My grandmother, Susie, is one of the best cooks I know! Every time I go to her house for a visit, she never fails to have a nourishing, delicious meal made with love waiting for me. This seafood gumbo is one of her best, and a dish that is perfect for the colder months!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oil [vegetable, EVOO, or avocado]

• 1 cup AP flour

• 1 large onion

• 1 cup celery

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 qts. chicken stock

• 1-2 lbs chopped okra

• 1 large can (280 g) San Marzano peeled tomatoes

• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley

• 1/2 tsp oregano

• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp dried basil

• dash Tabasco

• 2 bay leaves

• Worcestershire sauce

• Oysters, crab meat, shrimp

Directions:

Part 1: The Roux

• add 1 cup oil and heat

• add 1 cup AP flour and stir with a wire whisk [stir constantly!]

• stir until it gets to a dark brown that resembles chocolate [this will take 45-60 minutes]

Part 2: Celery and Onions

• add onion and celery to the roux and cook for 10 minutes until transparent

• add generous amounts of salt and pepper (1-2 Tbsp creole seasoning is also good to add in)

• dash of Worcestershire sauce

Part 3: Add in other ingredients

• add the remaining ingredients (except for the seafood) and cook for 30 minutes

• this will produce about a gallon of mix so use a large pot!!

Part 4: Add the seafood

• 1 lb crab meat (claw meat picked from crab claws because it stays lumpy)

• 1 qt. oysters

• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

• 5 minutes to cook seafood if the liquid mix is hot

Helpful Information

• Make sure to stir the roux constantly so that it does not burn or coagulate. You can also use a powdered mix available on amazon if this is easier.

• After part 3 is finished, you can stop here and freeze the mixture, than thaw on the day of serving and heat it up before adding seafood.

• The more the better when it comes to the amount of seafood added!