Southern Seafood Gumbo

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 14 lb ham, diced
• 12 okra pods, sliced
• 14 teaspoon thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 12 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, undrained (14.5 ounce can)
• 7 cups water
• 1 cup oyster juice, reserved from oysters
• 1 lb raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lb crabmeat, picked over for shells
• 1 pint small oyster, drained and liquor reserved
• 1 tablespoon gumbo file
• 4 -5 cups cooked white rice

1. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in large kettle or stockpot.
2. Add flour.
3. Make a roux, by cooking and stirring this constantly with a wooden spoon, until the color turns from gold to dark red.
4. (Don't stop stirring for a second, or you will scorch the roux!)
5. When the roux is red-colored, remove from the heat.
6. Set aside.
7. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a very large skillet.
8. Saute chopped onions and garlic until soft.
9. Add ham.
10. Stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
11. Then add okra, stirring and cooking 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Add thyme, bay leaves, parsley, pepper, salt, tomatoes, water, and liquor from oysters.
13. Bring to a boil.
14. Reduce heat.
15. Simmer 15 minutes.
16. Add this entire mixture to roux in kettle.
17. Bring to a boil again.
18. Reduce heat to gentle boil.
19. Stirring constantly, cook for 1 hour.
20. Add shrimp and crab meat.
21. Cook 2 minutes.
22. Add oysters.
23. Cook 1 minute more.
24. Add gumbo file at very last.
25. Stir well.
26. Serve in bowls with a 1/2 cup of rice in each.

butter, allpurpose, butter, onions, garlic, ham, okra pods, thyme, bay leaves, fresh parsley, ground black pepper, salt, tomatoes, water, oyster juice, shrimp, crabmeat, oyster, gumbo file, white rice

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/southern-seafood-gumbo-151924 (may not work)