Shrimp Crab And Oyster Gumbo Recipes

SHRIMP AND OYSTER GUMBO WITH OKRA

Steps:

• To make the shrimp stock: Peel the shrimp, and toss the heads and shells into a large stock pot; refrigerate the peeled shrimp until ready to cook in the gumbo. Add the crab, onion, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne, Old Bay, and lemons to the pot. Cover with 2 1/2 quarts of cold water. Allow the liquid to slowly come to a boil, and then lower the heat. Gently simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Strain the stock into a heatproof container or another pot to remove the chunky solids; at this point you should have about 2 quarts of flavorful broth to use in the gumbo. Cool until needed.
• To make the gumbo, you must start with a roux base: Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot. Just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps - it may lock-up like cake frosting but just keep stirring through it. Cook the roux until it's the color of a walnut and smells equally as nutty, this should take about 15 minutes.
• Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and okra (if it ain't got okra, it ain't gumbo!); season with salt, cayenne, and Old Bay. Mix in the tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are soft. Pour in the cooled shrimp stock and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gumbo is dark and thick. Toss in the shrimp and oysters, cook about another 15 minutes; adjust seasoning.
• To serve: Ladle the gumbo into shallow bowls and pile some rice in the center. Sprinkle the parsley and green onions over the top. Pass the French bread and hot sauce at the table.

SHRIMP, CRAB, AND OYSTER GUMBO

Steps:

• Make stock:
• In a 9 1/2-to 10-quart heavy kettle simmer stock ingredients, uncovered, 30 minutes. Transfer crab legs with tongs to a work surface and cool until they can be handles. Simmer stock 15 minutes more and pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl. Return stock to kettle and keep warm, partially covered.
• Cut open crab shells with shears and remove meat, discarding shells and cartilage. Cut king crab meat into bite-size pieces and transfer to a small bowl.
• In a heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) cook oil and flour over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a flat-edged metal or wooden spatula, until roux od the dark reddish-brown color of chestnut shells, about 45 minutes. (Alternatively, make Microwave Brown Roux , and transfer to skillet.) Roux may be made 1 week ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, covered, in a glass or stainless-steel bowl. Reheat roux in skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, before proceeding. Add onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened.
• Add roux mixture by large spoonfuls to hot stock, stirring well after each addition, and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer gumbo, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in king crab meat, lump crab meat, and oysters with their reserved liquor and simmer, stirring occasionally, until edges of oysters begin to curl, about 2 minutes. Stir in scallions, cayenne, and salt to taste. Gumbo may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, uncovered, and chilled, covered.
• Serve gumbo ladled over rice in large soup plates.

SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook and stir flour in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat until flour turns golden brown, about 15 minutes. Pour browned flour into a bowl and return pot to heat.
• Increase heat to medium and add oil to the pot. Cook and stir onions and bell peppers in hot oil until slightly softened, about 7 minutes.
• Stir garlic, thyme, and bay leaves into onion mixture; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add sausage to onion mixture and cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir diced tomatoes with juice, shredded chicken, chicken broth, vegetable juice cocktail, browned flour, and Creole seasoning into sausage mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer, stirring often, until mixture is hot and flavors blend, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Pour shrimp into sausage-chicken mixture; bring to a simmer. Cook shrimp until they are pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 5 minutes.
• Discard bay leaves. Season gumbo with salt and pepper to taste.

SEAFOOD GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet or pot over medium high heat. Stir in flour; cooking until smooth and darkened to the color of a penny). Stir in next 11 ingredients (thyme - garlic) and cook until vegetables are tender (about 20-30 minutes -- my okra was still frozen when I added it, so it probably took a bit longer to cook than if I used fresh or thawed okra). Remove from heat and let cook for at least 30 minutes -- I did this part way ahead so mine cooled for over an hour.
• In a large soup pot bring chicken broth, clam juice and reserved shrimp shells (don't forget the shells - they add lots of flavor) to a boil and then cook for 10 minutes or so. Remove shells and discard.
• Stir in vegetable mixture into broth and cook until thickened over medium heat.
• Stir in tomatoes, seafood (oysters - shrimp) and simmer 20-30 minutes -- but this can be kept warm over very low heat (I kept mine warm for over an hour and it was wonderful).
• Serve over rice and sprinkle with green onions, if desired.

GOOD NEW ORLEANS CREOLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make a roux by whisking the flour and 3/4 cup bacon drippings together in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat to form a smooth mixture. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a rich mahogany brown color. This can take 20 to 30 minutes; watch heat carefully and whisk constantly or roux will burn. Remove from heat; continue whisking until mixture stops cooking.
• Place the celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped. Stir the vegetables into the roux, and mix in the sausage. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook until vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Bring the water and beef bouillon cubes to a boil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Stir until the bouillon cubes dissolve, and whisk the roux mixture into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer, and mix in the sugar, salt, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, thyme, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Simmer the soup over low heat for 1 hour; mix in 2 teaspoons of file gumbo powder at the 45-minute mark.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a skillet, and cook the okra with vinegar over medium heat for 15 minutes; remove okra with slotted spoon, and stir into the simmering gumbo. Mix in crabmeat, shrimp, and Worcestershire sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, 45 more minutes. Just before serving, stir in 2 more teaspoons of file gumbo powder.

SHRIMP AND OYSTER GUMBO, BOURBON STREET STYLE

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil. When the pan is hot, stir in flour using a hard plastic spatula to begin preparation of the roux.
• While preparing the roux, heat a pot of water with a teaspoon of sugar in it until it boils. Add corn and heat until bubbling again, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Remove corn from water. When cool, cut kernels off the cob and set aside.
• Also while preparing the roux, heat seafood stock on low heat with shrimp shells and tails and any liquids that were retained from the oysters. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat when the roux is ready. Strain the shells and any other particles from the stock and set aside.
• Continue stirring and turning over the roux until the color resembles chocolate, about 30 minutes.
• Add the shallots, celery, and bell peppers, cooking for 5 minutes, stirring into the roux to ensure that every part is coated. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pan and move the vegetables around so all of them have an equal amount of time on the bottom of the pot.
• Add the tomatoes, garlic, and chili peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, scraping and stirring as in the previous step.
• Stir in the stock, corn kernels, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and Old Bay. Bring the liquid up to a boil, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
• While the stock is cooking, break the sausage into small pieces and cook in a separate pan until browned. Remove from pan and place on paper towel, but leave the rendered fat in the pan.
• Using the pan with the rendered fat, cook shrimp and oysters together with file powder on medium heat until cooked through, flipping over after a few minutes.
• Fold the shrimp, oysters, and sausage into the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add water, increasing or decreasing to achieve desired consistency. Remove from the heat. Remove bay leaves and discard.
• To assemble, ladle the gumbo into a bowl with rice.