seafood gumbo

Ingredients seafood gumbo

3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup bleached all-purpose flour
2 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp cayenne
5 bay leaves
8 cup water
1 lb medium shrimp peeled and deveined
1 lb lump crabmeat picked over for shells and cartilage
2 dozen oysters shucked with their liquor
2 tbsp chopped green onions (green part only) or scallions
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsly leaves

how to make seafood gumbo

Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron or enabeled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate, 20 to 25 minutes.

Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the water and stir to blend with the roux.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Add the shrimp and crabmeat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Serve immediately over steamed long-grain rice in soup bowls