Pacific Northwest Seafood Gumbo with Matt Boudousquie of The Bistro at Shuksan

Recipe from Chef Matt Boudousquie, Executive Chef at The Bistro at Shuksan

Photo: Ben Bender

Chef Matthew Boudousquie was born and raised in Louisiana.  His grandmother is his cooking inspiration and he is very excited to teach everyone how he cooks seafood gumbo.  His father moved to Bellingham when he was 9 years old and he has fallen in love with the abundance of fresh seafood and beautiful vegetables grown in the PNW.  He is the Executive Chef at The Bistro at Shuksan located inside Shuksan Golf Club. The Bistro is a Southern-inspired Farm to Table concept focused on sustainable ingredients.  His favorite color is turquoise.

Pacific Northwest Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

• ½ Tbsp allspice

• 1 Tbsp thyme

• 1 Tbsp basil

• 1 Tbsp salt

• 1 Tbsp pepper

• 1 Tbsp file powder

• 2 Tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce

• 2 Tbsp cornstarch

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• ¼ cup Tony’s Cajun Seasoning

• ½ cup unsalted butter

• ½ cup veg oil

• ½ cup parsley

• 6 cloves minced garlic

• 6 bay leaves

• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free ap flour

• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill brown rice flour

• ½ cup cut green onion/ scallion

• 2 cup okra

• 2 cup celery

•  2 cup onion

• 2 cup green bell pepper

• 6 quarts stock either veg or crab or seafood

• ½ lb andouille or smoked sausage

• 1 lb Sea to Shore Seafood Co. smoked salmon

• 1 lb Lummi Seafood Market crab sections, cooked

• 1 lb Icy Fresh shrimp/ prawns, cooked

• King crab legs from Jean C Family Fisheries

Directions:

1. Melt the butter with the oil in big stock pot or Dutch oven on medium/ high heat. Slowly add mixture of flour and cornstarch to make your roux. Use a whisk or a wooden paddle until the mixture is a nice dark brown consistency.

2. Add the celery, onion, green bell, pepper to the roux and cook until the vegetables are “sweated” aka the onions are almost cooked all the way through.

3. Add the sausage and let it caramelize into the vegetables.

4. Add the allspice, thyme, basil, salt, pepper, Crystal hot Sauce, Tony’s Cajun Seasoning, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and okra. Let all the spices blend and mix with the wooden paddle (spoon).

5. Add the stock and the proteins and turn the heat to a simmer and let it cook down for about 30-45 minutes. The long the better. It freezes well for up to six months and the flavors turn into liquid gold. Enjoy with friends and family.

6. Serve with Jasmine rice or potato salad like we do in the Bayou.