How to Make Crawfish File Gumbo

Crawfish Gumbo from Gator's Neo Soul Cafe

One of the most celebrated dishes in Cajun and Creole cuisine, gumbo comes in many incarnations. Every cook has a different variation on this thick, delicious stew. Some crawfish file gumbo recipes call for the addition of salt pork, okra, corn and crab; others consist simply of crawfish, onions, spices, file and stock. The good news is that there's no wrong way to make a gumbo, as long as you follow some basic steps.

Things You'll Need

• Large, heavy pot or Dutch oven
• Spoon
• 1 1/2 cup butter or lard or vegetable oil
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 lb. andouille sausage or Italian sausage or 1/2 lb. bacon, sliced thin (optional)
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 1 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbl. dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 tbl. dried sweet basil
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 tbl. black pepper
• 1 1/2 tbl. white pepper
• 1/2 tbl. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tbl. celery seed
• 1 1/2 tbl. sweet paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes or 3 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 lbs. okra, sliced (optional)
• 10 cups crawfish stock or shrimp stock or chicken stock or water
• 2 lbs. crawfish tails
• 1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb. fresh crabmeat
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup scallions, minced (optional)
• File powder
• 6 cups cooked rice, warm
• Soup bowls

Instructions

1. All good gumbos start with a roux, which is a mixture of flour and oil that is cooked slowly over low heat. Melt the butter or oil in your large pot or Dutch oven. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Continue gently stirring your roux over low heat until it turns dark brown, which will take 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Add your sausage or bacon to the roux and cook until well-browned. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables soften, about eight to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, spices, okra and tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for five minutes, or until the spices begin to release their fragrance.

3. Slowly stir in the stock or water, making sure that it mixes thoroughly with the tomato-roux mixture. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for an hour and a half.

4. Add the seafood and parsley to the pot. Cover and remove from heat. Allow the seafood to simmer gently for five minutes. This will ensure that the seafood is not overcooked. Add salt to taste.

5. Fill the soup bowls halfway with rice, and ladle the gumbo over them. Garnish with scallions and sprinklings of file powder. Serve with hot sauce and additional file powder, if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• File is a powder made from ground sassafras. It's available in spice and other specialty stores. Be patient when cooking your roux. It may take a long time to prepare, but the end result will be worth it. Stir your roux with a whisk, in order to avoid lumps. Homemade stock really enhances the flavor of your gumbo. Gumbo Pages.com has some great recipes for crawfish and shrimp stock.

• If your roux burns, don't use it. Instead, start it again from scratch. A burned roux will ruin the flavor of the entire dish.

References

• Chef Rick.com: Guide to Great Gumbo
• Emerils.com: Mr. Johnis Chorizo and Seafood Gumbo
• Epicurious.com: Seafood Gumbo

Resources

• Group Recipes.com: Southern Crawfish Gumbo Recipe
• Nola Cuisine.com
• Gumbo Pages.com: Stocks