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
- butter: 2 Tbsp
- garlic: 3 clove (minced)
- onion: 2 cups (chopped)
- celery: 0.75 cup (chopped)
- okra: 1 pound (chopped)
- butter: 0.25 cup
- all-purpose flour: 0.25 cup
- beef stew meat: 0.5 pound (cubed, optional)
- water: 8 cups
- whole tomatoes, undrained and: 1 can (16 ounce can, chopped)
- ½ teaspoons white sugar: 1 piece
- ½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley: 1 piece
- sprig fresh thyme: 1 piece
- bay leaves: 2 piece
- pinch salt: 1 piece
- ground cayenne pepper: 0.5 tsp
- pinch ground black pepper: 1 piece
- andouille sausage: 1 pound (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
- crabmeat, flaked: 0.5 pound
- medium shrimp: 1 pound (peeled and deveined)
- hot pepper sauce: 0.5 tsp
- Worcestershire sauce: 0.25 cup
- lemon: 0.5 piece
- file powder (see Note):
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, onions, celery, and okra, stirring constantly until golden brown. Set aside.
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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.
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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.
