5677762385208 g
- Saturated Fat 3.7321630974875 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (220g)
- Sodium 581.182462597937 mg
- Sugar 3.01484826525259 g
- Trans Fat 1.8167634180875 g
- Calories 266 calories
Step-by-step
- Chop celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic (can rough chop if you like these larger)
- Prepare seafood and sausage; peel and de-vein shrimp, cube fish (check for bones and cut out bloodline), clean crab meat if needed, wash oysters, wash scallops, slice sausage into 1/4 in rings, keep your seafood cold until you are ready to add to the pot
- Sauté celery, bell pepper, onions, in olive oil (stir frequently, may take ~ 15-20 minutes – should start to soften)
- Add garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and parsley and sauté for another 3 or 4 minutes
- Add tomato sauce, rotel tomatoes (including liquid), stewed tomatoes (strained), okra, and 2 cups of water (water to keep from burning on bottom – maybe up to a quart depending on single vs double recipe, you want to keep it pretty thick so don't add too much liquid, seafood will add liquid as well)
- Season to taste with Tony’s
- Simmer until okra has cooked down (mucilage/ocra slime will break down) – probably 30-45 minutes
- Add all seafood and meat (except shrimp and scallops) and beer (will look thick but let cook down – as long as it doesn’t burn on bottom, will need to stir semi frequently to avoid this)
- Simmer maybe 45 minutes to an hour, crab and fish will break down, may take a while to bring to simmer temp – watch for burning on bottom
- Skim fats from the sausage off of the top - there will be a lot and I like to get as much out as possible. You may also elect to precook your sausage to get some of the fat out before adding to the gumbo pot
- And last, add shrimp and scallops and bring to boil. Cook until shrimp are done. Add some fish or crab meat at this step also if you want these to be present in form. Will generally be very thick – not so soupy.
- Once served, sprinkle lightly with gumbo filé
- Serve over rice if desired
- Freezes excellent
- You’ll need a big pot - I use a 24 qt for a double recipe (for a party I make a double recipe)
- Goes without saying that with this much seafood, very fresh seafood is key, otherwise gumbo may taste fishy
- There are some optional ingredients (e.g. oysters, crab claws, etc) but good crab meat and scallops are key to the flavor profile
Omitting flour-and-fat roux forces the okra and tomatoes to carry the entire thickening load through pectin release and acid reduction. When frozen sliced okra hits the simmering acidic environment created by the tomato sauce and Rotel, the cellular walls break down, releasing mucilage that binds the surrounding liquid while the stewed tomatoes lose their structural integrity over forty-five minutes of steady heat. Without flour blocking the bottom of a twenty-four-quart stockpot, managing thermal conduction is critical because residual sugars from the vegetables and starches from the okra scorch easily against direct heat if the pot remains unstirred during the initial heavy simmer.
Managing the Protein Additions
Staggering the introduction of meats prevents delicate seafood from disintegrating into mush during long cooking cycles. Harder sausage and denser fish chunks require extended simmering times to render excess animal fats and soften connective tissue, whereas tender shrimp and fresh scallops demand mere minutes of boiling water exposure to turn opaque and firm. Skimming the rendered sausage fat off the surface before the final boil prevents an oily slick from masking the delicate sweetness of the lump crab meat and fresh oysters.Substitutions and Adjustments
Swapping out snapper for alternative white fish alters the final breakdown rate, as leaner species like cod disintegrate faster than oilier varieties. Substituting vegetable oil for olive oil changes the initial sauté temperature threshold for the celery, bell peppers, and yellow onions, while dried herbs must replace fresh ones at a reduced volume to prevent bitter flavor concentrations.
