Louisiana Seafood Gumbo
Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar
Baton Rouge, La.
Louisiana chef John Folse cooked this gumbo for Walk-On's Independence Bowl college football game, held earlier this season, but this Creole soup-stew also makes for a celebratory Mardi Gras meal. There are as many variations of gumbo as there are parade floats, but they all start with a saute of onions, bell peppers and celery—“the holy trinity” in culinary terms—and are thickened with a brown roux. Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar's version also includes lots of local seafood, such as crab, oysters and shrimp, as well as andouille sausage.
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell pepper
¼ cup diced garlic
½ lb. sliced andouille sausage
1 lb. claw crabmeat
3 qt. shellfish or seafood stock, heated
2 cups sliced green onions
½ cup chopped parsley
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
Hot pepper sauce, optional
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat
2 dozen oysters, shucked (reserve liquid)
Cooked rice
Steps
- Prepare roux: In 7-qt. cast-iron Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in flour; with wire whisk, stir constantly until thickened and golden brown; do not allow roux to scorch.
- Stir in onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic; saute 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables wilt. Add andouille; blend well into vegetable mixture and saute 2 to 3 minutes longer. Stir in claw crabmeat until incorporated.
- Slowly stir in hot stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly until all is incorporated. Bring to a low boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook about 30 minutes. Add more stock if necessary to retain volume.
- Stir in green onions and parsley; season to taste with salt, cayenne and hot sauce. Fold in shrimp, lump crabmeat and oysters and their liquid. Return to low boil and cook about 5 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.
Photo courtesy of Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar