Mom's Savory Seafood Gumbo and White Rice

Ingredients for 6 Quart Pot:

Veggies

1 Whole Bunch of Celery

2 Green Bell Peppers

1 Whole White or Yellow Onion

1 Medium Bag of Frozen Okra

Small Bunch of Green Onions(to sprinkle on top of rice when ready, do not cook in pot).

Meats

Chicken - pre-cooked in the oven and separated into chunks.

Fish - use Cod or Salmon. Try to get good wild-caught if possible.

You will use 3-4 fish/large chunks of fish.

Shrimp - 1 lb. of small peeled shrimp.

Sausage - Turkey sausage, 1 sausage link. You can use any kind you like. Or, omit sausage if desired.

Spices

Roux - Powder roux in a jar. You will use 1-1.5 cups)

Garlic Salt - 1 whole garlic minced, or 4 oz Jar of Minced Garlic

Spicey Red Pepper Seasoning - Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning or Slap Ya Mama Hot Cajun Seasoning.

* Before Adding any Vegetables ...Fill 6 qt. pot with 1.5 quarts water and 1.5 quarts vegetable OR chicken broth (1.5 quart water and 1.5 quart broth) Set on the stovetop on high heat.

***Add more water or less as needed, as the gumbo cooks.

Prep. and Cooking Instructions:

* Rinse and cut-up onion and celery into small/medium chunks.

* In a separate pot, pour water and broth a stovetop pot.

Start on high to get the liquid nice and hot.

* When the broth/water is warm, add about a cup of powdered Roux to the liquid. Stir frequently to keep Roux mixed and hot.

* On a stovetop skillet, mix in all the veggies and add 1/2-1 cup broth. Bring the broth and veggies to a boil and then add the remaining powdered Roux mix. Let Roux, veggies and broth boil for 5-10 minutes to help soften the veggies.

* Transfer this Veggie, broth/Roux mixture to the crock pot.

* Add 1 Tbs. of Creole Seasoning and 1 Tbs. of Garlic Pepper/Salt, and add the minced garlic to the crock pot.

* Add the meat last. The whole crock pot will cook 3-4 hours. I usually add the turkey sausage and cooked chicken about halfway through. If you add it too soon it gets super crumbly.

* When the crock pot is super hot and boiling, you can add the seafood/fish/shrimp. I add the seafood about 45 minutes before it is finished cooking. Seafood cooks quickly.

Cooking Instructions Finishing Up:

* Finally, after about 3-4 hours, taste to see if all the veggies are soft. Cut seafood to see if it is flakey and cooked through.

* Make a pot of white rice to serve with your gumbo. Cut the green onion to sprinkle on top of rice and gumbo.

* Be sure to taste your gumbo as it is cooking and add more Creole or gralic/pepper/salt as needed. We use Slap Your Mama Seasoning to add spice.

The 6 quart crock pot makes enough, for a family of 3-4 each, to have about 3-4 medium bowls each.

This is one of our favorite family meals. Jack's Papa makes this gumbo every holiday season, usually on Christmas Eve. Feel free to change it up to make it your own, for your family. Also, you can use a liquid Roux or make your own roux. If you decide to make your own roux, remember to stir continuously as the flour will burn easily if you walk away from the roux while it is cooking. Using the powder roux saves time and a few steps.

<3 Jack's Mom