GUMBO

Ingredients

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound smoked sausage
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 cups Tony Chachere’s Instant Roux Mix
3 cups water
2 cans chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) can tomatoes, blended in food processor
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
3-4 drops hot sauce
2 cups sliced okra
1 (5-ounce) can crabmeat
Hot cooked rice for serving

Preparation

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add shrimp and boil 3 minutes; drain and set aside.
Slice sausage and lightly brown in a large Dutch oven. Remove sausage and set aside. Drain sausage drippings from pot and add olive oil. Saute onion, celery, pepper and garlic until tender.

In a separate bowl, stir roux mix and water together. Add to Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Add chicken broth and tomatoes. Add bay leaves, salt, pepper, thyme, hot sauce and browned sausage. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add okra and simmer 45 minutes. Add shrimp and crabmeat and simmer 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves and serve over hot rice.