This recipe for Mama’s Seafood Gumbo has been a part of my life since childhood. It is one of the original recipes in my first cookbook, “Bon Appetit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking” (Ten Speed, 2008). I’ve recently revised and updated the cookbook, adding new recipes and reducing calories in many of the heritage recipes, but this family standby has remained unchanged.
It’s simple coastal cooking, using only a handful of ingredients: roux, vegetables, shrimp stock, tomato paste and fresh, high-protein, low-in-fat seafood. It’s naturally good and good for you without any additions or recipe remakes.
You may be accustomed to a mélange of ingredients with gumbo. Much of that has to do with Creole vs. Cajun styles of cooking. Both styles start with a roux and might include okra or filepowder. Filepowder is made from the dried leaves of the sassafras tree and imparts a mild, lemon flavor. Cajun seafood gumbo also usually includes chicken or sausage, while Creole gumbo, like this one, primarily uses shellfish and tomato. There’s also no spice blend for seasoning in this recipe; hot sauce offers up a clean kick.
Mama’s Seafood Gumbo is a fantastic example of how the new “Bon Appetit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories of Three Generations of Southern Cooking, Revised and Updated, With New Recipes” (UGA Press, $25) is still my story and how I eat in real life, a Mediterranean diet with a Southern accent. It’s a great, slow-cooking weekend recipe for a crowd to enjoy when the weather’s cool.
Mama’s Seafood Gumbo