Finding a bit of Southern seafood comfort

When you're looking for a delicious grab-bag of flavor, shellfish is where it's at.  However, while many people will jump at the opportunity to drink a shrimp cocktail, certain crustaceans and bivalves can either be too tough to crack or too slimy to stomach for even the most adventurous of seafood lovers.  Crab legs are (literally) a pain and often the battle with the sea-spider's armor hardly seems worth the amount of booty within.  Oysters are stubborn shuckers, and even if you order them on the half-shell, their flavor and booger-esque texture are usually a taste the person doing the slurping must acquire.


But if you're anything like us here at The Giddy Gourmands (who are natives to the fish-filled state of Southern California), you love to open the hatch and let those gooey, oceanic pearls slide down your gullet--and face a challenge head on.  And, truthfully, there are ways of getting around those aforementioned obstacles: Canned lump crab is far less stressful to open, as are fresh oysters in the jar.  Now, we aren't suggesting that you put cans and jars on ice instead of legs and shells, but for gumbo--yeah, you heard us--it works like a charm!


When it comes to fish on the West Coast, we're all about filets, sushi and snow crab legs on a mountain of ice; dishes like gumbo aren't exactly found on every menu.  However, with its rich tomato base, the "Holy Trinity"--onions, bell peppers and celery--and everyone's favorite wild card, okra, gumbo is a great equalizer for all of those strong fishy flavors.  Also, did we mention it smells pretty tasty?  With a pot of the Giddy Gumbo bubbling on your stove for an hour or two, your house is guaranteed to smell as if it's got a chef (or three) living in it!

Giddy Gumbo
by Chef E, Chef K and Chef S


Serves 6


Ingredients:

10 oz jar of oysters

1/2 lb raw, peeled shrimp, cut up

8 oz lump crabmeat

10 oz sliced okra 

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup bell pepper

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup chopped tomato

2 tsp garlic, diced

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

4 cups poultry stock 117, chicken broth 121

salt

pepper

paprika

cayenne

thyme

chopped parsley (on top)

filé powder (on top)

Directions:


In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onions.  Once they are golden brown (approx. 10 minutes), add in flour, mixing well between tablespoons.  Add tomato puree and chicken broth, whisking until smooth.  Add garlic.  Add (to taste) salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne and thyme.


Add shrimp, crab meat (picked over for shell and cartilage) and sliced okra.  Reduce heat and simmer until okra is tender (approx. 20 minutes).  Then, add oysters, cooking until oysters are plump.  (Note:  Depending on your preferences and how large your oysters are, you may want to cut them up before adding them.)


Leave gumbo on low heat until you are ready to serve.  Then, trim parsley and sprinkle filé powder over the top, stirring in before serving.  (Note: Filé powder might be hard to find at your local grocery store, so while it may be a typical gumbo spice, you may find yourself omitting it like we had to.)


Serve over some white rice and enjoy!




Side Dishes




When we sat down, ready to dig into the steaming seafood stew in front of us, we had to wonder if there was something missing.  How about something to slather with butter?  How about something to dip into our freshly made gumbo?  We wanted a muffin, but not just any muffin!  We're talking about the South!  So we baked up a batch of cornbread muffins with a honey molasses glaze!

Honey-Molasses Cornbread Muffins
By Chef E and Chef K


Yields 14-16 muffins


Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal, stone-ground

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 cup oil

1 cup milk

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted

4 tbsp raw molasses

1 oz water

1/2 tsp honey (preferably raw)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Beat in eggs.  Add oil and milk.  Add defrosted corn kernels.  Mix well.  Pour batter into well-greased muffin tins and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

To make glaze, place raw molasses and water in a small pot over low heat.  Mix well.  Add honey, dissolving it well.  Once the muffins are out of the oven, use a small pastry brush to apply a light layer of glaze to the top of the muffins.  

Let them cool and then devour them!

Bon Appétit!

Over a bed of rice with some sweet cornbread, a steamy serving of gumbo can turn any overcast summer day into one worth staying inside for.  But even on sunny days, what's better than a spiced spoonful of our favorite seafoods?  Cool your tongue with a white wine or a sparkling cider (alcoholic or not, it's up to you!) and this meal ought to be a crisp and delicious way to end your day!

Posted in: cornbread,crab,gumbo,oyster,shrimp