Gift givers can choose from 60 themed baskets for which items to be included are purchased, with suggestions for creating most baskets at budget levels.
Serve this over rice, garnished with chopped green onions.
Serves 8
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package Gumbo Mix (recipe follows)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
6 cups water
2 pounds mixed shellfish (shrimp, crabmeat, scallops, clams, oysters, or crayfish), cleaned and shelled
In an 8-quart stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the Gumbo Mix. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring with a wire whisk, until dark amber.
Add the onion, bell peppei and celery and continue to cook, stirnng, for 2 minutes.
Lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes more, then add the water Whisk the gumbo and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. (If you plan to serve it later, remove it from the heat and refrigerate. When ready to serve, bring back to a boil over high heat.)
Bring the gumbo back to a boil over high heat and add the shellfish. Reduce the heat and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until the shellfish is just cooked through. (Shrimp should turn pink, scallops should he opaque, and the shells of clams or oysters should he open.)
Remove from the heat and skim any fat from the top. Remove the bay leaf and serve.
Gumbo Mix Makes about 7/8 cup
Gumbo is a simple one-pot dinner that can be prepared with your choice of seafood. To accompany it, include two cups of long-grain rice.
