I am so hungry right now.
:-)
I agree with and like ya'll opinions about gumbo too.
It is a hard dish to make. I am picky about eating too.
I need to know what is in it.

OK...update. I spoke with my wife last night and she said that she had the recipe already written down as my youngest son called from Cleveland for the recipe not too long ago. She said she would forward that email to me so I will copy and paste the recipe hopefully before the day is over...and yes, it does have okra.

I gotta tell you, though...it is a pretty simple recipe...nothing fancy...and that's the way I like it.

Here you go:

1/2 cup veg. oil

1/2 plain flour

Season - with parsley, thyme, sage, & bay leaf, salt & black & cajun pepper.

Brown the rue until almost burnt (chocolate brown)

Once you get it to the right color - then add water. Cut your vegetables and add to mixture and bring to boil. Then lower the temp. to medium heat.

1 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 cup okra, chopped (optional)
When the vegetables are cooked then add shrimp & crab meat.


1/2 pound crabmeat, flaked (or can of crab meat)
2 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
Hope it turns out good!



Then there was this question from my son...

About how much water, and by cajun pepper do you mean something like Old Bay Seasoning?

To which my wife answered...

This was from a long time ago - water should be about 1/2 pot of water and yes to the old bay spice


I know...she didn't say how big her pot was, but I know it is about the same size as a pot that you would use to boil a chicken or make red beans and rice in. I guess you will have to experiment with how much water to add but it is probably better to add water until you get it to the thickness you like.

Oh, yeah...1 more thing. You can also add whole gulf crabs(blue crabs?), (my favorite gumbo...really adds crab flavor and provides for an eating symphony when shared with family...you'll see what I mean, some probably already have heard it)...but I would put the crabmeat in, too.

• Thanks, love oysters and would have dumped 'em in all at once and let them overcook.

• Well, you certainly are going about it the right way ... :grin: ... good food, good football & good friends, what else is there? Them crawfish enchiladas got my attention too!

• :lol: ... too funny, thanks for clearing that up, I was a little confused at first, not being from around there and all ... :lol:

• Even worse, I'm going to use a slow-cooker, :chef:, but I gotta' make do with what I got for now ... until I can get me a bus ticket to JazzFest ...

... first batch is going to be this weekend ... if you guys don't hear from me, send out a search party ... and 'thanks' for posting your wife's recipe, Saint_LB!

No problem...good luck. One final thing. I have found that gumbo is usually much better after it has been sitting in the fridge for a while...like overnight...however, it is hard to get to that point, because you usually end up eating most of it on the first sitting.

Well there's a new one for me...I never knew you could get crab meat from a can. Can't imagine what it tastes like, but I guess if you can't get fresh, you have to settle for the canned stuff.

I'm always learning new things on this board!;)

... all the good seafood up here gets shipped in from the Gulf anyway, but yeah, we got the 'canned' crab meat, :lol: ... it's Ok and works good in recipes, but nothing ever beats 'fresh' if you can get it.

Old Bay in a gumbo is a sin... If you can't find some Tony's or Zat's creole seasoning where you live, buy some online.
It's not that expensive.

Gumbo for me always taste better the next day. After I make a pot and refrigerate it, it taste 10 times better the next day. All that love needs to marinate.

I have a batch of green bell peppers I was going to stuff this weekend but hell... I think I need to make a pot of gumbo now. :cool:

I agree with this. I just questioned my wife, and she said that she didn't use it but said OK when son asked...I don't know why. Just try to use what fhotard said or some type of cajun pepper.