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Seafood Filé Gumbo

Seafood Filé Gumbo

Category: Gumbos, Soups, and Bisques

Serving Size: 20

Ingredients

  • 2 cups canola oil

  • 1 cups All Purpose flour

  • 1 quart onions, small dice

  • 1 pint celery, small dice

  • 1 pint red bell peppers, small dice

  • 1 pint green bell peppers, small dice

  • 1cup chopped garlic

  • 1 pound okra, sliced into ¼ slices

  • 5 pounds Andouille, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4in thick

  • 1 teaspoon filé powder

  • 1 quart diced tomatoes

  • 3 gallons crab stock or shrimp stock (recipe follows)

  • 1/3 cup kosher salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon Creole spice

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 2 pounds jumbo lump crabmeat

  • 40 fresh shucked oysters

  • 2 pounds (21/25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • 1/2 cup Crystal hot sauce

Instructions

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and slowly whisk in flour. 



Keep whisking constantly until color is mahogany brown being careful not to burn. 



Add Andouille, onions, celery, red peppers, green peppers, garlic, okra, and stir carefully until vegetables cook through about 5 minutes.



Add tomatoes, creole spice, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, salt, and crab stock and bring to a simmer.



Simmer for 1 hour skimming away any oil or impurities that come to the surface.



Add Crabmeat, shrimp, oysters, and hot sauce and bring back to a simmer for 3 minutes before serving.



Serve with 2 tablespoons steamed basmati rice and chopped scallions for garnish.


Crab Or Shrimp Stock

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds crab bodies or shrimp shells

  • 1 onion, peeled

  • 1 head garlic, cut in half

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

  • 3 gallons cold water

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a large stockpot and bring to a simmer for 1 hour skimming away any impurities that come to the surface.


Basmati Rice

Ingredients

  • Makes: 1 Quart

  • 1 pound basmati rice

  • 24 ounces water 

Instructions

Using a strainer, rinse the rice under cold, running water.



Place the rice in a large bowlful of cold water, and let it soak for 30 minutes to an hour. You can skip this step, but it helps make softer rice.



If you've been soaking the rice, drain it well.



Transfer it to the saucepot with a pinch of salt.



Boil water in a kettle or pot, measure out 3 cups of boiling water and pour over the rice.



Set the pot over medium-high heat.



When the water starts boiling and steaming again, cover the pot tightly with aluminum foil, crimping the edges around the rim of the pot (so that no steam escapes), and then place the lid on top.



Turn down the heat to just above it's lowest setting and let the rice cook for 15 minutes undisturbed.



After 15 minutes, remove the pot from heat.



With the lid still on, let the rice steam another 5 minutes.



Uncover the rice, fluff it up with a fork and serve.


Cooking Measurements


1 cup = 250 ml = 16 Tablespoons

1/2 cup = 125 ml = 8 Tablespoons

1/3 cup = 83 ml = 5.3 Tablespoons

1/4 cup = 62 ml = 4 Tablespoons

1 Pinch = 1/8 Teaspoon

" Ralph Brennan Named 'Power 20' as one of the 20 most influential restaurant people in the country by Restaurant Business Magazine "

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