Description
This is a basic gumbo recipe with a lot of added flavor. You can omit the stew meat if you choose or add something in its place. I recommend you serve this recipe over rice, like many other gumbo recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chopped onion
- ¾ cup chopped celery
- 1 pound okra, chopped
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ pound cubed beef stew meat (Optional)
- 8 cups water
- 1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons white sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- ½ pound crabmeat, flaked
- 1 pound medium shrimp – peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ lemon
- file powder (see Note)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic
- onions
- celery
- and okra
- stirring constantly until golden brown. Set aside.
- In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat
- combine 1/4 cup butter and flour. Cook
- stirring constantly
- until the roux becomes chocolate brown. Stir in the vegetable mixture
- and stew meat. Cook
- stirring
- until vegetables are tender
- and meat is evenly brown. Stir in water
- tomatoes
- and sugar. Season with parsley
- thyme
- bay leaves
- salt
- cayenne pepper
- and black pepper. Bring to a boil
- reduce heat
- and simmer for 2 1/2 hours
- stirring occasionally.
- Add shrimp
- crabmeat
- and andouille to the stock pot. Stir in hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Remove seeds from lemon and squeeze juice into the stock pot. Simmer an additional 10 minutes
- stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves
- sprinkle with filé powder
- and serve over rice.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
Total Time: 4 hrs
Servings: 10