Southern Favorites: Seafood Gumbo
D and I just took a weekend trip to North Carolina, and between that trip and the research I am doing on cheap Southern restaurants, I can’t get Southern comfort food out of my head. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Southern comfort food? Such a phrase triggers thoughts of country ham, sausage gravy, fried catfish, and of course, biscuits. Not the healthiest food line up, eh? Well, there are some southern comfort dishes that will soothe both your emotions and your stomach- no Pepcid or Tums required. Foods that come to mind are platters of whole grilled fish, bowls of steaming slow-cooked collard greens, jars of tart blackberry jam, and the dish I’ve listed a recipe for below, seafood gumbo.
Often when diners think of gumbo, they think of heavy, sausage-ladden, rice scattered bowls of soupy stew strewn with a host of other indistinguishable ingredients. Sure it tastes good, but what am I tasting exactly?, I think to myself. Its brown, chunky, and leaden, but yet, addictive. The addictiveness, I realized, comes from two elements: the slight heat from cayenne pepper, and the simple yet elusive fact that every bite tastes different from the last. Knowing the two must-have components of this dish, I set out to create a lighter, more “transparent” version of the dish, where upon eating it, stomachs are satiated, minds are calmed, and mouths are tingled. Say goodbye to murky gumbos, and welcome this soul warming stew into your one-pot recipe repertoire. Enjoy : )
Seafood Gumbo
Makes 6 main course portions (with rice), or 10 small starter portions (with or without rice).
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup flour
1 stalk celery, small dice
1 small onion, small dice
1/2 green bell pepper, small dice
1/2 lb okra, fresh or frozen, sliced thinly, crosswise
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 large can crushed or diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
cayenne pepper, to taste (about 1 tsp)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb of turbot, sea bass, halibut, monkfish, or another firm, white fish. Really, any fish but sole or salmon, would be nice.
salt and pepper
Method
1. Put a large soup pot over medium heat and add oil, then flour. Whisk to combine, and let cook, very slowly, stirring often, for about 25-30 minutes, or until it turns a dark, toasted brown. You’re creating what’s known as a dark roux. Meanwhile, cut the vegetables.
2. Add celery, onion, and green pepper to the dark roux, and stir occasionally until the onion bits look translucent. Add tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes, until incorporated into the vegetables and slightly darker red.
3. Add tomatoes, and scrape up any bits of fond sticking to the bottom of the pot. The moisture from the tomatoes will help loosen them. Stir in chicken stock, okra, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, covered with a tight-fitting lid.
4. When it’s 15 minutes to serving time, add fish, taking care to fully submerge every piece, and cover. When it’s 10 minutes to serving time, add shrimp, fully submerge, and cover again. Once fish and shrimp are fully cooked, serve in large heated bowls over centered mounds of rice. Enjoy!
-M : )
