Shrimp Gumbo Recipe

Make sure you use good San Marzano tomatoes.

Mine is almost identical to that above...pretty mouthwatering stuff. Sausage doesnt hurt to put in there.

MD, thanks for putting it in a standard recipe format. It's going in the collection.

I boil the shrimp heads to get all dat fat out the head, makes a huge difference using that for a stock. Just my opinion but chicken, sausage, okra or any other kind of abomination doesn’t belong in shrimp/seafood gumbo

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I'm not a big fan of any gumbos mixing seafood and meat, but shrimp and okra is a pretty classic gumbo.

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I'm with you. Just last night I brought 3 gallons of chicken/sausage/okra gumbo to a friends bar in N.O. for the City Cup Dart Finals where 8 teams in 4 different divisions were competing for the finals. It went over very well with the spicy potato salad and rice to go with it.


As for a seafood based gumbo, I never add any meat that isn't seafood to it. My go-to seafood gumbo has gumbo crabs, shrimp, bay scallops, oysters and chunks of a firm fish at the very end as the main meat ingredients.

It's not a cheap gumbo to make, but it is a very well liked one.

The dish that gets a lot of thumbs up from friends is my crawfish bisque. I made a big batch this spring with 180 stuffed heads and 3 gallons of the bisque gravy. That stuff is like gold.

I don't use a written recipe but I can offer some tips:

1. Fry the shrimp shells in a couple tablespoons of oil until they're all bright pink before you start your stock. It'll bring out more flavor.

2. Cook down your okra until ALL the slime is gone.

3. With seafood, the darker the roux the better.

4. Cook the base the day before and refrigerate it overnight to allow the flavors to meld. Next day, slowly bring it up to a boil and then drop your seafood in right before serving so that it won't overcook.

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I don't use a roux when I make a shrimp/seafood gumbo

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Its not gumbo without a roux. And I second the no tomatoes, sausage or chicken in shrimp gumbo. Okra is ok.

I saw the episode of John Folse's show Hooks, Lies and Alibis on which this gumbo was made. Different areas of the state make gumbo differently. This lady cooked the heck out of the shrimp. I don't like the texture of mushy fall apart shrimp. However, it's common in certain areas of the state. Hungryone can tell you about that.

LINK


SHRIMP FILÉ GUMBO


Prep Time: 1½ Hours
Yields: 12 Servings

Comment:
Janie Luster of the Houma nation is not only a great historian helping to preserve her culture, but also she, like her parents before, is a great cook. The Native Americans in her area made gumbo using filé powder, the ground leaves of the sassafras tree, as the thickening agent. Today, gumbos are made with dark brown roux, which, in addition to thickening, gives the soup color and flavor. Although gumbo with no roux may sound strange to us today, you will find this version to be exceptional.

Ingredients:
3 pounds (50–60 count) fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 tbsps filé powder or ground sassafras leaves, divided
3 tbsps vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped mixed red, yellow and green bell peppers
2 tbsps minced garlic
3 quarts water or shellfish stock
½ cup sliced green onion tops
¼ cup chopped parsley
salt and black pepper to taste
granulated garlic to taste

Method:
In a large cast iron pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook 5–10 minutes or until wilted and golden brown around outer edges, stirring occasionally. Do not over-brown. Add shrimp, blending well into onion mixture. Add 2 tablespoons filé powder and stir constantly for 12–15 minutes or until shrimp are well-cooked and reddish pink. It is important to achieve color on the shrimp otherwise the shrimp flavor will be missing from the dish. Add celery, bell peppers, minced garlic and 2 additional tablespoons filé powder. Cook 3–5 minutes then add 3 quarts water or stock. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions and parsley and season to taste using salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Bring mixture to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons filé powder, immediately turn off heat and blend well. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve gumbo over cooked white rice with an additional sprinkle of filé as a garnish.

Recipe Submitted by Janie Verret Luster, Theriot, La.

We were at the darts finals last night. The gumbo, as always, was outstanding. We must have gotten there after you left. Did you use the okra from your garden? Next time you make the bisque, let me know.