New Orleans Lagniappe

You can't live in New Orleans for any period of time (I lived there for 2 1/2 years) and not walk away without taking a little Cajun or a little Creole with you. Can't explain it but there is something very deep and magical about that city. The city's culture is rich like no other. And the food there is rich too. There's nothing better than a big bowl of real New Orleans gumbo. I say real because "real" gumbo starts with a good roux. I'm not talking about that tomato-based faux gumbo that a lot of restaurants serve. Not to say that a good gumbo can't have tomatos in it. But you don't make a really good gumbo using tomato stock as the base.

This recipe for Seafood Gumbo is an Emeril Lagasse recipe I found on Foodnetwork.com. I made it recently for the annual Pisces Birthday Party. This year we had a fish chowder/soup cook off. Remember I'm the reigning Pisces Birthday Party Chili Cook Off Champion. Well, unfortunately my gumbo did not win the contest but it is still my favorite. I added tomatos and okra and it turned out really good.

Seafood Gumbo
1 batch of light roux, recipe follows
3 quarts of seafood stock
1 pound - 35 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound lump crabmeat
2 dozen shucked oysters, liquid reserved
1 pound crab claw meat
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
2 cups steamed rice
File powder to taste

In a large cast iron pot, heat the light rouz. Season onions, celery, and green peppers with 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 2 teaspooons salt. Add to the roux and cook for 5 minutes, or unitl the vegetables are wilted. Add the crab claw meat and the seafood stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add shrimp, oysters, green onions and parsley. Cook for 5 minutes. Add lump crabmeat and season the gumbo to taste. Add the file powder to your liking and thickness. Serve over steamed rice.

Roux
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil
In a black iron skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat until it registers approximately 300 degrees on a deep fryer thermometer. Using a wire whisk, slowly add the flour, stirring constantly until the roux is nutty colored. At this point, the roux is ideal for thickening a light seafood gumbo. Continue to cook this roux over medium heat and you will begin to see it change in color, getting darker and more aromatic. Make sure you constantly stir it so it doesn't burn.