In New Orleans, no dish is more emblematic of the city's culinary heritage than shrimp and oyster gumbo. This hearty, flavorful stew is a perfect blend of the city's diverse culinary influences, combining African, French, and Spanish flavors. The traditional recipe uses shrimp and oysters, but it is not uncommon to find variations that include other seafood, such as crab or crawfish. No matter what ingredients you use, the key to a great gumbo is a rich, flavorful roux. This is made by slowly cooking flour in oil until it reaches a dark brown color. The roux is then added to a pot of stock, along with the seafood, vegetables, and spices. The gumbo is simmered until the seafood is cooked through and the flavors have melded together.
Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!
SHRIMP AND OYSTER GUMBO, BOURBON STREET STYLE
I recently returned from a visit to New Orleans, so I can say definitively that this tasted like the ones I had there. While there are different ways to prepare a gumbo, this one is all about the roux. NOTE: the file powder doesn't have any substitute, but this is still a very good gumbo without it. The fried shrimp on top of the gumbo is cornmeal-battered, and is not part of this recipe.
Provided by Late Night Gourmet
Categories Cajun
Time 1h30m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil. When the pan is hot, stir in flour using a hard plastic spatula to begin preparation of the roux.
- While preparing the roux, heat a pot of water with a teaspoon of sugar in it until it boils. Add corn and heat until bubbling again, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Remove corn from water. When cool, cut kernels off the cob and set aside.
- Also while preparing the roux, heat seafood stock on low heat with shrimp shells and tails and any liquids that were retained from the oysters. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat when the roux is ready. Strain the shells and any other particles from the stock and set aside.
- Continue stirring and turning over the roux until the color resembles chocolate, about 30 minutes.
- Add the shallots, celery, and bell peppers, cooking for 5 minutes, stirring into the roux to ensure that every part is coated. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pan and move the vegetables around so all of them have an equal amount of time on the bottom of the pot.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, and chili peppers and cook for about 5 minutes, scraping and stirring as in the previous step.
- Stir in the stock, corn kernels, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and Old Bay. Bring the liquid up to a boil, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
- While the stock is cooking, break the sausage into small pieces and cook in a separate pan until browned. Remove from pan and place on paper towel, but leave the rendered fat in the pan.
- Using the pan with the rendered fat, cook shrimp and oysters together with file powder on medium heat until cooked through, flipping over after a few minutes.
- Fold the shrimp, oysters, and sausage into the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add water, increasing or decreasing to achieve desired consistency. Remove from the heat. Remove bay leaves and discard.
- To assemble, ladle the gumbo into a bowl with rice.
SHRIMP AND OYSTER GUMBO WITH OKRA
Steps:
- To make the shrimp stock: Peel the shrimp, and toss the heads and shells into a large stock pot; refrigerate the peeled shrimp until ready to cook in the gumbo. Add the crab, onion, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne, Old Bay, and lemons to the pot. Cover with 2 1/2 quarts of cold water. Allow the liquid to slowly come to a boil, and then lower the heat. Gently simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Strain the stock into a heatproof container or another pot to remove the chunky solids; at this point you should have about 2 quarts of flavorful broth to use in the gumbo. Cool until needed.
- To make the gumbo, you must start with a roux base: Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot. Just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps - it may lock-up like cake frosting but just keep stirring through it. Cook the roux until it's the color of a walnut and smells equally as nutty, this should take about 15 minutes.
- Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and okra (if it ain't got okra, it ain't gumbo!); season with salt, cayenne, and Old Bay. Mix in the tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are soft. Pour in the cooled shrimp stock and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gumbo is dark and thick. Toss in the shrimp and oysters, cook about another 15 minutes; adjust seasoning.
- To serve: Ladle the gumbo into shallow bowls and pile some rice in the center. Sprinkle the parsley and green onions over the top. Pass the French bread and hot sauce at the table.
SHRIMP, CRAB, AND OYSTER GUMBO
Steps:
- Make stock:
- In a 9 1/2-to 10-quart heavy kettle simmer stock ingredients, uncovered, 30 minutes. Transfer crab legs with tongs to a work surface and cool until they can be handles. Simmer stock 15 minutes more and pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl. Return stock to kettle and keep warm, partially covered.
- Cut open crab shells with shears and remove meat, discarding shells and cartilage. Cut king crab meat into bite-size pieces and transfer to a small bowl.
- In a heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) cook oil and flour over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a flat-edged metal or wooden spatula, until roux od the dark reddish-brown color of chestnut shells, about 45 minutes. (Alternatively, make Microwave Brown Roux , and transfer to skillet.) Roux may be made 1 week ahead, cooled completely, and chilled, covered, in a glass or stainless-steel bowl. Reheat roux in skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, before proceeding. Add onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened.
- Add roux mixture by large spoonfuls to hot stock, stirring well after each addition, and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer gumbo, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in king crab meat, lump crab meat, and oysters with their reserved liquor and simmer, stirring occasionally, until edges of oysters begin to curl, about 2 minutes. Stir in scallions, cayenne, and salt to taste. Gumbo may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, uncovered, and chilled, covered.
- Serve gumbo ladled over rice in large soup plates.
OYSTER AND SHRIMP GUMBO
Make and share this Oyster and Shrimp Gumbo recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Vino Girl
Categories Gumbo
Time 30m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- In large saucepan, over medium heat, combine soup, tomatoes, milk, rice and Italian seasoning.
- Stir until all ingredients are well blended and soup is smooth.
- Cook 10 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in shrimp and oysters.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
CREOLE SAUSAGE, SHRIMP, AND OYSTER GUMBO
Sausage in a gumbo usually means smoked sausage. Sometimes Louisiana smoked ham, called tasso, is also added or is used in place of the sausage. A roux (a mixture of flour and fat) is the traditional thickener, usually augmented with filé powder (ground dried sassafras leaves) or okra. In keeping with today's taste for lighter fare, I swap the smoked sausage and/or ham for my homemade sausage and eliminate the roux. The okra alone does the thickening, and the step of soaking the okra pods in a salt-and-vinegar bath before adding them to the pot ensures they won't be overly viscous. It is important to use dried herbs and canned tomatoes to produce the distinguishing flavors of this dish from a cuisine built around preserved goods. Make sure the okra is fresh, however. I like to use shrimp in the shell because they enrich the broth. That does make for somewhat messy eating, however. If you want to save your guests the trouble of peeling their own shrimp, remove the shells and simmer them in 1 cup of the broth, then strain the liquid into the pot when adding the remainder of the broth. Shell-on shrimp are easy enough to devein, if it's necessary to do so, by simply cutting through the shell along the back of each shrimp with a sharp paring knife.
Yield serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- In a medium bowl, toss together the okra, vinegar, and salt. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté until well wilted but not browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the bay leaf, thyme, oregano, cayenne, and tomatoes. Add the broth, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer and cook for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
- While the broth simmers, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the sausage balls on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. As each batch is finished, transfer the balls to the simmering broth mixture.
- When all the balls have been added, rinse the okra and add it to the pot. Continue simmering for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and the oysters and their liquor, cover the pot, and remove from the heat. Let stand until the shrimp are barely pink and the oysters are slightly plump, about 5 minutes.
- Serve right away, accompanied with the corn bread.
HUSBAND'S GRANDMOTHER'S SHRIMP GUMBO
My husband's grandmother taught me this recipe. She actually cooked for Cajun festivals. She used 40-gallon trash cans for her stock pots. People would line up for this authentic Cajun specialty. This recipe serves eight but multiplies well. Serve gumbo over cooked white rice.
Provided by ranch_maven
Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Stews Gumbo Recipes
Time 3h
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, discard the fat in the skillet, and drain the sausage slices on paper towels to absorb any excess grease. Set the sausage aside. Cook and stir the chopped bacon in the skillet until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes, remove the bacon, and set aside. Stir the okra into the hot bacon drippings, and cook and stir until the okra is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the okra in a colander, and discard bacon drippings.
- Place the okra and diced tomatoes in a saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer the okra mixture for about 10 minutes.
- In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion, green onions, green pepper, celery, parsley, and garlic until the onion begins to turn brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables but leave the butter in the pot. Stir in the flour, reduce heat to low, and cook the roux, stirring constantly, until it turns the color of milk chocolate, 30 to 45 minutes. Do not let the roux burn.
- When the roux reaches its correct color, whisk in 2 cups of water. Raise the heat to medium; stir in salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, and bay leaves, bring the mixture to a boil, and stir in the sausage, bacon, okra-tomato mixture, and 6 more cups of water. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer the gumbo, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened and the flavors are blended, about 45 minutes. Stir in the shrimp, and simmer until they turn pink and opaque, 6 to 8 more minutes. Discard bay leaves and adjust the seasonings, if desired, before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 343.5 calories, Carbohydrate 12.6 g, Cholesterol 164.7 mg, Fat 21.8 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 23.9 g, SaturatedFat 9.8 g, Sodium 922 mg, Sugar 2.6 g
Tips:
- Use fresh seafood: The fresher the seafood, the better the gumbo will taste. If you can, try to buy live shrimp and oysters.
- Don't overcook the seafood: Seafood cooks quickly, so be careful not to overcook it. Otherwise, it will become tough and rubbery.
- Use a good quality stock: The stock is the base of the gumbo, so it's important to use a good quality stock. You can use chicken stock, seafood stock, or vegetable stock.
- Don't skimp on the vegetables: The vegetables in the gumbo add flavor and texture. Don't be afraid to use a lot of them.
- Season the gumbo to taste: The gumbo should be well-seasoned, but not too salty. Taste the gumbo as you cook it and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Let the gumbo rest before serving: This will allow the flavors to meld together and develop.
Conclusion:
Shrimp and oyster gumbo is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for a special occasion. It can be made ahead of time and reheated, making it a great option for busy families. With a little planning, you can easily make this classic New Orleans dish at home.
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