Halloween Recipe: Sinfully Slothful Seafood Gumbo ⋆ Welcome to the Necro Nomnomnomicon

I love gumbo…spicy, fiery, gut-warming, bayou born and Cajun raised authentic old school gumbo. You know what I’m talking about…the kind of gumbo that starts with a deep dark roux, the perfect timing for adding in the holy (I can’t believe I just said the “H” word…) trinity of onions, bell peppers and celery, the freshest of ingredients, and a slow simmer that takes a day and a half.

This is not that sort of gumbo recipe.

Let me start by saying, there is no roux in this recipe. Nope. And that’s why I am not technically calling it an authentic gumbo.

As discussed before, I have two deadly sins that I value above all the rest; sloth and gluttony…which is why this gumbo is the gumbo I make for myself when I’m hungry but don’t want to do the work. I’d even go so far as to call this gum-faux. Ha ha!

Regardless of its lineage or official title or designation as gumbo or not gumbo, it’s damn delicious.

To make my sinfully slothful seafood gumbo (gumfaux), you will need:

2 cups diced tomatoes
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced/crushed
2 cups diced okra, fresh or frozen
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons Cajun seasoning
8 oz spicy sausage, cooked and sliced
1 lb ground pork, cooked and drained
1 red onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 Tablespoon Paprika, smoked
1 Tablespoon green food coloring
Louisiana Hot Sauce (as much or as little as you can stand)
1/4 Cup butter
3-5 chicken feet
1/4 lb Crab legs/claws
1/2 lb shrimp
1 cup chopped spinach, cooked and drained
4 cups black forbidden rice, cooked
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a crockpot, combine your water, tomatoes, bay leaves, ground pork, diced onion, diced celery, diced green pepper, garlic, okra, bouillon cubes, Cajun seasoning, sliced sausage, parsley, paprika, green food coloring, Louisiana hot sauce, and butter.

Turn your crockpot to low and let cook covered for 4 hours.

Mmm…every hour it cooks it gets better tasting…

After 4 hours, add in your whole crab claws, shrimp, and chicken feet. This step is incredibly important…keep them whole! The final impact will be that much more dramatic.

Recover your pot and allow to simmer for another hour. Season to taste using salt, pepper, and more Louisiana hot sauce.

Serve by first layering down a scoop of forbidden rice followed by a scoop of gumbo. Make sure you get a few shrimp, a crab claw, and a chicken foot or two. Spoon on a garnish of cooked spinach for additional color and enjoy!