Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Shrimp Gumbo


Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces vegetable oil
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 pounds raw, whole, head-on medium-sized (31-50 count) shrimp
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced green peppers
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon file powder

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.
  • While the roux is baking, de-head, peel and devein the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a bowl and set in the refrigerator. Place the heads and shells in a 4-quart saucepan along with the 2 quarts of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until the liquid has reduced to 1-quart. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid into a container, discarding the solids.
  • Once the roux is done, carefully remove it from the oven and set over medium-high heat. Gently add the onions, celery, green peppers and garlic and cook, moving constantly for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Gradually add the shrimp broth while whisking continually. Decrease the heat to low, cover and cook for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the shrimp and stir to combine. Add the file powder while stirring constantly. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes prior to serving. Serve over rice.



Note: Recipe taken from Alton Brown's Good Eats gumbo recipe. I choose to make my roux on the stove top, with lots of stirring until the roux turns dark copper color.  
I also sometimes add 1/2 pound of Andouille sausages, browned on the greased skillet and added to gumbo together with the shrimp.

18 comments:

  1. Mmmm I've been craving some gumbo and this looks just perfect! Thanks for this great recipe.

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    1. Looks like a great recipe but you can make a dark roux in 10 minutes the Paul P way. Saves you having to run an oven. Super hot pan or pot and stir stir stir and off the heat when desired color is reached.

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  2. I love gumbo, especially with the addition of andouille sausage! Beautiful photos =)

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    1. Most of the time I add Andouille in my gumbo, because my older son does not like shrimp for the reasons I don't know.

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  3. As the great 18th century gastronome Guy de Fleur once said (before savoring the mushrooms that no one in an un-inebriated state should savor), "There are three true, glorious pleasures known to man: A swift and mighty horse. Shrimp Gumbo with sauteed peppers and a pinch of cayenne. And...er...well...that other thing you do with a girl..."

    Awesome post. And delicious pics!

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    1. Guy de Fleur was a great gastronomer in his time, that can only be rivaled by my 9 year-old son who once asked, "Is there shrimp in this shrimp gumbo?", and "Hmm, this is good! I love Italian food!" (while eating Gumbo).

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  4. What a delicious and welcoming dish and luv how you topped it and served with rice. Beautifully presented - I can taste it already! :)

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    1. Feel free to try it.... *sending virtual gumbo your way*...

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  5. Beautiful post and recipe too! Love your photos...very appealing and tempting! nicely done! Have a wonderful day!!

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  6. This sounds delicious and looks even better!! Gorgeous photos! :)

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  7. Thank you. I'll trade you a bowl with that yummy pasta with coda sauce of yours :)

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    1. I mean vodka sauce (no thanks to my auto correct!)

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  8. That actually looks like a decent gumbo recipe. I see so many people posting gumbo recipes that don't look like any gumbo I've ever seen in south Louisiana.

    If you want to enrich the flavor even more, there are a few things you can do.

    1) Either make shrimp stock with the heads and peels of the shrimp or buy some seafood stock (Kitchen Basics makes a decent one). Use that instead of water.

    2) Stir a tablespoon or two of tomato paste into it. To taste, but not too much. You don't want it to taste tomato-y. You just want enough to deepen the flavor of the broth.

    3) Stir a tablespoon or two of Worcestershire sauce into it (same as above, not too much).

    4) Season with liquid crab boil seasoning (Zatarain's).

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    1. Hey, thanks for the suggestions. I appreciate it ;)

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