Seafood Gumbo
My parents are down in NOLA, as I write this, gallivanting around town; slowing down only to take a breath in between bites of beignet or to send their starving children pictures of said baked treats in captionless emails & text messages. What happened to the days when parents called their children?
Actually… I’ll take a text message displaying centerfolds of gumbo packed bowls over a phone call any day.
I’ve made this only a handful of times, but I understand the technique. The only rule is that there are no rules. And with that said, there are a lot of guidelines of which you must be aware. Thus, there are a bunch of rules. 4 hour minimum stewing time… Only the darkest roux will do… No tomatoes… Always tomatoes… It ain’t gumbo without okra… blah blah blah… Let’s get to it!
INGREDIENTS:
2 large duck legs
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil or as needed
1 cup flour + 2 tbsp
6 cups chicken broth - BUY 2 Quarts as you may need more
1 lb andouille sausage
1 large onion chopped
1 cup celery chopped
1.25 cup diced peppers Green/Jalapeno/Serrano/Poblano Any mixture will do
Salt to taste
¾ tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp pepper or to taste
¼ tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
½ tsp of celery salt
¼ tsp of cumin
½ tsp of paprika
¼ tsp of chili powder (optional) - maybe put in at the end
½ tsp of garlic powder
3 cloves minced garlic
1 cup diced tomatoes deseeded
1 smoked ham hock
2 cups water, or as needed
1 - 1.5 cups sliced okra
1 lb gulf shrimp
1 lb crawfish tail meat or langoustine (OPTIONAL)
8 oz lump crab meat
1 tsp worcestershire sauce or to taste
½ cup green onions diced
Cooked rice
In a large, high-sided, heavy bottom skillet, brown the 2 duck legs over medium heat with a few TBSP of VEGETABLE oil. Start skin side down and brown for about 10-13 minutes. Turn and continue for about 5 minutes. Reserve the legs. Reduce heat to medium low and add in 1 cup of flour. Add in enough VEGETABLE oil as needed to create a creamy roux consistency.
Stirring often*, cook the roux until dark, brick brown** (see picture below), about 30-40 minutes. If you burn the roux, you MUST start over. Add in remaining 2 TBSP of flour and cook for 2-4 minutes to take the raw edge off.
* Ensure you are scraping the entire surface of the pan so that you reduce the risk of burning the roux
**The darker the roux, the more flavor
imagePhoto Credit: http://www.eclecticepicurean.com/
Some people mix in the chicken stock at this point. Other people add in the the veggies and garlic. Both result in slightly different depths of flavor. I’ve done both and suggest you follow the stock in now method.
Whisk in 6 cups of COLD chicken stock 1 cup at a time. Ensure there are no lumps. Set aside and reserve until needed.
Brown the andouille sausage in a dry, heavy dutch oven. Once browned, add in the onion, celery, and pepper (holy trinity) mixture with a nice pinch of salt. Sweat the veggies over medium heat, scraping the bottom once the water has released to deglaze the pan. Add in the thyme, bay leaf, pepper, cayenne, celery salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute to take the raw edge off the garlic and to wake up the spices. Add in the diced tomato. Pour in the roux/stock mixture to deglaze and add in the smoked ham hock and 2 duck legs. Add in 1 cup of water and bring the gumbo to a simmer over medium high heat. Once to the simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer for 4 hours. Periodically skim the fat and scum that rises to the top, you will perhaps yield 1 cup.
After 4 hours, remove the duck legs and set aside to cool. Once cooled, remove the meat from the bone and reserve.
Sauté the okra in a medium pan with minimal vegetable oil over medium high heat. Ensure that you sear the okra to a golden brown to reduce it’s sliminess.
Check your gumbo’s consistency. Too thin? Reduce. Too thick? Add in chicken stock as necessary. Once it’s to your liking, add in the okra and the duck meat. Taste salt & spice levels and adjust for final seasoning.
Prep the shrimp by peeling and deveining. Prep your lump crab meat by combing for shell fragments. At the very end, add the shrimp. Once they are 3/4’s cooked, gently fold in the crab meat. Fold in the diced green onions. Reserve some for garnish.
After 6 hours - 8 hours, you’re finally done! Ladle into a bowl, add in some rice, and eat the hell out of it!
