The Maine Dish
Gangster Gumbo: I beat the blizzard with this recipe.
When I woke up on Saturday, I took a moment to survey the four foot snow drift in front of the barn doors. I thought, “Jeez. That’s gonna suck for the Mister.” So I did what any self-respecting yard work-averse girl would do. I hopped in the car, busted through a two foot bank at the end of my driveway, and drove across the street to Hannaford in search of something to cook.
I needed something prep-heavy, long-cooking, and worth the fair share of shoveling time I was basically going to con my way out of. Alton Brown’s Shrimp Gumbo was just the ticket. He no doubt spent hours developing the (brilliant!) technique of baking the roux to take the risk of burning it right out of the equation; but, I decided to stove-top it and just about ruined it five times.
Pro Tip: Bake it. If you don’t, don’t walk away to watch MacGyver with your kid for “just a couple of minutes.”
You can click through to the recipe here, or you can scroll down, check out the ingredients, and look at the photo of what my kitchen looked like after I prepped everything into cute dishes, wiped down the counter, and threw away the half-eaten Mrs. Dunster’s donut I never got around to finishing. I mean, if you’re going to make a recipe with sixteen ingredients in it, you might as well make a permanent record of it.
Bring it, Nemo. Pssssht. I cook up storms bigger than you All. Day. Long.
Alton Brown’s Shrimp Gumbo
Do yourself a favor: make a double batch. It’s a great way to win friends and influence people. And it freezes like a boss.
4 ounces all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds raw, whole, head-on medium-sized (31-50 count) shrimp
2 quarts water
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced green peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomato
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and browned
1 tablespoon file powderInstructions
// About the Author
Erin Dow
Erin Dow is a caterer who used to cook for rock stars. Now she finds herself desperately trying to persuade her three kids to just try one bite of what she made for dinner. She's the Expert Chef for Maine-based Guiding Stars® and she consults with the state's public schools on how to serve healthy whole foods that kids will actually eat. And when Erin’s not researching, preparing, serving, photographing, teaching, or writing about food, you’ll probably find her in a restaurant eating a meal cooked by someone else. So she just might be the girl you need to know if you're looking for recommendations, advice, or insight into Maine's food scene. She's also very knowledgeable about firearms, in case you were wondering if she's a real Mainer.