Seafood Gumbo

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/2 cup lard
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 -3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 -2 large onion, chopped
• 1 -2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 quarts water or 3 quarts broth
• 8 ounces claw crabmeat, picked over for shell and catilage pieces (fresh or frozen)
• 3 -4 whole crabs, cleaned and halved
• 1 -2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined if desired (or left in shell, head-on, for more flavor)
• 1 pint oyster, drained with liquid reserved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• cayenne pepper
• hot cooked rice, as accompaniment
• file powder, for passing (optional)

Recipe

• 1 make roux of melted lard and flour in heavy iron pot over medium-low heat.
• 2 cook slowly, stirring often, until peanut-butter brown.
• 3 be careful not to let it burn; if it does, throw it out and start over.
• 4 add onion, garlic, and green pepper, and stir in to cool the roux.
• 5 slowly stir in water or broth, and add salt, pepper and cayenne generously to taste (season well).
• 6 add fresh claw crabmeat and cleaned whole crabs, and cook for about 1 hour.
• 7 add shrimp and liquid from oysters, and cook about 5 minutes.
• 8 add parsley, green onions, and oysters about 15 minutes before serving, and continue to cook over low heat stirring occasionally.
• 9 serve over rice, with file on the side.
• 10 can be frozen before adding oysters.
• 11 thaw, heat, and add oysters 15 minutes before serving.