Seafood Gumbo
This Seafood Gumbo recipe tastes just how it should be. It tastes like something you would grab at a tiny family owned restaurant: authentic as possible. I don’t skimp on the shrimp, oysters, and crabmeat either. And the broth is very flavorful and spiced up beginning with a classic roux. I realize that gumbo can be a little intimidating to try but I’m ready to hold your hand every step of the way making sure your seafood gumbo comes out perfect.
I’ve written in the past about growing up in Texas and discovering Southern recipes — like Hoppin’ John — that bore a striking resemblance to the Nigerian dishes I was used to eating at home. Hands-down, the dish that most immediately revealed its African antecedents to me was seafood gumbo. I tried it for the first time at a restaurant as a pre-teen, and I was shocked at how much it reminded me of the seafood okra soup that my mom made all the time. The heftiness, the slip of the okra, and the abundance of delicious seafood.
I have grown into quite the gumbo connoisseur since that early foray, and this seafood gumbo is one of my favorite dishes to cook when it’s chilly outside. It’s comfort food on every level. It’s warm and filling, it’s full of a variety of seafood and different vegetables, and it makes for the most delicious leftovers — the flavors build up beautifully over the next few days.
Because seafood can be a bit pricey, this is more of a special-occasion dish for me, but when an occasion arises, or the seafood aisle has some good deals going on, this gumbo feels like a real celebration. That being said, I often make more economical versions like classic Cajun gumbo or this vegetarian gumbo by chef Omar Tate.
Gumbo is one of those foods that it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint one “authentic” recipe for. There are so many different variations and versions of gumbo across the South, and they all represent the people and the places where they’re made. In my version of seafood gumbo, I keep things pretty close to what would usually be referred to as Creole gumbo, with a dark roux, tomato paste, and a variety of seafood.
In my opinion, the most important answer is rice. Preferably long-grain, but I’m not picky. In addition to rice, my usual go-to sides for seafood gumbo are cornbread and a heaping of collard greens.
The simplest way to put it is that gumbo is a thick, roux-based stew that is often served with rice, and jambalaya involves a stew that is cooked with rice.
INGREDIENTS
5 cloves garlic
1 medium yellow onion
2 large stalks celery
1 large green bell pepper
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 32-ounce) carton low-sodium seafood stock or chicken stock (4 cups)
1 (11 to 12-ounce) bottle or can light beer
2 tablespoons gumbo filé or or filé powder
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 medium lemon
1 habanero pepper (optional)
12 ounces fresh or frozen okra
8 to 10 ounces crab meat (claw and lump)
8 ounces shucked oysters or bay scallops
1 pound peeled and deveined medium raw shrimp (41 to 50 per pound), thawed if frozen
1/2 medium bunch scallions
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Crystal
White rice