Gumbo Z’Herbes With Crab and Prawns

Name: Gumbo Z’Herbes With Crab and Prawns
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: creole
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 yellow onion, diced; 2 shallots, minced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped; 8 ounces fresh spinach; 1 bunch fresh curly kale, large stems removed; 2 cups vegetable stock, fish stock or clam juice; 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk; 1 pound fresh or frozen okra, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces; 3 medium Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes, diced; 1 tablespoon filé powder; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves; 1 pound head-on prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1/2 pound lump crab meat (preferably Dungeness crab); Salt and freshly ground pepper; Cooked white rice, for serving; Lemon wedges, for serving

Recipe from Tanya Holland

Adapted by Korsha Wilson

Published Jan. 29, 2023

Gumbo Z’Herbes With Crab and Prawns — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 50 minutes
Rating: 4(147)
Comments: Read comments

The chef Tanya Holland’s mother grew up in Shreveport, La., and made a version of gumbo that features lots of hearty greens, so Ms. Holland came up with this version for her newest cookbook, “Tanya Holland’s California Soul: Recipes From a Culinary Journey West” (Ten Speed Press, 2022). It’s a blend of her mother’s recipe and a bit of inspiration from the famous Creole chef Leah Chase. Here, the sauce is a vibrant green thanks to a purée of spinach and kale, giving it an earthy lightness and California flavor that perfectly complements fresh seafood. If you can’t find Dungeness crab, use blue crab or Jonah crab in its place. —Korsha Wilson

Featured in: The Chef Tanya Holland Chronicles the Journey of ‘California Soul’

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

3tablespoons vegetable oil
1yellow onion, diced
2shallots, minced
2garlic cloves, minced
1jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
8ounces fresh spinach
1bunch fresh curly kale, large stems removed
2cups vegetable stock, fish stock or clam juice
1(14-ounce) can coconut milk
1pound fresh or frozen okra, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch pieces
3medium Yukon Gold or other yellow potatoes, diced
1tablespoon filé powder
1tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1pound head-on prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined
½pound lump crab meat (preferably Dungeness crab)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cooked white rice, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large soup pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium. Add the onion, shallots, garlic and jalapeño, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach, kale, stock, coconut milk and 1½ cups water, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the kale is wilted. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the greens to a blender or food processor; add 1 cup of the broth and blend until puréed.
Step 2
Return the purée to the pot and add the okra, potatoes, filé powder and thyme. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the seafood and continue cooking until the prawns are pink and the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
To serve, spoon the rice into shallow bowls, and ladle the gumbo over the rice. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Ratings

4 out of 5

147 user ratings

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Comments

Brian Reid2 years ago

If you get shrimps with their heads and shells on, and don’t want the heads on the shrimp when serving, you can quickly simmer up a shrimp stock for the liquid in this. Simply bring a pot of water to boil, adding a sliced onion and the tops and bottoms of a few stalks celery. Also in the water a teaspoon peppercorns and a few bay leaves. While this is at a good simmer peel your shrimp, and place the heads and shells in the simmering liquid and let it go another 15-20 minutes before straining.

Sarah McCabe2 years ago

I don’t under stand why this is so good. It is perfect for halibut. Makes a lot, 1.5 gallons or so. May not keep long. Using frozen vegetables it is a pantry dish. Jalapeños = 1 4 oz can green Chile+ some leftover Thai red chili in for 5 min Shrimp= 1pound frozen halibut + 1/2 pound frozen red salmon in 2 inch chunks Greens= 10 oz frozen spinach+10 oz frozen kale Okra= 4 oz frozen chopped green beans Stock = 2 Tbsp instant veggie boullion

Ben Warner2 years ago

I have to add it's nice to get some homemade file' online made in Louisiana. The best is traditionally made by the Houma Indian Nation. The smell of the homemade foraged wild and prepared in the wooden mortar is unbelievable. I often find some on etsy of ebay or I buy it when I see it at meat markets in Louisiana when I'm back there. It's so much more flavorful than the dried out massed produced stuff.

Fenner1 year ago

Not too flavorful, used chicken andouille but we should have browned it, needed another layer of flavor

Mathilde1 year ago

Delicious! This is an old New Orleans Creole recipe. The addition of coconut milk gives it a modern touch. I added 1/4 cup Pernod and it was wonderful! The anise flavor complements the greens and seafood perfectly. Next time I will add oysters!

Stout1 year ago

Needs some alterations. First, if using fresh okra, plan for additional 20 minutes of simmering prior to putting in the potatoes to let the okra break down and get soft. Cut the spinach and kale in half. The color of green was beautiful but too thick. Overall, seasoning is lacking. I added 1.5 TBL of Creole seasoning which helped up the sodium and overall spice. After that, I actually enjoyed the dish.

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