Seafood gumbo with sausage and crispy okra

Ingredients:

Gumbo

• 250 g smoked pork sausage, cut into thin slices
• 2 small stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 110 g butter
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 6-8 cups shrimp broth, see recipe below
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Seafood

• 12 scallops
• 12 large shrimp, peeled, tails left on
• 18 oysters without shells
• 180 g of crab meat
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Shrimp broth

• 3 cups raw shrimp shells and tails
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 medium stalk celery
• 6 tbsp of water
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 medium fresh tomato or 1/2 cup canned tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf

Crispy okra

• 250 g okra, cut into pieces
• Rapeseed oil
• 1.5 cups corn flour

Preparation:

1. Prepare the gumbo baseHeat a medium skillet over high heat. Add the pork sausage and cook until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Do not drain the oil. In the same skillet, sauté the celery, carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft.
2. In a large saucepan or cauldron, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour. Cook the flour mixture until it turns a light caramel color, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes without stirring.
   
   In a large saucepan, bring the shrimp broth to a boil. Pour about 6 cups of broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the sausage. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes, adding more broth if the mixture is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Prepare seafoodHeat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over high heat until smoking. Saute the scallops with salt and pepper until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.
   
   Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook until pink, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the scallops.
   
   Add the scallops, shrimp, oysters and crab to the saucepan and continue cooking until the oysters are cooked through.
4. Make crispy okraHeat 2 inches of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Line the pan with paper towels.
   
   Place cornmeal in a shallow baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
   
   Season the okra with salt and pepper and mix with the cornmeal. Fry the okra in batches until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet and season with salt.
5. Divide the seafood gumbo among 4 shallow bowls, ladle over some of the sausage sauce, add honey, and garnish with fried okra and chopped parsley and cilantro.
   
   Shrimp brothHeat oil in a large saucepan over high heat and sauté shrimp shells and tails, onion, carrot, and celery for 5 minutes, stirring. Add water, wine, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.
   
   Strain the broth through cheesecloth or any other method.