Eat Arkansas

I swear by the gumbo at the Flying Fish. Darker roux than Faded Rose and others, and the last-minute addition of cooked shrimp works well. They don't get mushy. On the other hand, I think the most overrated gumbo is at the Oyster Bar. It's just vegetable soup to me, not gumbo.

ARK. BLOG: Faded Rose makes great gumbo. I'd be the last person in the world to challenge Ed David's Louisiana credentials. And he brings in real Louisiana sausage to make it.

But Big Fun is right. The Flying Fish, with its Hispanic kitchen staff, makes a gumbo that tastes more like the gumbo I ate growing up in SW Louisiana (Acadiana) than any I've had since the demise of Sammy's Seafood on Broad Street in Lake Charles, La. It's not perfect. Some oysters and a half a crab in each bowl would make it perfect. And maybe a Jax beer. Also, I liked the Louisiana-style service -- a broad shallow bowl with a perfect scoop of white rice in the middle.

And here's a bit of Cajun country trivia. A frequent side dish to gumbo down there was, what else, potato salad. Go figure.

I second the Oyster Bar comment.

I find it very difficult to find a gumbo I like outside of Louisiana. Faded Rose is OK, but I think it can lean towards the greasy side. The flying fish has some spice in it that I find off-putting. Almost bitter.

And as for a recipe, gumbo to me is more of a method than a recipe. Once you make a dark roux with your equal parts fat and flour (and stir, and stir, and stir...seriously...over med/low heat for about 30 minutes!), you add your trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) and whatever else you have around! I'm partial to the traditional shrimp and sausage gumbo, but I know people who swear by duck gumbo.

I do tend to stay away from the commerical cajun seasonings...I think they have too much salt. I make emeril's essence from scratch (you can find that recipe for free at the bottom of any of his recipes at foodnetwork.com that call for it)

Oh, and stock...forgot stock...if I'm in a hurry I use canned low sodium chick stock. But if it's an all day gumbo love fest, I make my own shrimp stock...YUM!

Whenever I smoke a turkey or chickens, I make some smokey stock from the bones/skin/etc. This rich brown smoky goodness is wonderful in gumbo. If I have the time, I grill my chicken/sausage/shrimp and add them near the end of the process. Crawfish is a nice addition, but I'm having to rethink the chinese frozen crawfish tails that I used to buy. They're probably raised in toxic sludge pits and fed the severed limbs of slave labor. I have used crab before, but it seems to get lost in the mix, and it's too pricey for that. Other than that, the secret to good gumbo is not to overcook the okra. I'm also not much of a fan of file powder. If not using cajun seasonings, don't forget to add either oregano or thyme.

Jeez, now I'm starving.

Not quite in Arkansas, but the open-only-for-lunch place on Madison in Memphis called Bluff City Bayou has the most heavenly gumbo I have ever tasted anywhere, including many places in Louisiana. The owner has all kinds of New Orleans experience and credibility according to the review that led me there. You have to order it ahead of time, and it's expensive, but oh my.