Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 medium onions, chopped
• 8 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 (14 1/2 oz.) cans ready-to-serve chicken broth
• 2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen sliced okra, thawed
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. hot sauce
• 5 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tsp. dried whole thyme
• 2 tsp. dried whole basil
• 2 tsp. dried whole oregano
• 2 tsp. rubbed sage
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 2 lb. unpeeled, medium-size fresh shrimp
• 1 quart oysters, undrained
• 1 lb. fresh crabmeat, drained and flaked
• 1 lb. fish fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Hot cooked rice
• Gumbo file' (optional)

Directions

Combine oil and flour in a cast-iron skillet; cook over medium heat 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of chocolate. Stir in onion, celery and garlic; cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Transfer mixture to a Dutch oven. Add chicken broth and next 12 ingredients; simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Peel and devein shrimp. Add shrimp, oysters, crabmeat, and fish to Dutch oven; simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve gumbo over hot cooked rice, and if desired, sprinkle with file'.

Makes 7 quarts

Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: "Southern Living", Sept. 1991
Submitted By: Teresa
literary_lizard@yahoo.com
Seafood Gumbo