Big Mama’s Cosmopolitan Seafood Gumbo
A Genuine New Orleans-style Cosmopolitan Seafood Gumbo
Ingredients
  • Roast pork drippings
  • Roast duck drippings
  • 4tablespoons all purpose flour5 or 6 if you want a dark roux
  • 1 medium yellow onion or Spanish onion
  • 3 8 inch Anaheim chiliesyou can toss in one or two Chile Poblano, if you like-NO BELL PEPPERS
  • 5 or 6 large tomatoes cut into 8ths
  • 8 cloves garlicchopped
  • 8oz small portobello mushrooms
  • 1cup celerysliced
  • 1/2cup celery leaveschopped
  • 1/2cup finely chopped parsleybut not too finely
  • 1/2pound sliced okraa bunch of okra the size of your little finger is okay, too
  • 1/3pound clam fleshyou can toss in a few cherrystone clams still in the shell, too
  • 1/3pound oystersif you’re so inclined – not everyone is
  • 1/3pound sliced squidor a handful of baby squid
  • 1/3pound baby octopuscut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/3pound scallopscut the large ones into 3 or 4 pieces
  • 3/4pound medium peeled shrimp
  • 1/2pound pieces of lobster tail
  • 1/2pound pieces of crabIf you have a big enough pot, you can toss in some live whole crabs
  • 1/4pound mussels
  • 3/4pound sliced fishCroaker is good, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/3pound sliced Tasso hamOr something like Smithfield Country ham, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2pound sliced smoked Andouille alligator sausage cut into ¾” pieces – Italian sausage is okay if you can’t get it
  • 1/2 roast duckcut it into bite-sized pieces
  • 1tablespoon saltor to taste
  • 1tablespoon black pepperor a few peppercorns
  • 1tablespoon cayenne pepperor more to taste
  • 3tablespoons Zatarain’s Seafood Seasoningor Old Bay Seasoning if you can’t find it
  • 3 or 4 bay leaves
Instructions
  1. Roast a couple of pork shoulders and save the drippings. You should have at least a cup and a half between the fat and the other fluids. Take the flesh from the bones and give those to your dog. Do something with the pork roast. You won’t need it for the gumbo. If you don’t want to roast the pork shoulders specially for this gumbo, simply store up the drippings from those that you do cook, in the freezer in an airtight container until you need it.
  2. Roast a duck and save the drippings. A 7-pound duck will produce about a cup or more of fat. Take the skin off the duck and give it to your dog. Pull the flesh off the bones. Be sure to season it properly with salt, garlic, and black pepper. No MSG needed!
  3. Saute the onion, chilies, mushrooms, garlic, and celery in the pork fat. Toss everything but the duck fat and flour into a big pot. Fill with water to cover the contents. Bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or so.
  4. Taste it. You might want to add some more Zatarain’s or garlic, etc. Brown the flour in the duck fat. This is the roux. The okra will thicken the gumbo, but the roux will thicken it, too. You can increase or decrease the amount of flour to your preference. The darker the roux (meaning the longer and darker you brown the flour), the thinner it will be. Big Mama prefers a dark roux. Mix the roux into the gumbo.
  5. Cook for another hour or so . Once you add the roux, it will be more susceptible to burning, so stir it occasionally. Serve with white rice. Not brown rice. Not Jasmine rice. Not basmati rice. Use plain, long grain steamed rice. It’s okay to use Uncle Ben’s.
Recipe Notes

True Americans may enjoy this truly American Gumbo with Nando’s Extra Hot Peri Peri Sauce from South Africa. This stuff is pretty good.

Another good hot sauce is Melinda’s Naga Jolokia Sauce from India. The other name for “Naga Jolokis” is the “Ghost Chili.” Fiery and smokin’ is a good way of describing this liquid heat.

Ground red pepper is good, too.

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