Recipe courtesy of Randy Buck

Seafood and Fried Okra Gumbo

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 12 servings
  • Total: 3 hr 20 min
  • Prep: 35 min
  • Cook: 2 hr 45 min
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Ingredients

3 1/2 quarts fish stock

2 ounces chopped garlic

5 bay leaves

5 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cups dark brown roux, recipe follows

1/2 cup file powder, dissolved in water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

1/2 bunch celery, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

2 Creole tomatoes, seeded and diced

3/4 pound crawfish tails

1 pound medium shrimp

3/4 pound backfin crabmeat

Salt and pepper

Cayenne pepper

Fried Okra, recipe follows

Roux:

1 cup margarine, melted

1 cup all-purpose flour

Fried Okra:

Vegetable oil, for frying

3 eggs

1 cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

2 cups Cajun corn flour

2 cups okra, chopped

Directions

  1. In a 2-gallon saucepot, combine fish stock, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Add roux and allow to thicken. Reduce heat and simmer slowly. Add dissolved file powder and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming frequently.
  2. In separate saucepot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, peppers, and tomatoes, and saute until tender. Add seafood and cook for another 10 minutes, being cautious not to overcook. Add this mixture to the gumbo base and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste.
  3. Ladle into bowls and top each with 3 or 4 pieces of fried okra.

Roux:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Pour melted margarine into a baking pan, and mix in flour evenly. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a dark brown color.

Fried Okra:

  1. Fill a large, heavy pot halfway full with oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix eggs and water in a bowl. Put flour in a separate bowl. Put corn flour in a separate bowl. Dip okra in flour, then eggs, and then corn flour. Carefully add okra to oil and deep fry for 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Let's Get Cooking!

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yamahaologist

This is the BEST gumbo I ever ate! I halved the recipe but followed it almost exactly besides that; I put the holy trinity in the food processor after cooking it and then added it to the gumbo, used frozen cut okra which I added directly to the soup, and increased the seafood amounts just because I could:)- I highly recommend this recipe! 5 STARS

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