Mardi Gras Gumbo
As the waters of the Gulf of Mexico begin to warm every spring Louisiana Blue Point Crab season is in full swing. Succulent lump crabmeat can be found in seafood markets throughout the Bayou State at reduced prices however even as the price drops due to availability it is still rather expensive. A great way to stretch your lump crab and enjoy a great dish is to prepare some crab cakes. This recipe for crab cakes was developed up the East Coast where crab can be found in similar abundance. It utilizes fresh lump crabmeat but uses fillers such as eggs, mayonnaise and breadcrumbs to help stretch the costly main ingredient. I always prefer to use fresh crabmeat, frozen is just not as good. When crabmeat is frozen ice crystals form during the freezing process. Upon defrosting the ice crystals cut through the meat. This is the reason why frozen crabmeat has a tendency to shred. A technique used to minimize the shredding process is to defrost the crabmeat slowly under refrigeration not under running water. The faster you defrost the meat, the more abruptly the ice crystals cut through the meat, therefore the more shredding you have. You can also reduce the cost of the dish by cutting the amount of lump crab used in the recipe and use a back-fin white crabmeat or claw crabmeat. I prefer to spend the money and enjoy my lumps.

Chicken And Smoked Sausage Gumbo

Ingredients:
One 2 ½ pound chicken
14 cups water
2 tablespoons Pat Spice Blend
1 bay leaf
12 cups reserved chicken stock *
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into slices
1 cup chopped onions
one-half cup chopped celery
One-half cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup dark roux
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
One-half cup chopped green onions
One-fourth cup minced parsley
4 cups cooked rice

 

Directions:
1. Put the chicken, water, 1 tablespoon of the Pat's Spice Blend and bay leaf in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid. Reserve 12 cups of chicken stock for use later.
2. Cool the chicken, de-bone, discarding the bones and skin.
3. Coarsely chopped the meat and set aside for use later.
4. Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the smoked sausage and cook until browned.
5. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the reserved chicken stock and bring to boil.
6. Stir in the roux, hot sauce and remaining tablespoon of Pat's Spice Blend. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour.
7. Add the chopped chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the green onions and parsley.
8. Divide the rice into 8 soup bowls. Ladle the gumbo over the rice.

Yields 8 servings
*If you don't end up with 12 cups of chicken stock you may add water to make up the difference.



Chef Patrick Mould
Louisiana Culinary Enterprises, Inc
http://louisianaschoolofcooking.com
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