Seafood Gumbo Recipe Needed

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I usually make chicken/sausage (which I'm pretty damn good at now),

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same thing except use shrimp, oysters, crab claws, sausage, and eggs. don't forget the eggs.

I put the gumbo crabs in at the beginning, but none of the other seafood (oysters, shrimp, crab meat) goes in until the last 30 minutes. I also like to use a little of the oyster liquor.

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I'm guessing about 2.5-3qts of water, and the usual carrots, celery, and peppercorns to make the stock?

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You use carrots to make a seafood stock?

First, if you want okra, use it. I'm a purist on seafood gumbo and find that it buries the seafood flavor a good bit, similar to what sausage does if added to seafood gumbo. Seafood flavors are delicate and exceptional in gumbo when not overrun by other flavors.

You can use the measurements for roux, veggies (no carrots) and liquid that you use for your chicken and sausage gumbo.

If you make a good strong stock, you don't need anything but roux, stock and the seafood with some salt and pepper. No herb seasonings are necessary. Garnish with green onions before serving.

I sometimes find that using gumbo crabs makes it a bit sweet for my taste, but I'll use them from time to time when I don't have enough shrimp shells. I generally ask my seafood joint to save me their shells for a few days when they're peeling shrimp. In any event, use the ones from the shrimp you buy for the gumbo.

Seafood stock don't need anything, really, but the shells and they don't need to simmer until the end of the universe. I simmmer longer if using crabs or crab claws/legs, but a good hour simmer for both crabs and shells is enough. Strain and then reduce it until it tastes strong enough for your taste. In my experience, it takes far more shrimp shells than it does the amount of shrimp that you use in the gumbo, so use of the gumbo crabs in addition to the shells works unless you have a good amount of shrimp shells. I don't season the water for seafood stock in any way. No need because I'll season my gumbo the way I want it to taste. It's not the same as making a chicken stock.

If you're using oysters, you may want to add some oyster liquor to the gumbo about 20 minutes before serving and let that simmer. Add all of your seafood in the last 5 minutes or so. You don't want leather seafood. Crabs are already cooked and the meat will shred and separate if overdone. I use jumbo lump and claw. Claw is the dark meat of crabs and has the flavor. I prefer jumbo lump so I can get a good bite of crab rather than little pieces of it floating around which is what white is. Backfin is okay and better than white in my opinion because it's a little bigger.

This is KEY: Seafood gumbo doesn't reheat well because shrimp and oysters will overcook. If you're not going to eat all of the gumbo you're making at one time, then take enough of the gumbo base out and put it in a separate pot and add the seafood to that. Save the rest of the base for later and add seafood toward the end of cooking the same way or I freeze the gumbo base for the future, buy more seafood when I decide to serve it and add fresh seafood just before serving.

I have meetings today, so this is written hastily.

NO TOMATOES is a good choice. Not so much on the okra...

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You use carrots to make a seafood stock?

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I too had the idea of carrots in a seafood stock hit me in the same manner of "say what", never ever gave any consideration of carrots being a part of any gumbo stock.

I find that if you cook shrimp shells longer than 30 minutes, the stock gets cloudy and gritty and needs filtering through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. 30 minutes will get enough flavor into it.

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I see your way of thinking here... I'm starting to put it together.

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I don't even use carrots in chicken or turkey stocks for gumbo. Actually, I don't use anything but whatever meat or bones I'm simmering. The reason is that I find carrots can make the stock sweeter than I want for gumbo. I use them in stocks for chicken soup, though. Also, my gumbo is going to have onions, bell pepper, celery and whatever other seasonings I want in it. I want the stock to be pure unadulterated chicken stock, not diluted by other flavors. I'm going to dilute it enough with roux, veggies, chicken and andouille. That's my personal preference, though. It's not nearly as important to me in chicken gumbo as it is with a shrimp or seafood gumbo. I find that really requires the seafood shells/meat only for the stock. It's hard to get a good strong seafood stock that can stand up to roux.

Also, I don't know how thick you make your chicken and sausage gumbo, but again, seafood flavor is delicate. I think it's ill advised to make a "thick" gumbo for that. May as well add plain water to the gumbo if you overpower it with too much roux. Another one of my many personal opinions.

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I see your way of thinking here... I'm starting to put it together.

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You're a smart man. No bad spells will be cast upon. I'll burn my "good seafood gumbo" potion over the weekend for you.

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I'm glad GG was in a hurry and could write much.

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I type fast and you know darn well that when it comes to gumbo, I'm very serious and informative. I'm sure I've saved many from some horrid errors.

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You have convinced me not to even try and make it.

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It's very easy, but this is probably a good decision for you.