New Orleans Gumbo

12. May 2009 by Marie Pinschmidt.

This is a recipe for Seafood Gumbo from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. For those who do not eat seafood, chicken can be substituted.

• Ingredients: 6 tablespoons flour,  l/2 cup shortening (I use olive oil. Make a roux by blending the flour and oil in a heavy pot and cook until light brown). 
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• l/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 pounds peeled raw shrimp (or substitute cubed chicken, whatever amount you like)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 quarts water
• 1 pound claw crabmeat
• 1/4 bunch chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 can or 1 package of frozen okra (or fresh okra if you’re lucky enough to have a garden.)
• 1/2 pint oysters with juice
• salt and pepper to taste

To the prepared roux, add garlic and cook until golden brown. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until transparent. Add shrimp (or chicken) and tomato sauce, simmer 10 minutes, stir in water, and blend well. Add all other ingredients except okra and oysters. Cook 1 hour, add okra and cook 20 minutes. (If oysters are now added cook 10 minutes longer.)

Serve in a soup bowl over steamed rice. Yield: 1 gallon.  This recipe can be varied; i.e. add canned tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce. I like to add a couple dashes of hot sauce to give it an extra spark.

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