a seafood gumbo

While I have made gumbo before. It was more of a winking it - kind of Cajun inspired cooking if you will. Yesterday was the first time that I sat down stood up and seriously made a big batch.

I have this Real Cajun cook book by Donald Link for quite some time now and only quite recently I started to reading it. It has become one of my favorite cookbook. As I read it I am so surprised how Mr. Link's approach to cooking is so similar to mine. He makes no fuss about the ingredients. For example, when it comes to using paprika, he said just use what you have. If you have smoke paprika, use it. If you have Turkish paprika, use it. It does not matter which kind of paprika you use. When it comes to herbs, he would tell you you don't necessarily have to use fresh herb. Dried herb is just fine, just add a bit more.

With some recipes that I haven't read, surprisingly when I cooking with my intuition, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my improvisations have been quite close. A case in point is the barbecue oyster that I recreated by sight and taste. I like cook books that the author always share his/her personal, often childhood, or young adulthood, experience, or a history of the dish. As I learnt more about Cajun and Creole cooking I recognize that are so much similarities to my ways of thinking in cooking. Most interestingly these two cuisine has a lot of rice based dishes, as well as having scallions as the most frequently used ingredients (it is not a herb).

there are a number of gumbo recipes

When I set out to shop for the ingredients for a seafood gumbo, the only firm requirement is getting some fresh okra. Never use frozen okra. Ask me why I know. I was in a pinch for some once and I went to my nearby supermarket hoping to find some (I was not optimistic). Sure enough they didn't have any but the clerk said they have frozen ones. I grudgingly settle for a very over-priced bag. Well the results is I might just as well didn't add any.

By where I live one place that I likely to find fresh okra is Winco. I go there from time to time because they have Hispanic vegetable. I have often see okra there so I went there after dropping by Costco to pick up some microbrew beer, bagels, Turbo Tax, and virgin olive oil. When I visit Costco, I always check to see any seafood worth buying. More often I don't buy any. Well this time good I check. They have Washington mussels for $.99 a pound. Super bargain. I thought I can sure make gumbo with them, so I picked up the smallest package that comes to about 4.5 pounds.

Next stop Winco for some okra. To my lousy luck they don't have any. I picked up only few things and 3 pounds of American wild prawns. Winco has the best price on American wild prawns if you find them. The price can be high and low, so I would buy a lot when the price is good and if they are decent.

Disappointed I went to An Dong Market to do my weekly shopping. An Dong sometimes has okra but I wasn't counting on it in the death of winter. What do you know? An Dong has okra! I picked up two packs and I was very happy.

even though i have no plan of a dish that uses uni; seeing them so big i couldn't resist but to buy one

i really out-did myself on this trip - a lot of good items with excellent prices

could not pass up on this pummelo 柚子; this one was grew in california

i roughly follow this Super Bowl Sunday Seafood Gumbo and the Fried Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Having bought and cooked with gulf shrimps during my road trip to Louisiana I have been thinking about how to get them with head on. I do most of my seafood shopping at Asian seafood stores. Except the occasional live Pacific shrimps I never buy frozen shrimps from them because they are all farmed shrimps (farmed shrimps are very destructive for native ecosystem and habitats). However I notice very often the ones with head on looks different. Often they look distinctly resemble the gulf shrimps I bought in Louisiana. I have asked my Asian fish monger the origins of shimps countless times to no avail. She either being deliberately coy or evasive. Have shop there for over 2 decades I no longer shop at that store. I now go to her competitor (OM Seafood) down the road who are much nicer.

While at OM Seafood, I saw these head on shrimps again. I asked the Chinese owner lady if these are farmed, and she shook her head violently. I asked if she know where they are from and she mumbled Miami. I thought strange, as I was expecting Louisiana or its adjacent Gulf states. I have been able to resolve many food provenance question in carefully observing the shipping containers at the vendors. I would continue to keep an eye on these shrimps hoping they are US gulf shrimps.

I took one of the head on shrimps to bring home for closer examination. I also bought 3 pounds of headless US wild shrimps from Winco.

the head on shrimp of unknown provenance - i am suspecting it is gulf shrimp

headless US wild shrimps

i peel about 1 pound for used in the gumbo

As I peeled the single head on shrimp I compared its appearance to the US wild shrimps and they looks incredible similar in appearance. The strips on the body has similar pattern down to the concentration of the small dots. Also the pinkish and black tail fins.

the peeled head on unknown shrimp (top most) and the peeled US wild shrimps

i used about 3 pounds of these Pacific mussel (at scant $0.99 a pound) for the gumbo; there are also oysters and their water that I freshly shucked

i brown the shrimp shells before making a thin broth (only wished there are heads)

i used about 2 1/2 pounds of the clams

I would have picked up some crabs had OM Seafood have blue crabs but they didn't. The dungeness crabs were a bit expensive. I would like some crayfish but there is none.

there are about 1.25 pound of okra - note the slimy residues left on the knife

in all i made about 2 1/2 gallons of this delicious seafood gumbo

there is about 1/2 pounds of my homemade andouille sausages; glad i invested in this giant stock pot long ago

i tasted as i cooked and the gumbo has no lack of flavor and spiciness; i was concerned it might be too hot and i was reluctant to put the this last bit of paprika and chile pepper powder; it went into the pot anyway

Actually I made a smaller batch to add to the big batch. I did this because the gumbo was a bit thin to my liking. In the second small batch I made up more dark roux and used up the remaining okra. I also added a lot of shellfishes and andouille sausage

the finished mini batch that I would add to the big first batch and mix; i also subsequently removed all the clam and mussel shells

the result is a sounding success

a second helping

a snack for the late evening - korean steel spoon is the best gumbo spoon because of its thinness to scoop out the last drop

a super-size-me heaping bowl for a greedy man

 i love to have a lot of chopped scallions

They said gumbo is better the second day or later and that is so true. Here is one for breakfast the next day.

a hearty and healthy breakfast - and yes gumbo tastes much better the next day; i cooked the rice in the morning to go with the gumbo

This batch of gumbo taste batter than the two occasions of gumbo I tasted while in Louisiana. If someone serve me this, I would think there is MSG added.