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This recipe is built for a family gathering, the way gumbo was always intended to be made. It scales easily, improves when made a day ahead, and fills a kitchen with a smell that brings people to the table without being asked.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

For the roux:

  • 120ml (half a cup) of vegetable oil or unsalted butter
  • 120g (half a cup) of plain flour

For the gumbo:

  • 450g (1 lb) fresh okra, sliced into 1cm rounds (or frozen okra, thawed and patted dry)
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 3 sticks of celery, finely diced
  • 1 green pepper, finely diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 litres (8 cups) of good seafood stock or chicken stock
  • 450g (1 lb) large raw prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 225g (half a lb) blue crab meat, or 2 whole cleaned blue crabs
  • 200g (half a lb) fresh oysters (optional)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon file powder (added at the end, off the heat)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • A small bunch of spring onions, sliced, to serve
  • A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve

To serve
Long grain white rice, cooked and hot

Method

  1. Make the roux first and give it your full attention. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot (cast iron is ideal), heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the flour all at once and stir continuously with a wooden spoon or whisk. Keep stirring, adjusting the heat down if needed, for 20 to 30 minutes until the roux is the colour of dark chocolate and smells nutty and deep. Do not walk away. Do not stop stirring. This is the soul of the dish.
  2. Add the diced onion, celery, and green pepper to the roux all at once. The vegetables will sizzle dramatically and the cooking will slow. Stir well and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  3. Gradually pour in the warm stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add the bay leaves, thyme, paprika, and cayenne. Bring to a gentle simmer.
  4. Add the sliced okra. Stir well and allow to simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes. The okra will begin to break down and thicken the gumbo. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
  5. Add the crab and cook for 10 minutes. Add the prawns and cook for a further 5 to 7 minutes until just pink and cooked through. If using oysters, add them in the final 3 minutes of cooking.
  6. Remove from the heat. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the file powder gently (never add file powder while the pot is on the heat, as it becomes stringy). Taste once more and adjust seasoning.
  7. To serve, place a generous mound of cooked white rice in each bowl. Ladle the gumbo around and over the rice. Scatter with sliced spring onions and parsley. Bring the pot to the table and let people help themselves to more.