Thanksgiving is one of my family’s favorite holidays. It’s a big, boisterous, and beautiful time filled with love, activity, and good food. The official Turkey Day gets a lot of attention, but quietly, we all adore the day after Thanksgiving – Gumbo Friday!
For more than a decade, I’ve had the honor of producing this sacred meal with contributions of crab, shrimp and clams from loved ones, and I look forward to making it every single year. Admittedly, I change thing up now and again to keep everyone looking forward to something new – like the time I added a few lobster tails to the cauldron.
Without fail, I make a large pot of gumbo that does not contain seafood. I have several family members who have a shellfish allergy and I take it seriously and practice pro-level kitchen hygiene. I work in stages and make the non-seafood version first and then go all-in with the pot containing fruits from the sea. A featured ingredient is Dungeness crab, without fail.
In case you are new to gumbo, it’s a soup that claims West African and French roots. The dish represents the beautiful melting pot of cultures that exists along the greater Gulf Coast of the United States.
I learned the art and craft of making this luxurious soup from my aunt Joan. When gumbo season arrived, all of the kids were given sous chef duties that ranged from chopping bell pepper, deveining shrimp and putting on the pot of rice—one year I got lucky and was assigned to roux duty.
I soon learned that the secret to making a good roux, which is by far one of the most important steps in creating an incredible gumbo, is patience. Roux adds flavor, depth and body to the dish.
My seafood gumbo is lighter in flavor and color than most versions of the soup that include sausage and chicken; this is to allow the seafood to shine and not be overpowered by the roux. If you want a more gravy-like consistency to your gumbo, consider increasing the amount of roux.
You can find this recipe and a host of others in my book Going Coastal.
