Recipes Shrimp-and-Crab Gumbo 4.0 (3,179) 6 Reviews This gumbo from chef-owner Donald Link of Herbsaint in New Orleans owes its flavor to the roux, a mix of flour and oil that's cooked until it's coffee-colored. Plus: More Cajun and Creole Favorites By Donald Link Donald Link F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: Herbsaint, Cochon, Cochon Butcher, Calcasieu, Pêche (New Orleans) Education: California Culinary Academy (San Francisco) What style of cooking are you most famous for? Southern Cajun. New Orleans has always had its own unique food, and Cajun culture is two and a half hours west of here. I wanted to bring the soul of that to New Orleans in a way that wasn’t overly touristy. What dish defines your style of cooking? Gumbo started it all. And the system behind it, of making stocks and getting good ingredients and coaxing the flavors out of them. It’s time-consuming, too, so I think it put me in this mind-set of taking time with food to create something special, as opposed to just knocking out dinner. Is there a culinary skill or a type of dish that you wish you were better at? I’ve had this weird interest in making hand-pulled Chinese noodles. I saw it done recently, and then looked it up on the Internet. It looks so easy, but it’s not. Some people spend three months apprenticing just to learn that one thing. Who taught you to cook? My grandfather, while I was growing up in southwest Louisiana. While everyone else was eating at McDonald’s, my grandfather was cooking squirrel and lima beans and ham hocks. What is the best dish for a neophyte cook to try? Roast chicken. It can be really bad if it’s not done right, awesome if it’s done well. It teaches you about heat and time and doneness, how to crisp the skin, how to get it golden, how to get it cooked through without drying it out. Obviously you can say to cook it at 350° for an hour and 15 minutes, but ovens are different, chickens are different. You need to feel a connection to the food to do it well. You love chile peppers. Do you have a favorite?Criolla sella. It’s an orange Bolivian pepper. I discovered it almost 10 years ago, when a farmer here in town asked to grow things for me. We found it in a catalog. It’s got the perfect balance of sweetness and heat. It’s not like a jalapeño, which can be too spicy. You get more of that chile flavor as opposed to the heat. What’s a restaurant you’re willing to travel for? Hawk’s Crawfish. A lot of places do crawfish, but somehow they always do it better. My cousins are rice and crawfish farmers and they have special fields that they sell to Hawk’s, and the restaurant keeps them in freshwater tanks for 24 hours, so they’re super-clean. And they cook them in a way that makes them super-tender. I’ve made pilgrimages. It’s two and a half hours by car one way. And I’ve done it one day, just to eat the crawfish. Name one secret-weapon ingredient. Anchovies. Mashed into a paste, anchovies are a great seasoning for roast lamb. If I’m boning a leg or a shoulder, I’ll make a paste of garlic, sea salt, anchovies and lemon to rub inside the meat before I roll it up. Once it’s cooked, you can never tell it’s in there. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 19, 2018 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email We love to eat crab in salads, on sandwiches and even tossed with pasta. Whether you're looking for the perfect crab cake or just love fresh crabmeat, these recipes won't disappoint. From perfect Baltimore-style crab cakes to cool and creamy soups, here are 34 fantastic dishes. Photo: © Tina Rupp Active Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Total Time: 4 hrs Yield: 15 Ingredients Stock 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 pounds medium shrimp, shelled and deveined, shells reserved 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 gallon plus 2 cups clam juice 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped 1 large carrot, chopped 8 bay leaves Roux 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup vegetable oil Gumbo 1/4 cup vegetable oil 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 celery ribs, finely chopped 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes 1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped 1 pound okra, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds 1 tablespoon chile powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 1/2 tablespoons filé powder (see Note) 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground white pepper Salt Shelled and deveined shrimp (from the stock) 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over Steamed rice, sliced scallions and Tabasco, for serving Directions In a stockpot, heat the oil. Add the shrimp shells and cook over high heat, until starting to brown, 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until it begins to stick to the pot, 2 minutes. Add the clam juice, onion, celery, carrot and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat for 25 minutes. Strain the stock into a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan, whisk the flour with the oil to make a paste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until the roux turns golden brown, 30 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and cook, stirring, until the roux is dark brown, 10 minutes longer. Scrape the roux into a bowl and reserve. In the stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the garlic, onion and celery; cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add the roux and cook until bubbling. Stir in the stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until no floury taste remains; skim off the fat. In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the green pepper, okra, chile powder, paprika, filé, oregano, thyme, cayenne and white pepper. Season with salt and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until fragrant, 5 minutes. Stir in a ladleful of the liquid in the stockpot, scrape up the browned bits and transfer to the gumbo in the pot. Simmer, stirring, for 1 hour. Add the shrimp to the pot and cook, until just white throughout, 2 minutes. Stir in the crab; season with salt. Notes Filé powder is made from ground, dried sassafras leaves. It is available from cajungrocer.com. Suggested Pairing Beer: Full-flavored Abita Turbodog. Rate it Print