Lunch: Mr. John's Seafood Chorizo Soup

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 quarts shrimp stock or canned low-sodium chicken stock
1 dozen blue gumbo crabs, cracked in 1/2, lungs and intestines removed
1 pound smoked chorizo or andouille sausage, 1/2 finely chopped and 1/2 cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 pounds peeled crawfish tails
2 tablespoons chopped green onions (green parts only)
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Hot, cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a fragrant, dark chocolate-colored roux, 25 to 30 minutes.
Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, Essence, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the stock and crabs. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped and sliced sausage and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Stir the shrimp, crawfish, and cooked sausage into the gumbo. Cook over medium-low heat until the seafood is firm, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for a few minutes. Skim any fat from the surface.
Stir the green onions and parsley into the gumbo. Spoon the rice into soup bowls and ladle the gumbo on top. Serve hot.
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cupRecipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie TirschPublished by William and Morrow, 1993.

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