Southern Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 lb ham, diced
• 12 okra pods, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, undrained (14.5 ounce can)
• 7 cups water
• 1 cup oyster juice, reserved from oysters
• 1 lb raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb crabmeat, picked over for shells
• 1 pint small oyster, drained and liquor reserved
• 1 tablespoon gumbo file
• 4-5 cups cooked white rice

Directions

1. 1

   Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in large kettle or stockpot. Add flour. Make a roux, by cooking and stirring this constantly with a wooden spoon, until the color turns from gold to dark red. (Don't stop stirring for a second, or you will scorch the roux!) When the roux is red-colored, remove from the heat. Set aside.

2. 2

   Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a very large skillet. Saute chopped onions and garlic until soft. Add ham. Stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Then add okra, stirring and cooking 2 to 3 minutes. Add thyme, bay leaves, parsley, pepper, salt, tomatoes, water, and liquor from oysters. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes.

3. 3

   Add this entire mixture to roux in kettle. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to gentle boil. Stirring constantly, cook for 1 hour.

4. 4

   Add shrimp and crab meat. Cook 2 minutes. Add oysters. Cook 1 minute more. Add gumbo file at very last. Stir well.

5. 5

   Serve in bowls with a 1/2 cup of rice in each.