From the menu of -- Red Snapper

A. We can believe that the food is consistently good at the Red Snapper because of the care owners Jimmy and Somporn Veeranarong took in testing the gumbo recipe they provided. Not content to just figure out on paper how to cut down the large recipe they make in the restaurant, they then tested the recipe to be sure the result matched what they serve at the restaurant.

No shortcut gumbo, this recipe is the real thing, with a roux that cooks slowly to a dark brown and the addition of gumbo file at the end of the cooking to help thicken the mixture. The cooking and draining of the okra is a smart tip that reduces some of the stickiness people dislike in okra.

Jimmy Veeranarong says you can use any cooked seafood you like in the recipe and suggests salmon, snapper, shrimp and crab. We tested it with snapper and shrimp. Delicious.

At the restaurant, the seafood is precooked and added at the last minute. Because the bite-size pieces of fish and whole shrimp will cook quickly in the hot gumbo, I’ve adapted the recipe to add the seafood with about 5 minutes of cooking time left. Have your gumbo at a slow simmer and the seafood will cook perfectly when the gumbo is ready to serve over hot cooked rice.

Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put "From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.

Red Snapper’s Seafood Gumbo

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

The restaurant garnishes each serving of gumbo with a big dollop of fresh seafood, like the crab pictured here.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion (about 1 large)

1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 large)

1 cup chopped celery (about 2 ribs)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 tablespoon lobster base

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 bay leaf

1 cup sliced okra (fresh or frozen)

1 (6-ounce) can chopped clams, with juice

1 tablespoon Tabasco

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon gumbo file

1 pound seafood (see Answer)

Salt and pepper

In a small heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour a little at a time, stirring well to combine. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, until it turns nut brown in color, about 40 minutes.

While roux is cooking, in a large stock pot, add oil, onions, peppers, celery and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, lobster base, parsley and bay leaf and bring to a boil.

While soup is coming to a boil, in a small saucepan, cook okra in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain water and add okra to large stock pot. Add clams, Tabasco and Worcestershire to stock pot and stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer. As soon as roux is ready, add 1/2 cup cooking liquid to the roux and stir to dissolve, then add everything to the pot. Continue cooking 45 minutes after the addition of the roux. Five minutes before ready to serve, stir in gumbo file and seafood. Simmer 5 minutes and season to taste. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Per serving: 547 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 49 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 30 grams fat (12 grams saturated), 183 milligrams cholesterol, 449 milligrams sodium.