CRAB AND SHRIMP GUMBO WITH OKRA

Crab and Shrimp Gumbo with Okra image

My grandma gave me a famous Louisiana cookbook (if you are a Louisiana native, you know what I'm talking about) when I was a teenager. I watched her make famous-around-town gumbo so many times as a kid. I took the book's "second edition" recipe and what I learned from her and came up with my own hybrid of the two. My daughters have asked me for my recipe, so here is my best recollection of it.

Provided by Tiffany Alessi Carter

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Stews Gumbo Recipes

Time 3h35m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

½ cup canola oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 pound chopped okra
1 large white onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons canola oil
6 cups water, or more to taste
1 teaspoon gumbo file powder, or to taste
½ teaspoon Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere's®), or to taste
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 leaf (blank)s bay leaves, or more to taste
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 (6 ounce) cans lump crabmeat
4 cups hot cooked rice

Steps:

Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat until a pinch of flour sprinkled into the oil just begins to bubble. Whisk in the flour to form a thick paste the consistency of cake frosting. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the flour is very dark brown and the color of melted chocolate, about 45 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add okra, onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are translucent and veggies are cooked, 6 to 8 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, cover, and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add okra and cook, stirring constantly, until tender and no longer stringy or slimy, about 10 minutes. Add to simmering roux mixture and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add 6 cups water plus file powder, Creole seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne, and bay leaves. Cook, uncovered, tasting a few times as it cooks to adjust spices and adding more water if necessary, until gumbo is as thick as you would like, at least 2 to 3 hours. The longer it cooks, the better.
Stir in shrimp and crabmeat; cook for 15 more minutes. Ladle gumbo over hot rice in serving bowls.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 419.6 calories, Carbohydrate 37.3 g, Cholesterol 109.4 mg, Fat 20.6 g, Fiber 3.7 g, Protein 21.2 g, SaturatedFat 1.7 g, Sodium 497.5 mg, Sugar 3.4 g