I love me some Gumbo! No seriously! I remember for my 21st birthday I was asked what I wanted for my birthday dinner, and I said, “my Nana’s gumbo”. I love the turkey, ham or roasts served with all delicious sides like mac and cheese, dressing, greens, candied yams, hot water cornbread, but there’s always something about gumbo that does it for me every time, especially during the holidays. It takes me back to my childhood and all the memories that were made during this magical time. I especially remember assisting my Nana with stirring the roux and adding in the other ingredients to create something delicious. Think about it, the shrimp, crab, chicken, and andouille sausage served in a hot flavored broth with rice is comfort food at its finest! With this seafood gumbo for the soul recipe, I want to bring you a little holiday magic from my kitchen to yours!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8

 

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. chicken party wings
  • 2 lbs. Crab legs (I use Dungeness or Alaskan King Crab; whatever is on sale at the time)
  • 1 lb. large shrimp shells removed, deveined and tails on
  • 1 lb. andouille sausage chopped
  • 14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1 ½ cup chopped celery
  • 2 large bell peppers chopped
  • 3-4 dry bay leaves
  • 2 tsp seasoning salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 2 ½ tsp gumbo file
  • 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 ¼ cup avocado oil (or oil of choice)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 64 oz chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Pour ¼ cup oil into a pan, then place the pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot place the chicken wings into the pan.
  2. Season the chicken with 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp seasoning salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1 tsp garlic powder.
  3. Brown each side of the chicken, then pour in ½ cup of chicken broth.
  4. Next cover the pan, and let the chicken cook, until it is completely cooked throughout. Once done, remove the chicken from the pan.
  5. Toss in the celery, bell peppers, and onions, then cook for 2 minutes.
  6. Toss in the minced garlic.
  7. Cook until the veggies are nice and translucent, then turn the heat off.
  8. In a large pot pour in remaining 1 cup of oil and place the pot over medium heat.
  9. Once the oil is nice and hot, start sprinkling in the flour, but just a little bit at a time.
  10. Stir continuously, to prevent lumps, and cook until the roux turns into a peanut butter brown color (about 30 minutes).
  11. Once the roux is nice and brown, slowly pour in the remaining chicken broth.
  12. Add in the cooked vegetables, the chicken, and andouille sausage and give everything a nice stir.
  13. Sprinkle in the remaining seasoning salt & black pepper.
  14. Add in the tomatoes, and bay leaves.
  15. Stir and cover, then let cook for about 40 minutes.
  16. Add in the crab. Make sure that the crab, and other ingredients are nicely covered with the broth.
  17. Let cook for 20 minutes, then toss in the large shrimp.
  18. Stir ensuring you are reaching the bottle of your pot and reduce the heat to low.
  19. Sprinkle in the gumbo filet, stir, and let cook for about 7 minutes.
  20. Turn the heat off, and let the gumbo sit for a couple minutes.
  21. Serve and enjoy with steamed rice and garlic bread.

I hope you and your family enjoy this delicious meal. Happy Holidays!

~Mommi Shamika~