Recipe: The Gumbo Shop's Seafood Okra Gumbo

THE GUMBO SHOP'S SEAFOOD OKRA GUMBO

2 pounds fresh or frozen shrimp, heads on (about 40 to 50 count per pound)
2 small blue crabs, fresh or frozen
3 quarts water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 quart fresh or frozen okra, sliced into rounds
2/3 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
1 can (16 ounces) chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Peel and devein shrimp, cover and set aside in the refrigerator.

Rinse shrimp shells and heads; place in a nonreactive stockpot along with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 to 45 minutes to make a stock. Strain, discard shells and heads and set the stock aside.

Meanwhile, wash crabs well under running water, place in a nonreactive pot with 1 quart of water, bring to a boil and simmer 20 to 30 minutes. Strain, reserving stock and crabs. When the crabs are cool enough to handle, snap off both claws, then break the body in half. Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil, add okra and saute over medium high heat 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

Place 2/3 cup oil in an 8-quart, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add flour and, over a medium high heat, make a roux: Whisk in the flour, making sure it is evenly blended and free of lumps. Continue stirring as the roux cooks and bubbles. As soon as the bubbling stops and the aroma becomes similar to popcorn, the flour is actually frying, and the rate of browning accelerates rapidly. In other words, pay very close attention from this point on. Stir constantly. As soon as the proper color is achieved (for gumbo, dark roux, about the color of chocolate), add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally until tender. During this process, allow the vegetables to stick to the bottom of the pan a bit, then scrape the bottom with a spatula. This allows some of the natural sugars in the onions to caramelize. When the vegetables are tender, add tomatoes, bay leaves, the three peppers and a little salt. Cook 10 minutes, repeating the scrape process with the tomatoes. Add sauteed okra and cook 10 minutes.

Add crab stock and half of the shrimp stock to the pot. Stirring constantly, bring the pot to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If the gumbo appears too thick, add more stock to adjust. Add salt to taste and adjust the pepper if desired. Add broken crabs and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add peeled shrimp, return to a boil and simmer until the shrimp are firm and pink, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from heat.

When reheating, stir often and be careful to avoid overcooking the shrimp. Serve in large bowls over steamed rice.

Makes 6 entrees or 12 appetizers
Source: Gumbo Shop, A New Orleans Restaurant Cookbook by Richard Stewart