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Scallop Gumbo

5.0(759)

Gumbo is like many regional dishes: there are nearly as many interpretations as there are cooks. Most include the common Louisiana trinity of vegetables: green peppers, celery and onion. Some include meat, often a spicy sausage like andouille, in addition to or in place of shellfish. And while some gumbos rely on okra as a thickener, others use a roux, a combination of flour and fat cooked until brown and tasty. What I like about this gumbo is that it borrows a little from many approaches to create a lighter, more contemporary dish: a one-pot meal that’s ideal for any occasion calling for a crowd-pleaser.

by Mark Bittman

Open original recipe

Cajun, CreoleDinner, Lunch, One Pot, Appetizer, Main Course

Servings

(6–8)

Total time

Calories / serving

188 kcal

Ingredients (17)

serves

1/4 cup olive oilolive-oil
2 tablespoons butterbutter
1/3 cup flourflour
1 onion, choppedonion
1 green bell pepper, choppedbell-pepper
2 celery stalks, choppedcelery
2 tablespoons minced garlicgarlic
Saltsalt
black pepperpepper
2 to 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or water
2 cups chopped tomatoes with their juice (canned are fine)tomato
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon driedthyme
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon driedoregano
2 bay leavesbay-leaf
Cayenne to tastecayenne
1 pound scallopsscallop
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnishparsley

Instructions (2 steps)

01Put oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When butter is melted, add flour and cook, stirring almost constantly, until roux darkens and becomes fragrant, about 15 to 20 minutes; as it cooks, adjust heat as necessary to keep mixture from burning. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and raise heat to medium. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables have softened, about 10 more minutes.