Quick Seafood and Chicken Sausage Gumbo

Name: Quick Seafood and Chicken Sausage Gumbo
Yield: makes about 4 quarts / serves 10 to 12
Ingredients: 1/3 cup canola oil; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 2 onions, chopped, skins and trimmings reserved for broth; 1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped, trimmings reserved for stock; 1 poblano chile or 2 jalapeño peppers, cored, seeded, and diced; 4 celery stalks, diced, trimmings reserved for stock; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 pound spicy chicken sausage links, cut into 3-inch pieces; 4 garlic cloves, smashed and minced; 2 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste; 2 1/2 quarts Fast and Fresh Broth (page 42); 2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, with juice; 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved for broth; 2 cups chopped okra; 1/2 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked through for shells; 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, plus more for garnish; 8 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish; Steamed white or Creamed Vegetable Rice (page 216), for serving

December 14, 2011

When Paul Prudhomme’s first cookbook, Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, came out, I think I made every last one of his gumbos in the span of a few weeks. To this day, his are the recipes I always refer to when I make gumbo. More often than not, however, I don’t have time to make ultra traditional, slow-cooking gumbo, so I’ve adapted my own quicker—and often lighter—versions that take a fraction of the time but still pack loads of soulful flavor. Served over rice with ice-cold beer, it’s all the excuse you need to throw a block party.

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