Oso
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Seafood Gumbo
OK, so this is from "Baja Arkansas"  but it could work in BC (although file
powder may be hard to find). This comes from my all-time favorite Coonass (Doug Kershaw is #2), Justin -pronounced Zhoo Stán- Wilson:
cut okra (indeterminate amount- whatever you pick)
2 large onions chopped fine
1 medium bell pepper, chopped fine
1 large clove garlic, chopped fine
4 cups sauterne wine [good luck- use driest white you can find]
2 lbs. shrimp, shelled
1 pt. crabmeat
1 pt. drained oysters
4 cups water
1/2 tsp. Tabasco (or 1 tsp. Louisiana or other hot sauce)
2 tbsp. Worcestershire
4 tsp. salt
filé [good luck- this is powdered sassafras leaf. Thankfully it's optional]
First you make a roux*. Sauté the okra seperately. Add onion and bell pepper to the roux and cook until both are clear or soft. Add wine, garlic,
and the rest of the ingredients. (never add garlic until there is some juice or liquid).
Cook over a low fire for 2 or more hours. When you serve, sprinkle some filé powder over rice before putting gumbo over it.
*Roux
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
olive oil
Cover the bottom of a heavy pot with olive oil. After the olive oil is well heated over a low fire, add the flour. Cook the flour very slowly,
stirring almost constantly. (about 45 minutes) The flour must be browned to a very dark brown, almost black, but not burned.
[A true Baja-time attitude helps here. You can't be in a hurry.]
Bon apetit!
[Edited on 8-24-2007 by Oso]
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Hook
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FILé.............as in FILé gumbo?
Is THAT what Hank is saying in the song Jambalaya? I always thought it was "fillet gumbo" as in fish fillet.
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bajajudy
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Oso
I used to watch Justin every now and then out in his backyard cooking up something or other...great recipe
Hey BTW, I got the okra if you got all the other stuff!
Hook
You are correct file gumbo is the spice mixture that is used in gumbo and jambalaya. It would be hard to find here
Just found this:
Gumbo file powder is a necessity for cooking authentic Cajun cuisine. Quite simply, gumbo file powder is the powdered leaves of the sassafras tree.
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Dave
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AAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEE!
| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
FILé.............as in FILé gumbo?
Is THAT what Hank is saying in the song Jambalaya? I always thought it was "fillet gumbo" as in fish fillet. |
Don't think Hank knew what he was singing, but.... yeah. Song was written by Moon Mullican, a Coonass from Texas and the best honky-tonk
piano player ever. (Professor Longhair stole from Moon.)
Oso, have to disagree with your pronunskiation.
It's Jewstann.
My brother from another mother. 
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tripledigitken
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that Justin was (is?) a character. The show as I remember was filmed at his house, and it was a palace. Maybe he was cooking up moonshine too! 
Loved his pronunciation of onion.
own.....junnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
good by joe, we gotta go me oh my oh.....................
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Dave
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Don't think so
| Quote: | Originally posted by Oso
it could work in BC (although file powder may be hard to find). |
Sasafras isn't uncommon here. There's a herb/spice store in TJ's central market that will have it. Amazing place. They have everything...If...you know
what to ask for.
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Cypress
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Oso. Thanks for the recipe.  Some recipes call for a couple sticks of chopped
celery, tomatoes, and some chopped smoked link-type sausage.
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Oso
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I stand corrected. Filé comes from the leaves, not the roots which are used for sassafras tea. The shoots were used for homemade root beer, which
was slightly alcoholic. The modern soda is all artificial.
Yes Hook, the song refers to FEElay Gumbo. This is essentially a variety of gumbo that uses filé for a thickener in the gumbo itself (not just
sprinlkled on the rice) and may not contain either okra or roux. All three are thickeners and make the essential difference between gumbo and soup.
Cajuns sometimes combine two or all three. Creoles rarely use more than one. Also, Creoles prefer a lighter roux.
I don't know why "Jewstann" left celery out of this particular recipe. Usually, 99% of Cajun recipes use the "holy trinity" of onion, bell pepper and
celery. Also, I'm not sure sausage goes with seafood but one can make gumbo with chicken, nutria, roadkill etc. Wilson was never very strict with
his recipes. He loved to demonstrate that the amount of salt he poured into his palm was, indeed, exactly a teaspoon or tablespoon and his advice
regarding the "right" wine to serve with fish, poultry or beef was always the same: "Da kine you LIKE!"
If you can get it, the best sausage for Cajun cuisine is Andouille, "Awn Dewey".
If you can find filé, go easy on it and add at the end of the cooking process. A little goes a long way and too much will make the dish bitter.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Oso
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RIP
I really miss the guy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Wilson_(chef)
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Oso
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WTF? I don't know why the URL was cut short and we ended up with the Brit racer. You may have to copy and paste to read about "Jewstann".
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Oso
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Oh, one mo ting. As with nopales, the slime is an acquired taste with okra. But you can minimize or eliminate it by slicing the okra with a very
sharp knife, being careful not to crush it. That way it stays inside the segment and is not so noticeable.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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