Bored and watching college football today, so decided to cook. First went to the store and bought the desired items. Then I got the skillet, a cup of bacon drippings and one cup of flour. Then I heated that skillet up on the side burner of my grill and put that grease in there. I then slowly added the flour to that hot grease til it turned chocolate brown. Next I took a 40 oz can of Swansons Chicken broth (save the can) and put it in a big stockpot to boil. Once it was boiling, I added that dark brown roux and stirred til it started to foam. Next went in the bell pepper and onion that I chopped up real fine. I then added one box of frozen okra - again chopped up real fine. Next, some andouille sausage cut up into one inch pieces (amount up to you). At this point, I use that can and add another 40 oz of water. Then I added two pounds of shrimp and one large can of crabmeat. Crabmeat is salty when it comes from a can so be careful when you salt. I grilled five large chicken breasts on the grill (this is a barbcue forum you know) with some salt, pepper and garlic. Then I cut up three of those breasts into little cubes and added to the gumbo. I went into the spice cabinet and added thyme, bay leaf, oregano and some cayenne pepper. I go easy on the spices cuz I believe that gumbo is about the roux and the meat. You know its got okra cuz of the seeds, but you dont see any of the vegetables. I like it to have just a hint of heat, but then I add Dave's Insanity Sauce to mine while eating. Anyways, getting back to the gumbo, I then added the last 40 oz's of water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, then let it simmer and skim off the grease that floats to the top. Again, for me a good gumbo is about the roux and the meat, so I tend to go heavy on the meat. The veggies are there but chopped up real fine so you dont see them. The spices are there but light.
Ingredients:
cup of flour
cup of vegetable oil (may substitute lard or bacon grease)
40 oz can of Swansons chicken broth
1 bell pepper
1 onion
box of frozen okra
one package of sausage (andouille is what i use)
chicken (i like dark meat)
shrimp (i used two pounds)
crabmeat (canned has salt, fresh doesnt)
oysters
pork (i just used the first four meats, but i love pork and oysters in my gumbo)
spices to taste - less is best - cajun spices are great here, but i go easy so as not to overpower the roux (why do they call it roux instead of fleur brulee?)
almost any spice you would use for fish or seafood works.
hope you like it...doc
I love bayfishing and I love to eat what I catch. Down here in Texas, most of the folks I know prefer specks or flounder over redfish - that is until they try cooking it my way.
First off, I scale them instead of filleting them out of the skin (Clean a Fish #1 and Clean a Fish #2.). Then I steak the fish across the backbone and make nice two or three inch steaks with the skin on (Another grilled fish steaks picture.). (All these links open in a New Browser Window.)
Next, keeping in theme with this board (TMF BBQ Board (Registration Required)) - I get a nice fire going in the grill and get it hot.
Preparation of the redfish is easy - a little salt, pepper, garlic to the outside (to your taste) and baste the outside with oil (peanut is the best).
Next place the steaks on the grill skin side down and cook for about ten minutes depending on how hot the fire is. Then flip to the other side skin side down (remember - this is a steak with the skin on and fish have two sides so you should have another side) and cook the same. I dont cook with the cavity side down cuz the fish will dry out too much.
Its perfect with lemon squeezed on it. If you use tartar sauce, make it watery with tabasco first then dip you redfish in it and get ready for a taste explosion.
The nice thing about cooking it this way is first of all you can cook it on the grill without it falling apart, second the skin and neural line scrape off with the fork, and third you get that great smoky grilled flavor with the fish and thats what takes redfish over the top. You can also add dill to your tartar sauce and for a real treat, pick some basil from your garden, roll about five leaves, chop them up and sprinkle the fresh basil on your redfish...doc
with questions or comments about this web site.
|