Southern Seafood Gumbo

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 lb ham, diced
• 12 okra pods, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, undrained (14.5 ounce can)
• 7 cups water
• 1 cup oyster juice, reserved from oysters
• 1 lb raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb crabmeat, picked over for shells
• 1 pint small oyster, drained and liquor reserved
• 1 tablespoon gumbo file
• 4 -5 cups cooked rice

Recipe

• 1 melt 4 tablespoons of butter in large kettle or stockpot. add flour. make a roux, by cooking and stirring this constantly with a wooden spoon, until the color turns from gold to dark red. (don't stop stirring for a second, or you will scorch the roux!) when the roux is red-colored, remove from the heat. set aside.
• 2 melt 2 tablespoons butter in a very large skillet. saute chopped onions and garlic until soft. add ham. stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes. then add okra, stirring and cooking 2 to 3 minutes. add thyme, bay leaves, parsley, pepper, salt, tomatoes, water, and liquor from oysters. bring to a boil. reduce heat. simmer 15 minutes.
• 3 add this entire mixture to roux in kettle. bring to a boil again. reduce heat to gentle boil. stirring constantly, cook for 1 hour.
• 4 add shrimp and crab meat. cook 2 minutes. add oysters. cook 1 minute more. add gumbo file at very last. stir well.
• 5 serve in bowls with a 1/2 cup of rice in each.