GRAND ISLE SEAFOOD GUMBO

Light summer gumbo made without roux. Can be served with or without rice
Serves 5-6

Ingredients:
2 strips of bacon

cup yellow onion, chopped

cup celery, chopped

green bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

tsp thyme

tsp basil

tsp black pepper

tsp Tabasco

tsp salt

tsp oregano

tsp chili powder

1 quarts / 1.15 lts chicken stock

2 tbsp puree)

(16 oz) can toms (can use about

lb (1 cup/ 227g) fresh fish, chopped

lb (1 cup) sliced okra

1lb (2 cups / 554 g) raw peeled &

Andouille not

cup smoked sausage (Cajun

Deveined shrimp
lb (113g) fresh crab meat

French - or Polish Kelbasa works)

cup white wine

1 tbsp fil (if available) *

Method:
1. Brown bacon in a large heavy pot. Cast iron is best. Add vegetables and
saut until all tender.
2. Add spices, salt, stock, toms, okra and sausage. Bring to a boil then
reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 1 hour. (cooking time is not
precise longer is better but be careful not to lose too much liquid. Add
more stock or water if you do)

3. Add the shrimp, crab and fish along with the wine and cook on low heat
another 30 min and no more. If you will not serve gumbo immediately,
turn off heat and cover.
4. If you have fil it should be added now but try not to go overboard unless
you really, really like file.

*Fil is not sold much outside of the immediate

Southern US States. Hard to get even in California. It
is of Native American Origin and is finely ground
sassafras leaves used almost exclusively for gumbo.
Not sure there is any other use for it.