Ultimate Gulf Coast Gumbo
This ultimate gumbo recipe is filled with shrimp, crab, chicken, sausage, vegetables, and Cajun spices. Serve it over rice with garlic bread and a cold beer. Be sure to have salt, red pepper flakes, and additional filé powder on the table.
Ingredient
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4 pounds medium shrimp
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2 quarts water
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½ cup corn oil
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½ cup all-purpose flour
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1 cup chicken broth
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1 cup water
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1 (3 pound) whole chicken
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5 large tomatoes, chopped
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2 medium onions, chopped
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5 stalks celery, chopped
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1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
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4 cloves garlic, minced
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2 tablespoons seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay®)
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1 tablespoon salt
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1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper
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2 bay leaves
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3 (6 ounce) cans crabmeat, drained
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1 pound andouille sausage, diced
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2 tablespoons filé powder
Direction
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Peel and devein shrimp. Place shrimp into a bowl; cover and refrigerate until needed. Place shrimp heads and shells into a large pot.
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Pour 2 quarts water into the pot, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat until liquid is reduced by half. Strain out and discard shrimp heads and shells. Reserve shrimp broth.
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Heat oil in a very large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add flour; cook and stir with a long-handled spoon until dark brown and flour puffs and starts to absorb oil, 10 to 15 minutes. Slowly stir in chicken broth and 1 cup water. Place chicken into the pot; add tomatoes, onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, seafood seasoning, salt, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
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Remove chicken from the pot and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove and discard bones; chop meat into 1-inch pieces.
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Return chopped chicken to the pot, along with reserved shrimp broth, crabmeat, sausage, shrimp, and filé powder; stir from the bottom of the pot to combine. Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat.
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Stir gumbo from the bottom for 1 minute. Remove bay leaves and serve.
