Shrimp Gumbo

This is a recipe that is very rich in shrimp flavor (so if you aren't a fan of shrimp, this probably won't be for you :>). I cobbled it together by pinching my favorite bits from a handful of other recipes, so I can't take complete credit, but I like to think of it as uniquely mine.

Ingredients for the Shrimp Stock

• 8 cups of water
• 3 lbs fresh (alive and still swimming!) shrimp
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 ribs celery, halved
• 1 green bell pepper, quartered

Ingredients for the Dish

• The above shrimp stock (and the shrimp meat that was separated from it)
• 8 cups of chicken broth (this is cheating - make your own chicken broth if you can)
• 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced along the bias
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, chopped (for garnish)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 T Chuck's Creole Blend
• 6 T Oven-Made Roux
• Olive oil for sautéing
• Louisiana long-grain rice (perhaps a quarter-cup per planned serving of gumbo)

To Prepare the Shrimp Stock

1. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil and drop in the shrimp.
2. As soon as the shrimp turn bright red / pink (perhaps after only about a minute), remove the pot from the heat and extract the shrimp. Make sure to keep the water!
3. Once the shrimp have cooled to a comfortable level, peel and devein them. Throw out the veins (they tend to be bitter), but keep the shrimp shells, heads, and meat.
4. Cover the meat with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
5. Toss the shrimp shells and heads back into the pot of water, then add the onion, celery, and green bell pepper.
6. Bring the water back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook, covered, for about an hour.

1. Strain out all the solids and retain the broth.

To Prepare the Dish

1. Sauté the garlic, onions, celery, and green bell peppers in olive oil until they become translucent

1. Sauté the andouille sausage slices, using their own oil, until brown

1. Combine the shrimp stock and chicken broth in a large pot.
2. Take 2-4 cups of the stock mixture, place in a small pot, and bring to a boil. While rapidly stirring, add the roux until completely dissolved. Pour this back into the large pot.
3. Add the garlic, onions, celery, green bell peppers, sausage, bay leaves, and creole blend to the pot.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
5. About 30 minutes before serving, steam the rice.
6. About five minutes before serving, add the already-cooked shrimp meat to the pot and allow it to thoroughly reheat.

To Serve

Ladle the gumbo over rice and garnish with scallions. Nice accompaniments include fresh French bread, corn bread, potato salad, and/or baked sweet potatoes.