Ingredients

The following ingredients have 7 Servings
  • 3/4 cup dark oven roux*
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 (15 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid, chopped up
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 small bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 2 quarts shrimp stock, chicken stock/broth or water
  • 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, vegetable)
  • 1/2-pound smoked sausage, andouille or ham, chopped (optional)
  • 1-pound sliced okra
  • 2 pounds medium small (51/60 to 41/50) raw Wild American gumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (preferably Gulf shrimp)
  • 2 dozen small oysters, undrained
  • 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked through for any shell
  • Hot sauce

Instruction

  • Warm the roux over medium high heat in a large heavy bottom pot, stirring constantly.
  • Add the onion, celery and green pepper to the hot roux, cooking and stirring for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and remove the pot from the heat.
  • Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes, reserving the liquid. I use a pair of kitchen shears to chop them up right in the can. Add the tomatoes to roux mixture and return pot to heat.
  • Add the Creole or Cajun seasoning, Old Bay, bay leaves and thyme. Stir in the shrimp stock, chicken broth or water; return to a boil, reduce heat to just under medium, and let simmer covered for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, add the cooking oil to a separate skillet, and heat over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.
  • To that same skillet, add the okra; cook and stir until slightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer from the skillet to the gumbo pot. Add the sausage to the gumbo pot, cover and continue simmering.
  • Add the shrimp to the gumbo pot. Cover the pot and continue simmering, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the oysters; simmer another 5 minutes.
  • Pick through the crabmeat checking for any remnants of shells; gently stir the crabmeat into the gumbo, until just heated through.
  • Serve over hot cooked rice and sprinkle individual bowls with gumbo filé, if desired. Pass a bottle of Tabasco for some extra kick and add some hot, buttered French bread or rolls and a side salad.