Bart's First Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1 stick Andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1 large onion chopped
• About 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• About 1 cup celery sliced thin
• 8 oz can mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pound salad shrimp - peeled and deveined, no tails
• Pkg crab meat - 6 oz
• ¾ pound fresh Catfish filets, cut in small chunks
• 1/2 jar roux (8 ozs)
• 3 cans chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Cajun-style seasoning
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• file powder

Directions:

In a medium skillet, brown the sausage over medium heat. Remove from pan, and drain on paper towels to remove some of the fat. Discard fat in pan.

In a large heavy pan, heat chicken broth and stir in roux. Bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Quickly add the sausage, onion, green onion tops, green pepper, celery, parsley, and garlic. Cook over low heat until the vegetables are wilted, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in spices and up to 2 cups water if necessary. Bring mixture to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 45 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasoning.

Add shrimp and crab meat to gumbo; cook for about 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves. Serve gumbo in deep bowls (over rice if you like). Sprinkle file powder over individual servings, and stir in.

Except when I am baking, I sort of guesstimate most measurements so none of these were exact. I ended up adding more Louisiana hot sauce, Cajun-style seasoning and cayenne pepper than listed in the recipe. It had a nice bite but I did not want to make it so hot it overpowered the seafood. When I make chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo I will probably throw in a Habanera pepper as well. 

It came out really nice for my first try. I’m not sure how it would rate with the local experts but I thought it was better than some I’ve had down here. It made about three meal servings for me so about eight to ten normal servings as a side dish. 

FOOTNOTE:

File powder is a seasoning made from the ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree. It's an integral part of Creole cooking, and is used to thicken and flavor Gumbos and other Creole dishes. File should be stirred into each bowl after it's removed from the heat because undue cooking makes file tough and stringy.