Double Roux Cajun Seafood Gumbo Recipes

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Combine the red, white, and black peppers, paprika, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and salt; set aside.
• In a heavy pot, 5 quart or larger, heat oil over medium heat, warming the pot first. Add onions, celery, and green pepper. Turn heat to high. Stirring frequently, add garlic, file, hot sauce, and the pepper-herb mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add tomato sauce, and stir as it reduces over high heat. Add fish stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• When ready to serve, add shrimp, oysters, and crabmeat. Cover, and wait 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve.

REAL CAJUN SEAFOOD GUMBO (FROM A LOUISIANIAN)

Steps:

• In a 7-quart cast iron dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle in flour and, using a wire whisk, stir constantly until brown roux is achieved. Do not allow roux to scorch. Should black specks appear in roux, discard and begin again.
• Once roux is golden brown, add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté approximately 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.
• Add andouille, blend well into vegetable mixture and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Add claw crabmeat and stir into roux. This will begin to add seafood flavor to the mixture.
• Slowly add hot shellfish stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until all is incorporated.
• Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes. Add additional stock if necessary to retain volume.
• Add green onions and parsley.
• Season to taste using salt, pepper and Louisiana Gold.
• Fold shrimp, lump crab meat, oysters and reserved oyster liquid into soup.
• Return to a low boil and cook approximately 5 minutes.
• Adjust seasonings and serve over cooked rice.

ROUX-BASED AUTHENTIC SEAFOOD GUMBO WITH OKRA

Steps:

• Put flour into a Dutch oven or large heavy pot and add flour. Turn heat to medium-high, put the pot on the burner, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick and bubbly, has a 'peanutty' smell, and is dark brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool and thicken.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir celery, green onions, and bell pepper in hot butter until tender, about 10 minutes; add to pot with the roux.
• Stir water, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, hot pepper sauce, and thyme into the vegetable mixture. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Stir okra into the vegetable mixture and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add catfish, stir gently, and cook until the flesh is easily flaked with a fork, about 5 minutes. Gently stir shrimp into the mixture; cook until the shrimp are bright pink, about 3 minutes. Season with the file powder and salt; stir.

DOUBLE ROUX CAJUN SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Light Brown Cajun Roux: In a black iron pot or skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat to approximately 300 degrees F.
• Using a wooden roux spoon, slowly add the flour, stirring constantly until the roux is peanut butter in color, approximately two minutes. Reserve Light Brown Cajun Roux at room temperature.
• Dark Brown Cajun Roux: Proceed as you would in the light brown Cajun roux recipe but continue cooking until the roux is the color of a light caramel. This roux should almost be twice as dark as the light brown roux but not as dark as chocolate.
• When dark brown Cajun roux is done add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Sauté until the onions become translucent and the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes. Add the smoked andouille or smoked sausage and the seasonings, and about ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and continue to cook another 10 minutes.
• Fry okra with a small amount of grease and salt until okra is soft. (Avoid sticking.) Stir okra into gumbo and cook for another 15 minutes, and then add the stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cook another 30 minutes.
• With the gumbo on very low heat, add the Light Brown Cajun Roux and tomato paste. You'll find the greatest success when whisking the cool roux (that's room temperature cool, not refrigerator cool) into the hot gumbo. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
• ----------> Freeze here for future use (if desired).
• Add blue crabs. Remove the hard top shell from the crabs (reserving for stuffed crabs or for shellfish stock), and break each crab in two down the middle. Remove the claws. Add to the stock.) Simmer for 10 minutes,.
• Add the shrimp 10 minutes before serving.
• Add the oysters and oyster liquor 5 minutes before serving.
• Add the crabmeat just before serving (don't cook the crabmeat, just stir until it is heated through).
• Add additional Shrimp Stock (or chicken broth) if gumbo is too thick.
• Taste and correct seasonings.
• Place about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of rice in each bowl and ladle the gumbo over and around it. Serve with plenty of French bread and good beer or white wine.
• YIELD: About 16-18 entrée servings or 28-34 appetizer servings (omit hard shell crabs if serving cups of gumbo as an appetizer).