Gumbo is a native dish of Louisiana, and it is perhaps the most famous dish. Gumbo means, “all together” or “all at once” as in the expression gumbo ya-ya means everyone talking at once. The term evolved from the African “kingombo” or “ngombo,” okra, a vegetable used to thicken and flavor the dish.
SHRIMP AND CRAB GUMBO
2/3 cup oil or bacon drippings
Worcestershire sauce
1 cup flour
3 pounds okra, cut
3 large onions, chopped
2 cans (8 ounce size) tomato sauce
1 dozen raw crabs, cleaned
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
1/4 large bell pepper, chopped
3 pounds raw shrimp, peeled
2 pounds crab meat
2 quarts water
Oysters
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tabasco, to taste
In skillet make roux using oil and flour. Cook until it is chocolate brown color. Add chopped vegetables and stir until wilted. Transfer to large gumbo pot (not iron, as iron will make okra turn black). Add water and bring to a boil. Add seasonings, okra, and tomato sauce. Boil for approximately 1 hour. Add crabs, green onions, and parsley; continue boiling for about 20 minutes. Add scrimp 2-3 minutes after crabs. Just before serving add crab meat and oysters. Serve over hot fluffy rice in gumbo bowls.
Variation: Omit okra or tomato sauce. Instead of seafood, use large hen, wild ducks, geese, turkey carcass, or other type meat. Cook until tender.
Serves 15.
