This is the first recipe I decided to try from the book I just bought, Fresh From The Source. We had some dinner quests and since this serves 6-10 I thought would be perfect. I made a couple of changes, I couldn’t find the spice gumbo filet (Whole Foods ran out) so I added cajun spice instead, I also roasted the shrimp ahead of time.

2 pounds of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 pound of fresh crab meat

1 cup of okra, cut into small pieces

1 small can of tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped fine

3 talks of celery, chopped fine

1 red and 1 green pepper, chopped fine

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 large tomatoes, chopped

salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

3 quarts of water

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

1/2 cup of chopped green scallions (onion tops)

2 tablespoons of gumbo file (fee-lay)

for the roux, 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of canola oil

Season the shrimp with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

( I roasted in the oven at 400f till pink and added a bit of olive oil) For me it gives it more flavoring.

Make the roux by browning the flour in the canola oil. Stir the flour slowly and continue to stir slowly over medium heat till golden brown. (about 10-15 minutes)

Smother the chopped okra in the roux and cook over very low heat for about 30 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, onion, celery, green and red pepper and minced garlic. Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Add 3 quarts of water, season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for 45 minutes.

Add seasoned shrimp and crab meat to the soup and cook for 20 minutes. Add the chopped parsley, scallions and filet and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve over rice.