We had a party at our apartment in West Seattle with a bunch of our good friends; our apartment is small, so we had to get cozy to watch as the Broncos beat the Panthers. The gumbo was a big hit; nobody left our house hungry, that's for sure!
Poppy's Seafood Gumbo
Courtesy of Louisiana Eats!: The people, the food, and Their Stories by Poppy TookerIngredients
2 lbs shrimp, shells and heads on
1 onion, chopped, peel reserved
3 stalks celery, copped, tops and bottoms reserved
6-8 green onions, thinly sliced, parings reserved
1 pint oysters
2 lbs okra sliced into 1/4 rounds
1/s cup oil, plus additional for frying
1 cup flour
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 lb gumbo crabs
2 tbsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
Directions
Peel shrimp, reserving heads and shells. Make a stock by combining shrimp heads and peels, onion skins, celery bottoms and tops, and green onion parings in a stock pot. Cover with water in excess of 2 inches over discards and boil for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid.
Drain oysters and reserve oyster liquor; set aside.
Fry okra in very hot oil until lightly browned.
Make a dark roux with the flour and 1/2 cup oil, cooking to the color of milk chocolate. Add copped onions, stirring until the roux darkens to a bittersweet chocolate brown. Add celery and bell pepper. Saute for 5 minutes then add the gumbo crabs, tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, shrimp stock, and oyster liquor. Add garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 45 minutes or longer.
Ten minutes before serving, add shrimp and green onions. Add hot sauce and salt as needed. Serve on top of cooked rice.
