Culinary Medicine for the Body, Mind, & Soul
SEAFOOD GUMBO
Serving Size: 10
Makes: 1-2 Cups
Time to Make: 60+ minutes
Good for the Body, Mind, & Soul
Contains Shellfish
SEAFOOD GUMBO
I love a good gumbo and honestly, it's on the healthier side, but you can overindulge on the seafood + crab....plus if you are having this meal on a day #NOLA style, like on Mardi Gras aka Fat Tuesday, having a few drinks, King Cake, and many other soul worthy foods, may make it more of a step into the indulgent and very full belly side of dining. Whatever day you plan to enjoy this dish, get ready to embrace all the lovely flavors (hopefully you grabbed a few extra bags of frozen okra and gumbo file when you saw it to really get the taste going!
INGREDIENTS
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2 Tablespoons Butter
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2 Cups Onions, chopped
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2 Cups Celery, chopped
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2 Cups Bell Peppers, Green, Red, Orange, Yellow, chopped
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3 Tablespoons Gumbo File
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6 Cloves Garlic, minced
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1 Tablespoon Paprika*
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1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano*
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1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme*
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1 teaspoon Cayenne Peppe*r
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Dash Salt (if leaving on shrimp peels and/or using shellfish oysters)
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½ teaspoon Black Pepper*
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2 Bay Leaves
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1 ½ Cups Crushed Tomatoes (canned or fresh)
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1 Cup Tomato Sauce or Vegetable Juice
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4-5 Cups Stock (chicken, seafood or vegetable)
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1 Cup Okra (or 1 frozen bag usually around 10 ounces)
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1 Pound Shrimp (deveined, peeled option—just tell table-mates)
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1 Pound Shucked Oysters/Clams/Mussels (optional)
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½-1 Pound Crabmeat
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5 Cups White Rice, cooked
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*I also have a lovely Creole Recipe that you make ahead of time and use a few tablespoons of this instead
PREPARATION
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Begin to make the rice, making sure to rinse the rice until cold water runs clear to remove any debris and potentially heavy metals.
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In a large stockpot, on medium, melt the butter and add the trinity of vegetables aka onions, celery, and bell peppers. Allow them to release their beautiful volatile oils and soften, about 2-3 minutes.
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Then add the garlic, and spices (gumbo file, cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt** and pepper), stirring throughout the cooking process.
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**If you are keeping the shrimp shells on, add just a dash of salt as the shells will bring a lot of ocean saltiness to the dish.
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Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, stock, and bay leaves, stir and bring to a gentle simmer, you may need to continue to stir to not allow anything to stick to the bottom of the pan.
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Turn down to low heat, when you are close to serving add the crabmeat and stir everything well.
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Then add the okra and rest of the seafood, trying to not layer the seafood if able, cover the stockpot and set timer for 8-10 minutes to steam the shellfish seafood (shrimp, mussels, oysters, etc.)
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Carefully sneak a peek and see if the shells have opened and the shrimp has turned to a white color, if so, remove from heat and plate up. If not, cover the pot back up and return to cooking, allowing the steam to finish cooking the seafood
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When platting, layer first with rice, then top with a nice heaping spoonful of gumbo, making sure there are plenty of veggies and seafood.
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Garnish with fresh thyme, oregano, or even a lemon slice
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Enjoy!
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Welcome to Health-Crush Nutritional Label for this meal. See how it fits into your daily nutritional needs. This meal includes all the ingredients above, so any deviation can alter the nutrition. As always, should you have any questions, please consult with me and/or your medical professional.
