Do you ever start a recipe without a complete idea where you are going with it? My Deconstructed Seafood Gumbo is the result of just such a situation.
Jump to RecipeWhat do I mean? I began this recipe with the basic idea of making some Cajun salmon and sort of thinking I would make it a protein bowl. As I began to cook it, I realized it needed some sort of sauce to go with it. So I decided, since it was Cajun, to make the base of a gumbo as a sauce to add to the dish. I absolutely loved it and wish I made more of the sauce. The recipe I now use is from watching Youtube of BASICS WITH BABISH featuring Isaac Toupes. Isaac is a well known Cajun chef that developed a gumbo technique of cooking the roux on high heat. I totally love the result. The below link is my recipe developed watching this Youtube video:
BEST CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO
I figure I must have been Cajun in a prior life. I have always loved Cajun cuisine. I have multiple Cajun or Creole spices on hand at any one time. As a quick aside, I wondered what the difference was/is between a Cajun and a Creole. This source – The Historic New Orleans Collection – says that Cajun is a subset of Creole. Creole being primarily blacks and Cajuns being from rural South
The whole article provides really good background on the history of the region and the reference to this culture and its people. Please comment if you have more insight you can share with me and my readers. Before I get to the development of my roux, and the base of this dish, I wanted to share some more creative Cajun recipes that I have developed:
GLUTEN FREE CAJUN CHICKEN MILANESE
Getting back to the star of this dish, my roux, my HOLY TRINITY. The key to Isaac Toupes gumbo is that the roux, the oil and flour base is cooked on really high heat. You have to watch it and stir it constantly to make sure it does not burn. The result, and I do not understand the science of it, is a deeper, richer flavor. Further, the veggies are cooked in the quickly developed roux and there flavor is more intensified as well. Maybe that is the answer – the high heat and quick cooking creates a more intense flavor. In my recipe, I used the veggie base as an accoutrement. It made the dish.
Building the dish with the gumbo base.
The Deconstructed Seafood Gumbo plated.
The Recipe
Deconstructed Seafood Gumbo
Ingredients
Cajun salmon
- 1 1/2 lbs salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
Gumbo sauce
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup gluten-free 1-to-1 flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill
- 1 whole yellow onion, diced
- 1 whole green bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
- salt and black pepper, to taste
For the bowls
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 8 oz fresh okra, sliced
- 2 whole carrots, diced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole Fresno chili, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package directions and keep warm.
- Make the roux: heat the 1/4 cup canola oil in a heavy pot over high heat until it shimmers. Whisk in the flour and stir constantly for 4 to 6 minutes, until the roux turns the color of milk chocolate. Watch it closely so it does not burn.
- Immediately add the onion, bell pepper and celery and stir for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and 2 tsp Cajun seasoning and cook 1 minute more.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens into a sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, sauté the carrots and okra in the olive oil over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Toss the salmon cubes with 2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning. Heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the salmon about 2 minutes per side, until just cooked through.
- Build each bowl: rice, a generous ladle of the gumbo sauce, the Cajun salmon, okra and carrots. Top with the sliced Fresno chili.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
comments – I answer every one.