Wanted: GUMBO RECIPE

[Five4Fighting]

Calling all you southern (or southern in heart) SFCers. I am on the hunt for a good ol' spicy gumbo recipe. Any help you can all give me would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Capt_John]

Not only am I a southern boy,but I love to make Gumbo. My grandma taught me years ago because she got tired of making it and I was the only one she trusted to make it right. Here's the recipe I know. Might not be the same as everyone else's,but that's why I like Gumbo. I always see it done a different way.

Ingredients: for a big pot of Gumbo

Meat:
1 pack of Pender's smoked sausage
1/2 pack of bacon
1 whole chicken
3 pounds of 21/25 count shrimp (fresh...heads on)
3 pounds of white meat fish filleted and cut in small chunks (mahi,trout,flounder,etc.)
1/2 doz. live blue crabs
Heads of fish you're using/shrimp heads

Veggies:
1 big produce section bag of okra...fresh (can't be Gumbo w/o okra)....West African word for okra......GUMBO
2 vidalia sweet onions
Large can of crushed tomatoes
1 Bay leaf
Big bag of rice

Other ingredients:
Box of Old Bay seasoning
garlic salt
Texas Pete Hot sauce
lemon juice
1 bottle of beer
ketchup

First thing you do is prepare the chicken and bacon. Cut up bacon and sautee in the bottom of the pot until cooked,but not crispy. Then fill pot 1/2 way with tap water and bring to a boil. Cut up chicken and put in boiling bacon water until chicken is cooked almost all the way(usually 15-20 minutes). Pull pot off of burner and remove chicken. Pull the meat off the bones and leave chicken meat to the side and throw bones away.
Next take another med. pot and prepare fish heads and crabs. I take a brand new chum bag...no kidding and put the fish heads/shrimp heads in it. Make sure they have no scales. Boil maybe 2 cups of water and add beer and chum bag w/ heads in it. Add a couple of teaspoons of Old Bay to water and remove bag and throw away after about 10 minutes. Take crabs and remove the outer shell. Clean gills and guts,then snap them in half. Let them boil for 2 minutes then remove and place aside. You've just made an old style fish stock.
Next, take a skillet and cook sausage over med. high heat after slicing it in 1/2 inch pieces. Once sausage is cooked remove sausage from skillet and dice onions and sautee onions in sausage grease w/ some garlic salt until soft. Once the onions are done,add sausage back to skillet and remove from heat.
Now comes the best part, take the big pot and put it back on med. high heat. Add chicken meat,sausage and onion mixture,and 4 more tablespoons of Old Bay and a Bay leaf. Now add the fish stock to the large pot. When stock is hot,not boiling add the fish,lemon juice,a couple of squirts of ketchup,and hot sauce to taste.
Then add the crabs and shrimp(shells on or off). Turn heat down to low and cook rice in another pot. That's it.
Serve w/rice in a big bowl w/ hot cornbread and lots of cold beer. ENJOY!

Of course...like any other soup.....always better the next day.

[matey8941]

Not only am I a southern boy,but I love to make Gumbo. My grandma taught me years ago because she got tired of making it and I was the only one she trusted to make it right. Here's the recipe I know. Might not be the same as everyone else's,but that's why I like Gumbo. I always see it done a different way.

Ingredients: for a big pot of Gumbo

Meat:
1 pack of Pender's smoked sausage
1/2 pack of bacon
1 whole chicken
3 pounds of 21/25 count shrimp (fresh...heads on)
3 pounds of white meat fish filleted and cut in small chunks (mahi,trout,flounder,etc.)
1/2 doz. live blue crabs
Heads of fish you're using/shrimp heads

Veggies:
1 big produce section bag of okra...fresh (can't be Gumbo w/o okra)....West African word for okra......GUMBO
2 vidalia sweet onions
Large can of crushed tomatoes
1 Bay leaf
Big bag of rice

Other ingredients:
Box of Old Bay seasoning
garlic salt
Texas Pete Hot sauce
lemon juice
1 bottle of beer
ketchup

First thing you do is prepare the chicken and bacon. Cut up bacon and sautee in the bottom of the pot until cooked,but not crispy. Then fill pot 1/2 way with tap water and bring to a boil. Cut up chicken and put in boiling bacon water until chicken is cooked almost all the way(usually 15-20 minutes). Pull pot off of burner and remove chicken. Pull the meat off the bones and leave chicken meat to the side and throw bones away.
Next take another med. pot and prepare fish heads and crabs. I take a brand new chum bag...no kidding and put the fish heads/shrimp heads in it. Make sure they have no scales. Boil maybe 2 cups of water and add beer and chum bag w/ heads in it. Add a couple of teaspoons of Old Bay to water and remove bag and throw away after about 10 minutes. Take crabs and remove the outer shell. Clean gills and guts,then snap them in half. Let them boil for 2 minutes then remove and place aside. You've just made an old style fish stock.
Next, take a skillet and cook sausage over med. high heat after slicing it in 1/2 inch pieces. Once sausage is cooked remove sausage from skillet and dice onions and sautee onions in sausage grease w/ some garlic salt until soft. Once the onions are done,add sausage back to skillet and remove from heat.
Now comes the best part, take the big pot and put it back on med. high heat. Add chicken meat,sausage and onion mixture,and 4 more tablespoons of Old Bay and a Bay leaf. Now add the fish stock to the large pot. When stock is hot,not boiling add the fish,lemon juice,a couple of squirts of ketchup,and hot sauce to taste.
Then add the crabs and shrimp(shells on or off). Turn heat down to low and cook rice in another pot. That's it.
Serve w/rice in a big bowl w/ hot cornbread and lots of cold beer. ENJOY!

Of course...like any other soup.....always better the next day.

sounds amazing

[flatbottom]

john I was with ya until the fish heads part



sounds good man ! The printer is warming up



Did he say fish heads....where is that video ?

[gradywhite273]

flat , when are you making this ???? ill be down, got to find some crawdads to go with it.

[Capt_John]

john I was with ya until the fish heads part



sounds good man ! The printer is warming up



Did he say fish heads....where is that video ?

You boil the fish heads....like I said,make sure they have no scales just to flavor the water. Then throw them away. The head and cheek meat,not to mention everything else has great flavor.

[Capt_John]

I forgot to add in my original post how to add the okra. You have to wash the okra and slice them up in 1/4 inch pieces. Sautee them in a little sausage grease and add to the pot around the same time you add the sausage. or you can add the okra slices at the same time you sutee the onions.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMM......can't wait until Fall. Just doesn't seem as good cooking Gumbo in the heat. But damn good after a long day on the water in the Fall or Winter.

[flatbottom]

Ok John !
I will give this fine Gumbo a shot. It truly does sound great !

I have had mustard from de crabs ... so this should be a whistle ! cooking heads.....

Grady this is a feast....you bring the hot sauce........KICK it up a NOTCH

[WAHOONBOX]

john I was with ya until the fish heads part



sounds good man ! The printer is warming up



Did he say fish heads....where is that video ?

NOW THERE IS TWO PARTS TO MY REPLY HERE....FIRST.......CAPT JOHN.....YOU HAVE LAID IT OUT HERE..I WAS GOING TO ANSWER HERE BUT NO NEED TO! I TIP MY RIGGERS TO THIS ONE!


NOW ON TO MY SECOND THOUGHT OF THE NIGHT


FLATBOTTOM...............YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME...... RIGHT?

YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT A STICKIN LITTLE FISH HEAD???? DUDE...I AM AN EYE WITNESS AS TO WHAT YOU WILL EAT!!! CRANCK THIS ONE UP....VENICE LA CRAB ...FLAT' STYLE
http://www.wahoonbox.com/videos/MUSTARD1A.wmv

OH YEAH...CAPT D IS THE MASTER AT SKINING DA CRABS!!!

[flatbottom]

he he he .. ..
marty I guess if I ate the mustard offf of a crabs ass, the fish heads are a walk on the dock

what was really on that knife blade capt. D ?

gumbo in the pot sounds like a winner !

thanks for the time warp Marty !!!!!