Hempler’s Northwest “Gumbalaya”

Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 1 hour

Smoked sausage lends a lot of great flavor to any dish you make, but especially stewed preparations. The South has those types of dishes on lock, with popularities like gumbo and jambalaya. So, what happens when you combine those two dishes with Northwest ingredients like Hempler’s Andouille sausage, fresh Dungeness crab, and local oysters? A delicious dish we call Northwest Gumbalaya.

Ingredients

6 slices Hempler’s Applewood Smoked Bacon, cut into 1” pieces

16 oz Hempler’s Andouille Sausage, cut into ½” slices

1/2 cup peanut or canola oil or bacon fat

1/2 Walla Walla sweet onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 white onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup celery, chopped (about 2 stalks)

1 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, minced (seeded, or keep the seeds in if you like it spicy!)

1/2 serrano pepper, minced (seeded, or keep the seeds in if you like it spicy!)

2 bay leaves

1-1/2 Tbsp Creole seasoning

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 1/2 tsp thyme

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/4 tsp ground chile de arbol

1 tbsp salt

2 cups Arborio rice

3 cups low sodium chicken stock (plus extra if needed)

1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes

1 jar small oysters, with liquor; oysters chopped

1/2 cup Dungeness crab

2 green onions, sliced into 1 cm pieces

Instructions

 

1. In a large Dutch oven, cook Hempler’s applewood bacon over medium-high heat, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon.
2. Add Hempler’s Andouille sausage and brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Add oil to pan if needed and heat. Scoop in onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and spicy peppers, and toss to coat.
4. Once veggies have softened, about 7 minutes, add bay leaves, Creole seasoning, paprika, white pepper, thyme, oregano, chile de arbol, and salt. Toss ingredients together and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, until fragrant.
5. Add Arborio rice, and mix well, cooking for 3 minutes.
6. Pour in stock, tomatoes, cooked bacon and sausage, and stir to mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add oyster liquor from jar.
7. Simmer mixture for 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add in extra broth, a little at a time, if needed. Once liquid has been absorbed and mixture is shiny, remove from heat.
8. In large serving bowls, add 2-3 chopped oysters to bottom of each bowl. Then scoop plenty of rice and sausage mixture over top. The oysters will cook in the heat of the gumbalaya.
9. Top bowls with Dungeness crab and chopped green onions, plus extra raw oysters if desired.

Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 1 hour