Emeril’s Classic Seafood Gumbo

Main Course

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Potluck, William and Morrow Publishers.

Serves 10 to 12 (three quarts)

Ingredients: 
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups finely chopped onions
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • One 12-ounce bottle amber beer
  • 6 cups shrimp stock*
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 pound gumbo crabs* (about 2)
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 pound white fish fillets, such as catfish, grouper, snapper, or sole
  • 1 tablespoon Emeril's Original Essence
  • 2 cups shucked oysters with their liquor
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup chopped tender green onion tops
  • Cooked white rice, for serving

Chef's note: Gumbo crabs are simply blue crabs that are used to flavor soups, stews, and gumbos in Louisiana. They are typically the smallest crabs in the catch, graded “gumbo crabs” because they are not large enough to command the highest price in a fisherman’s catch. That said, any fresh or frozen blue crabs can be substituted for gumbo crabs.

 

Emeril’s Classic Seafood Gumbo

Emeril’s Classic Seafood Gumbo

Click image to enlarge
Method: 

Place an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, and add the oil. Allow the oil to heat for about 5 minutes, then add the flour to the pot. Stir the oil and flour together with a wooden spoon to form a roux. Continue to stir the roux for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the color of milk chocolate. Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery to the roux and stir to blend. Stir the vegetables for 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds before adding the beer and shrimp stock to the pot. Season the gumbo with the thyme, bay leaves, gumbo crabs, Worcestershire, salt, and cayenne. Bring the gumbo to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer the gumbo for 1 hour, skimming the foam and any oil that rises to the surface.

Season both the shrimp and the catfish with 1½ teaspoons Essence. Stir the shrimp and fish into the gumbo and cook for 2 minutes. Add the oysters to the pot and cook, stirring often, for an additional 5 minutes. Taste the gumbo and season if necessary.

Garnish with the parsley and green onions and serve in shallow bowls over white rice.

 

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