Seafood and Sausage Gumbo (New Orleans Creole)

Native of New Orleans, Lolis Eric Elie, an American writer, journalist, filmmaker and food historian, shares the authentic Creole gumbo recipe as it was made in his family. Adapted from Smithsonian Magazine, this gumbo is made with crabs, shrimp and various types of sausage. With no tomatoes added, the dish has a lovely brown colour, while the right consistency is acquired by using okra, file, and roux.

5 qts water
1 dozen fresh crabs, raw, boiled or steamed
2 lbs medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined (reserve the shells and heads to make seafood stock)
2 lbs smoked sausage, cut into 1" rounds (1 lb each of two different sausages is optimal)
¾ lb Creole hot sausage, cut into 1" rounds
2 lbs okra, cut into rounds
½ cup + 2 Tbsp., vegetable oil
½ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 bunch green onions, tops and bottoms, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb crab meat, picked and cleaned of shells and cartilage
2 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
4 bay leaves
4 Tbsp. filé powder
kosher salt
black pepper, freshly ground

To Serve:
6 cups steamed white rice

Clean the crabs by removing the lungs, heart, and glands so that only the parts of the shell containing meat, including legs, swimmers, and claws, remain. Refrigerate the meaty parts and transfer the discarded parts into a 6 or 8 qt stockpot to which you also add the shrimp heads, shells and 5 qts of water, then bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 30 minutes. When done, remove from heat.

In a skillet cook the sausages in batches, turn them occasionally until they are slightly brown, and most of the fat has rendered. Before each new batch of sausage remove the excess fat from the skillet. Place the cooked sausage aside on a plate lined with a paper towel in order they drain. Once you finish with cooking of all the sausage, wipe all the excess oil from the skillet but do not remove any bits of sausage stuck to the bottom of the skillet.

Next, heat in the skillet 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil over medium heat and add to it okra. Cook okra on medium heat for 45 minutes while frequently stirring until slightly brown and dried.

While the okra is cooking, to make the roux, heat ½ cup of vegetable oil in a 12 qt stockpot over medium heat. When hot, add to it ½ cup of flour slowly Tbsp. by Tbsp. while constantly stirring until all the flour has been added and the roux becomes medium brown, at about 10-15 minutes.

Add the onions to the roux while constantly stirring until they have softened, then add the garlic, celery, parsley, green onions and bell pepper.

Filter the seafood stock to a large stockpot, then add the browned sausage and bay leaves. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, then reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking. Add to it the cooked okra, then cook for another 60 minutes. Proceed by adding the crab and shrimp that you've set aside and cook for 15 minutes more.

Remove from heat and stir in the Creole seasoning and file powder, then leave to rest for 15-20 minutes. As gumbo cools oil forms on top that needs to be skimmed off with a ladle or a large spoon and discarded.

Stir in the crab meat and then check the taste; if need be, add more salt and pepper. To serve, ladle gumbo over steamed rice.

Makes 12 servings.