Chesapeake Bay Crab Gumbo Recipe

Serves/Makes: 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound crab meat, drained, picked over to remove cartilage
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups choppped chicken
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed in press
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 Old Bay or Cajun seasoning, more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth (homemade or store bought)
• 1/4 pound smoked sausage, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut okra
• 4 cups hot cooked rice
• Gumbo File Powder*

How to cook Chesapeake Bay Crab Gumbo:

• Placing flour in a large saucepan; cook over medium heat 25 minutes or until very brown, stirring constantly with a whisk. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, celery, pepper, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Sprinkle flour, thyme, Old Bay seasoning, salt and cayenne over chicken mixture; cook 1 minute stirring constantly.
• Add broth, sausage, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes and okra, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add crab meat and cook an additional 5 minutes. The Gumbo File Powder does not go in the pot!
• When ready to eat, sprinkle File Powder over cooked rice and cover with steaming, hot gumbo.

Notes:
The Chesapeake Bay Crab Gumbo recipe easy to prepare and so good! How many days in a year? Well, that’s about how many variations of Gumbo there are!

Comments:
Gumbo is a stew or soup originating in Louisiana which is popular across the Gulf Coast of the United States and into the U.S. South. It consists primarily of a strong stock, meat and/or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable “holy trinity” of celery, bell peppers, and onion. The soup is traditionally served over rice.
*File powder, also called Gumbo File, is a spice made from dried and ground sassafras leaves. It is used in the making of some types of gumbo, a Creole and Cajun soup/stew. It is sprinkled sparingly over gumbo as a seasoning and a thickening agent, giving it a distinctive flavor and texture. File can provide thickening when okra is not in season.

This recipe for Chesapeake Bay Crab Gumbo serves/makes: 6 – 8 servings

Main Ingredient: Crab
Preparation Method: Soup/Stew
Cuisine: American