CREOLE REDFISH GUMBO

Creole Redfish Gumbo image

Jordan Ruiz cooks a version of the seafood gumbo his mother and grandmother made when he was growing up in New Orleans' Gentilly neighborhood. It contains fin fish, which is rarely seen in restaurants in New Orleans, where seafood gumbos tend to contain shrimp and crab. Gumbo filé, made of dried and ground sassafras leaves, is used both as a thickening agent and for its flavor. Mr. Ruiz's gumbo can be found at the Munch Factory, the New Orleans restaurant he owns with his wife, Alexis.

Provided by Brett Anderson

Categories dinner, soups and stews, main course

Time 2h15m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large yellow or white onion, chopped
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped garlic
3 quarts shrimp stock or seafood stock
1 pound small blue crabs, or substitute 1/2 pound fresh lump crab meat
1/4 cup gumbo filé powder
6 dried bay leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ground cayenne, or to taste
2 pounds small or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
1 1/2 pounds redfish, black drum or other medium-firm, white-flesh fish fillets (such as sea bass or haddock), skin removed, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere's)
2 cups freshly shucked oysters with their juices, or substitute 1 (16-ounce) container shucked oysters
1 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
Cooked white rice, for serving
1/2 cup chopped scallions, for serving

Steps:

Prepare the roux: In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high until it's just shy of smoking. Slowly shake the flour into the oil, whisking until smooth. Reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking until the roux is a deep dark brown, 20 to 30 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook another 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in the stock. Bring to a boil and add the crabs (if using whole blue crabs), gumbo filé, bay leaves, salt, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the flavors have melded, skimming off any foam or skin on the surface, about 1 hour.
Toss the shrimp and fish with the Creole seasoning and stir into gumbo, along with the oysters and crab meat (if using). Simmer until the shrimp and fish are cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the hot sauce. Taste and season with more salt and hot sauce if necessary. Divide among soup bowls and top with rice and scallions.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 1268, UnsaturatedFat 55 grams, Carbohydrate 46 grams, Fat 65 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 121 grams, SaturatedFat 7 grams, Sodium 3524 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams