In the Kitch: Shrimp & Lobster Gumbo

Now that the cooler--who am I kidding, I mean COLDER temperatures are among us, it usually inspires me to make more "comfort" kind of foods.  Things like stews, soups, chili, etc., are great for warming us up during the winter months.  Last week, I'd decided to make a gumbo.  There are many variations and types of gumbos that one can make.  I chose to make a gumbo using some frozen lobster that my grandmother-in-law had left at my house from her last visit here.  I decided to use The Neelys "Nana's Chicken Gumbo" recipe that I'd made before and just substitute the chicken with the lobster.  The first time I'd made it exactly as the recipe called for--me and my husband thought that the chicken wasn't all that great, that it would be better to keep it all seafood.  So that's what I did this time around.

Nana's Chicken & Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients:

    * 1/2 cup vegetable oil
    * 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    * 1 celery stalk, chopped
    * 1 yellow onion, chopped
    * 1 green bell pepper, chopped
    * 2 cloves garlic
    * 8 cups chicken stock
    * 1/4 cup ketchup
    * 2 large tomato, diced
    * 1 pound sliced okra
    * 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
    * 1 pound lump crabmeat
    * 1 pound large shrimp
    * 1/2 lemon, juiced
    * Dash hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
    * Dash Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

In a heavy Dutch oven, heat oil. Add the flour and stir and cook until the mixture darkens to a brown color, about the shade of peanut butter. Add the celery, onion, green bell pepper and garlic and saute until tender.

Whisk in chicken stock, add the ketchup, chopped tomato, and okra. Let simmer for 2 1/2 hours. About 10 minutes before serving time add cooked chicken, crabmeat and shrimp and simmer. Add lemon juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire.

If you're not into chopping veggies, this is not the meal for you.

onion * celery * green pepper * okra

tomato * garlic

flour and oil--cook until the color of peanut butter.

added chicken stock, ketchup and all of the veggies

thawed shrimp and lobster meat

toss in the meat and cook for 5 more minutes

Serve over rice.  Voila!

Whomever you serve this to will worship the ground you walk on.

Tips & Mods


- I didn't use crabmeat

- I used lobster instead of chicken.  Feel free to use any variation of seafood as you wish.  The last time I made this, I used chicken, shrimp & scallops.

- Go ahead and use full strength chicken stock.  I'd bought low sodium, no MSG chicken stock and my gumbo was tasting VERY bland.  I ended up adding more seasoning (2 chicken bouillon cubes) so I ended up with the sodium and MSG anyway. lol

- I didn't do this, but next time I will.  Add a little chopped habanero pepper--Bahamians call it goat pepper, Jamaicans call it scotch bonnet.  Whatever the case, gumbo is great if it has a little bit a kick.

- No need to cook it for 2.5 hours.  I think around 2 hours is enough.  Also, put your seafood in at the last 5 MINUTES.  Overcooked shrimp/lobster/scallops becomes rubbery!  Even after you turn off the stove, it will continue to cook some as the gumbo will still be very hot.

- Oh, and I used a bit more ketchup than the recipe called for--just a bit.

Hope you all enjoy!