Reprise~New Orleans Seafood Gumbo

Chari at Happy To Design is hosting a blogging party, Sunday Favorites. It is a repost of one of your favorite blog posts and this particular recipe is one of our family's favorites. Next week is one of  my son's 38th birthday and for our family celebration I decided to prepare this delicious recipe which is just chocked full of scrumptious Gulf Seafood.
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Most all Southerners have a good Seafood Gumbo in their cooking repertoire especially if you have roots in New Orleans as I do. Today I am sharing a favorite recipe that I found many years ago, tweaked from my head as I remember the way my Dad prepared it and also learning a thing or two as a result of being a big fan of Emeril's. Unfortunately,  my Dad never wrote down a recipe. I was, however, fortunate that he had these amazing family recipes in his head  and after watching him many times as a child put together such recipes as Seafood Gumbo, Crab Jambalya using whole crabs in the pot (that was an art in itself), Chicken and Oyster Gumbo, and Shrimp Etoffee, I had a good sense of how to prepare some of these wonderful dishes. I was very fortunate to have a legacy with both of my parents having a love for preparing good food. My Dad who prepared Southern and New Orleans cuisine and my mother who had this passion for preparing French cuisine.

Today I will share our family favorite for Seafood Gumbo.

Seafood Gumbo

1/4 cup oil

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups onions, chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup celery, diced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon chicken base

3 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/3 cup dried parsley

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/2 teaspoon caynne pepper

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic, basil and oregano

4 cups sliced Cajun-style fresh link sausage

4 cups cut okra (fresh or frozen)

2 cups oysters and liquor

1 pound crabmeat

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fresh peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed

3 cups bay scallops

File' powder (optional)

In a large pot (at least a 6 quart pot) combine oil and flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the roux has browned to a medium chocolate color. Add onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add chicken broth and chicken base, stirring as you go. Add water, bay leaves, thyme, basil, parsley, lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and tomatoes. Cut sausage into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to pot along with okra. Cover pot and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add oysters, crabmeat, shrimp and scallops. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings, S&P. Serve over hot buttered rice. Sprinkle file powder on top of bowl.

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The key to any good gumbo is the roux. Here I have shown my roux but this gumbo requires that it be slightly darker.

The vegetables should be sauted until the onions are clear but not burned.

We are so fortunate to be able to enjoy the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico and our area was not affected by the oil spill. Seafood Gumbo is a very easy dish to prepare but it is necessary to stay with it and stir often but soooooooooo worth the effort. It is quite simply delicious.

I personally don't care for gumbo file' but in New Orleans no gumbo is served without gumbo file'. A couple of notes I want to mention, do not add gumbo filet' to the pot because it acts as a thickening agent and is only used as a garnish after it is served. One other tip, if I don't happen to have a good homemade chicken stock in my freezer I always use Kitchen Basics. I have found it to be the BEST.

If you try this traditional New Orleans favorite you won't be disappointed.

Always served over hot buttered rice, I usually pare it with my favorite cornbread, a side salad and a good glass of your favorite red wine, well, it just doesn't get any better than that. Enjoy!