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O.T. Seafood gumbo

J Appledog
J Appledog Posts: 1,046
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I am serving gumbo for 20 on Sunday. 8 of us have birthdays next week; 2 were this week & 2 are the following week. The rest are significant others. [p]Does anyone have a good gumbo recipe they'd be willing to share? I have a lot of shrimp & Spanish chorizo.[p]Thanks! Julie

Comments

  • LOG
    LOG Posts: 85
    J Appledog,
    Get the Stumps recipe, best I've ever had. I don't know if he has it written down or just stored in that extra large cranium. It's worth draggin out of him.
    Good luck,
    Jeff

  • J Appledog
    J Appledog Posts: 1,046
    LOG, I see what I can do. Thanks! JCA

  • RhumAndJerk
    RhumAndJerk Posts: 1,506
    J Appledog,
    You need a recipe for Gumbo!?! You? Really??
    I send you what I have when I get a chance.
    RhumAndJerk

  • J Appledog
    J Appledog Posts: 1,046
    RhumAndJerk,
    I have been as sick as the proverbial dog for a week. I can't find my All-Cajun recipes (remember Bruci's Blend) and haven't made gumbo in years. Any inspiration would be appreciated. Somehow I'm sure it will end up with a Caribbean twist.... Julie

  • JSlot
    JSlot Posts: 1,218
    Stump must post this recipe!!!!![p]Jim
  • JSlot
    JSlot Posts: 1,218
    I made this last week, Julie, and it was fantastic. I followed the recipe to the letter.[p]Jim
    [ul][li]Shrimp and Oyster Gumbo (Tyler Florence/Food 911)[/ul]
  • RhumAndJerk
    RhumAndJerk Posts: 1,506
    JSlot,
    I read somewhere that when making Gumbo with oysters, that you should not use tomatoes as the acid in the tomatoes would cuase the oysters to go rancid.[p]Any truth?
    I am asking becuse I do not know.
    R&J

  • jwitheld
    jwitheld Posts: 284
    LinkPhoto?GUID=77f63b21-7256-5345-45ea-1b576c91656c&size=sm
    <p />J Appledog,
    just one of seveal methods.
    this one utilizes a roux to thicken which may be used with okra or filet. okra and filet shouldnt be used together but it has been done. there are as many gumbos as there are gandmas.

  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 441
    J Appledog, Here is a seafood gumbo recipe that I used as a base and modified to fit my tastes. Also easy to increase volume as I made in for a group of 18 this past Feb 21 neighbor Mardi Gras party. [p]Modifications:
    * Made roux with peanut oil & flour (not butter) and cooked it (about one hour) until it looked like milk chocolate (not peanut butter)
    * Used a combination of Knorr fish bullion (1/3 of the stock) and Superior Touch Better Than Bullion lobster base (2/3 of the stock)
    * added 1 pound of okra just after I cooked the the onion, green pepper & celery
    * doubled the amount of fresh crab (used special) not lump or leg
    * used redfish as the fish fillet of choice
    * seasoned with Tony Chachers (green can) cajun/creole seasoning - probably two table spoons
    * added a pound of andouille sausage
    * added a pound of crawfish[p]I have made this in the past and I never had the great results that I had the last time I cooked it. I think the lobster and fish bullion makes all the difference in the world. The andouille adds a smokey flavor without being overwhelming. Several guests (food lovin & eatin folks) commented that is was better than they get in Nawlins! It's a keeper! Good luck with whatever recipe you try. Joe[p]

    [ul][li]Seafood Gumbo[/ul]
  • JSlot
    JSlot Posts: 1,218
    Never heard that, Mike. Of course, if leftovers were around too long, that might be the case. This recipe didn't leave any leftovers for more than a day in this house! LOL. The oysters and shrimp are added at the end anyway, so I know it can't be an issue at that point. It was damn good, I know that.[p]Jim
  • J Appledog
    J Appledog Posts: 1,046
    You win, Smokin Joe; I can get the Knorr fish bouillion AND the lobster base! And I made the roux today. I'm going to go with file instead of the okra - it's winter in Michigan and even oysters are a hard sell here.[p]Thanks to all! Julie
  • LOG,[p]Well..if you really want it. It's definitely not your traditional gumbo, I make it with little pork balls instead of sausage..and I don't use any oprah either, although there's nothing stopping you from throwing it in there if it tickles your fancy. Now I should point out that I never measure anything..ever..unless I'm baking..which I don't do a lot of unless it's around holiday time...and I don't even have this resipe written down. Log was right...it's inside my giant cranium...but I'll see if I can get it all out here...[p]
    Ingredients.[p]2 cans chicken broth (not the low fat)
    1 lg. can tomatoe sauce (29oz I think)
    3 tbs old bay seasoning
    2 medium yellow onions (or one large)
    1 pound sea scallops (they're expensive, but well worth it)
    1 pound uncooked shrimp shells/tails removed, deveined etc.
    3 stalks celery
    1 green bell pepper
    1 yellow bell pepper (optional)
    3 cloves garlic minced
    2 tsp parsley (dried is OK, but fresh is better)
    1 cup white rice
    4 tbs olive oil
    1 pound ground pork
    1 cup bread crumbs (regular..not italian)
    1 egg
    1-1/2 cup water[p]cayenne pepper or ground black pepper to taste.[p][p]Take a piece of the celery, about 2 inches long, and finely chop it. Do the same with a quarter of the small onion, or a thick slice of the large onion. In a large stock pot, put in 3tbs olive oil, 1 tbs old bay, most of the garlic (reserving a little for the meatballs), most of the chopped onion (reserving a little for the meatballs), celery. Saute this till the onion is translucent (3-4 minutes), then dump in both cans of chicken stock plus 3 more cans worth of water, half the can of tomatoe sauce, and parsley, and bring up to a simmer.[p]While this is coming up to a simmer, start making the meatballs. In a small bowl, add egg, rest of the chopped onion, 2 tbs of the tomatoe sauce, 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs old bay. Stir until all mixed together, then add the pound of ground pork, and mix the majeebers out of it till it's all nicely combined. Now add the cup of bread crumbs, and mix it all again, till the bread is well mixed in throughout. Form little meatballs from this, about the size of a nickel, but definitely no bigger than a quarter (spoon size is what you want). When these are all formed, drop them into the pot, and let them simmer for a good hour or so, up to an hour and a half.[p]While that is simmering, chop the remainding celery and onion, and the peppers into 1/2 big pieces and set aside, keeping them apart (I put them into the pot at seperate times).[p]Prepare the shrimp and scallops. Most of the time, the big sea scallops have some kind of muscle attached to the side of them. You want to remove that, because it can be real tough. If needed, devein, and peel the shrimp, and remove the tail. Now, it's up to you what you want to do with the seafood in terms of chopping them or not. Depending on the size of the shrimp(I tend to get medium size) I may just leave them whole...but most of the time, I end up cutting the shrimp in half, and the scallops in quarters if they're big. I have little ones, so I don't leave the seafood whole (yes, they love the gumbo) and I tend to think that they taste better if they're cut up, at least the scallops, because they soak up more of the juice, the shrimp..it probably doesn't matter that much one way or the other. Set these aside.[p]Prepare the rice, following the manufacturs suggestions...except instead of all water, use some of the liquid from the pot. I tend to use 1-1/2 cups of water, and the rest of the liquid (to bring it up to 2 cups worth) from the pot. This will impart some of the flavor into the rice while it cooks. A note about the rice. I like to cook rice in the microwave, folowing the instructions on the box, it's easy, and it always comes out perfect. For this recipe, I don't cook the rice all the way, stopping just short, becuase it will finish cooking in the pot at the end. I usually stop it 3 minutes short if microwaving it, or 5 minutes short if preparing on the stove top. Now another note is that you could just cook the rice right in the pot, but that too me is tricky, because it tends to soak up a lot of the liquid and can get mushy quick,if you let it sit in there too long. If you're comfortable timing it right, so that the rice is done at the same time as all the other things in that pot (and so it won't cook waaay too long while the other things finish up) then go ahead and cook it in there.[p]Now, after that pot has been simmering for an hour/an hour and a half or so, dump in the chopped celery, the shrimp and the scallops, wait 10 minutes, then dump in the chopped onion. Let this simmer 5 more minutes, and stir in the rice, then 5 more minutes and drop in the chopped peppers. Cover, and simmer for 15 more minutes or so, stirring once or twice. If you don't have enough liquid, add some water so it's not too thick, the rice will absorb a little of the liquid as it finishes cooking, if it's too watery, you can add some more of the tomatoe sauce. After the 15 minutes are up, test it to see if it needs any more of that old bay, it usually does. If so, add the last tbs, and let it go another 5 minutes.[p]As you can see, I don't fuss too much over the darned thing. The trick is to time the cook so that the vegetables are done at about the same time, which is why I staggerd the celery, onion, and pepper. You don't want real mushy peppers, and I usually just end up tasting it at the end, and adding more spice if need be, more old bay (careful though, it could be too salty) or cayenne, or ground black pepper. I never add salt, because I think you get enough saltiness from the old bay seasoning. If it needs to be thickened, you can use a rue (sp) from equal parts flour and melted butter, and slowly stir that in..shouldn't need it though.[p]That's it I think. You can do a lot with it, wish I had pictures, everybody that has tasted it really liked it, even if it isn't traditional gumbo. I've used sausages instead of the pork balls too, and that's fine, except I wouldn't simmer them for that hour and a half (that's to cook the pork balls and get the flavors melded together). If you use sausages, slice them at an angle about quarter inch think, sautee them with the vegetables, then let them simmer for only half hour or so before continuing.[p]Hope you understand all that, I usually wing it with the spices, although this is darned close. (the meatball amounts are right on, I always use a basic 1-1-1 ratio for them, 1 pound of meat, 1 egg, 1 cup of bread crumbs, plus a couple tbs of liquid and a tbs of old bay). I serve it in a big ol bowl..with some kinda crusty bread.[p]If anybody is keeping count, that's my 6th serious post in almost 2 years..and it sure hurt typing it all out..and not slipping in some silly nonsense....[p]StumpBaby[p]

  • JSlot
    JSlot Posts: 1,218
    Thanks, Paul!! That sounds great. I'm gonna give it a try in a week or two. Give the Log and the rest of your clan my best regards!![p]Jim
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 441
    J Appledog,
    Great! So how did it turn out? Joe