By Mary Parks | 3 hours

You won’t find invasive green crabs in Louisiana but that isn’t going to stop us from using them in a gumbo. 

Given that Creole gumbos often incorporate seafood and tomatoes, you will find the controversial nightshade in this recipe. I’ll also confess that this recipe was developed by a New Englander who’s very fond of the dish but is by no means a gumbo authority figure. Luckily some Louisianans in our network were able to impart some advice:

“Like any good gumbo, the key is a dark and rich roux slowly cooked for at least 40 minutes. If your gumbo is the color of caramel you haven’t gotten there yet.”

“Wooden spoons only in the gumbo pot!”

“Filé is not only important for flavor, it also adds some texture to the dish.”

“I’m leaving if you use store-bought roux, if you want to save time just use frozen okra pre-sliced.”

“I know you did something wrong if your gumbo is served on a plate.”

“Keep your eye on the roux at all times, get a kitchen stool and camp out next to the stove.  Once it’s burned you have to start over.”

Ingredients 

• 1 cup & 1 Tbsp neutral oil or lard

• 1 & ½ cup flour 

• 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced 

• 2 green bell peppers, diced

• 3 celery stalks, diced

• 1 onion, diced 

• 10 cloves garlic, smashed 

• 6 cups green crab stock

• 1 can crushed tomatoes

• 1 Tbsp dried filé (sassafras)

• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 Tbsp dried garlic

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp dried or fresh thyme 

• 1 bay leaf 

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce or fish sauce 

• 2 cups okra 

• green onion for garnish 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add 1 cup of oil to a pot or high-edged pan on medium-low and stir in flour until there are no more lumps. 

2. Continue to babysit and stir your roux for at least 45 minutes until deep brown. You want your roux to be a chestnut color, not golden brown or caramel.  If you don’t have any green crab stock on hand, this is the perfect amount of time to whip up a quick stock. You can even shuck crab legs or meat of some green crabs and then use the remaining bodies for stock. Just make sure you keep your eye on the roux! 

3. Set aside your roux then in a pot or Dutch oven add 1 tsp of oil and sliced andouille, searing each side. Add in peppers, onion, and celery and sauteé for 10 minutes. 

4. Pour the stock, tomatoes, roux, and spices into the Dutch oven, scraping all of the fond off of the bottom of the pot. 

5. Simmer on low heat then add your okra, crab legs, and meat in the last 10 minutes of cooking. 

6. Serve with long-grain white rice in a bowl and sprinkle with filé powder and green onions or chives.