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Crab, Shrimp And Okra Gumbo
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| What You Need: |
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1 pound uncooked medium-sized shrimp (about 20 to 24 to the pound)
7 quarts water
5 dried hot red chilies, each about 2 inches long
1 lemon, cut crosswise into ¼-inchthick slices
3 large bay leaves
1½ teaspoons crumbled, dried thyme
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
10 live blue crabs, each about 8 ounces
4 tablespoons brown roux
½ cup coarsely chopped onions
1½ teaspoons finely chopped garlic
½ pound fresh okra, trimmed, washed and cut into 1-inch chunks
¾ cup coarsely chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne)
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
4 to 6 cups freshly cooked long grain white rice
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Shell the shrimp. Devein them by making a shallow incision down their backs with a small knife and lifting out the intestinal vein with the point f the knife. Wash the shrimp briefly and set them aside.
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2. In a 10- to 12-quart pot, bring the water, chilies, lemon slices, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of thyme and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil over high heat. Drop in the crabs and boil briskly, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove the crabs from the stock with tongs, and set them aside to cool.
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3. Drop the shrimp into the stock remaining in the pot and cook uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are pink and firm to the touch. With tongs, transfer the shrimp to a plate. Then boil the stock, uncovered, until it is reduced to 3 quarts.
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4. Strain the stock through a fine sieve set over a large pot, and discard the seasonings. Cover the pot to keep the stock warm until you are ready to use it.
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5. When the crabs are cool enough to handle, shell them in the following fashion: Grasping the body of the crab firmly in one hand, break off the large claws and legs close to the body.
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6. With the point of a small sharp knife, pry off the pointed shell, or apron, and loosen the large bottom shell from around the meat and cartilage, cutting near the edges where the legs are joined to the shell.
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7. Lift the body of the crab, break it in half lengthwise, then with the knife pick out the firm white pieces of meat. Discard the gray featherlike gills and tough bits of cartilage but save the morsels of yellow liver and "fat" as well as any pieces of orange roe.
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8. Leave the large claws in their shells, but crack the legs lengthwise with a cleaver and pick out the meat. Reserve the meat, claws and roe (if any).
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9. In a heavy 5- to 6-quart casserole, warm the roux over low heat, stirring constantly. Add the onions and garlic and stir for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft. Add the okra and green peppers and mix well.
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10. Stirring constantly, pour in the reserved warm stock in a slow, thin stream and bring to a boil over high heat. (If the stock has cooled, reheat before adding it.)
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11. Add the red pepper, Tabasco, the remaining bay leaf, ½ teaspoon of thyme and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the crabmeat and claws, reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour.
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12. Add the shrimp and simmer a few minutes longer, then taste for seasoning. The gumbo may require more Tabasco or red pepper.
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13. Ladle the gumbo into a heated tureen and serve at once, accompanied by the rice in a separate bowl. Traditionally, a cupful of rice is mounded in a heated soup plate and the gumbo spooned around it. Give each diner a nutcracker so that the claws can be cracked easily at the table.
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