This dish is lengthy and time-consuming, but it’s worth it! Every dish of gumbo should be accompanied by 1/3 cup of boiled rice.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 8 hrs 50 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 9 hrs 25 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 5 quarts water
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 4 onions, quartered
- ½ bunch celery, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ½ tablespoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 16 ounces crabmeat
- 1 bay leaf, crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup corn oil
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 cups chopped green bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons file powder
- 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
- 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 pint shucked oysters
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Shell and devein the shrimp, reserve the shells. Place the shrimp in a covered bowl and refrigerate. Place the shells on a cookie sheet, and bake until the shells are dried and starting to brown on the edges. Turn off the oven.
- Make the stock: In a 8 quart pot, put 5 quarts of water, 4 carrots, 4 onions, and celery. Add 2 bay leaves, sliced garlic, parsley, cloves, 1 teaspoons black pepper, 1 tablespoon dried basil and 2 teaspoons dried thyme. Add the shrimp shells. Bring the stock slowly to boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook 5 to 7 hours, replacing water as needed, 2 or 3 times, by pouring more water down side of pot.
- Remove stock from heat and strain. Press all liquid from the shells and vegetables, then discard them. Return liquid to heat and reduce stock to 2 to 3 quarts, or to your desired quantity (you will need 7 cups of this stock for this recipe). If clarity is desired, strain the stock through a cloth.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground red, white, and black peppers, paprika, thyme, oregano, bay leaf and salt and set aside.
- In a heavy pot, 5-quart or larger, heat oil over medium heat, warming the pot first. Add onions, celery and green pepper. Turn heat to high. Stirring frequently, add garlic, file, hot pepper sauce, and the pepper-herb mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomato sauce and stir as it reduces over high heat. Add 7 cups of the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- When ready to serve, add shrimp, oysters, and crabmeat. Cover and wait 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
- File powder is a seasoning made from the ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree. It’s an integral part of Creole cooking, and is used to thicken and flavor Gumbos and other Creole dishes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 418 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 24 g |
| Cholesterol | 142 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 951 mg |
| Sugars | 10 g |
| Fat | 24 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Easy to make, I cooked it on low for eight hours I thought it would be dry but was perfect. Placed over white rice, the recipes creates a good portion for about three people. Would make again.
The etc
This is a great recipe. I added a few ingredients and a touch of my own. I added crawfish and smoked beef sausage and more hot sauce.
It came out perfectly
As a New Orleans native, I found this recipe on the money. Not quite my mom’s but good 😉
I have a variation of this recipe and it is a hit with my friends and family during the holidays. I make my stock using celery, onion, tomato, and shrimp shells, and either whole pieces of fish or the heads and tails. i don’t use oysters but replace it with sliced pieces of fish (orange roughy or tilapia). i tried flounder once but it breaks up and you can’t distinguish it from the crabmeat. I also add sea scallops (sliced in half) or bay scallops.
This is a great recipe and matches my recipe that I always use but I add anduille sauage and scallops.
This is really a really great recipe-it is worth the effort- Thanks for sharing – Del
I followed the reciped exactly and it just wasn’t good. The flavors didn’t mingle well…seemed like there was too much thyme in particular.