CopyCat Ruth’s Chris Steak House Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

4 tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Flour
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 ribs Celery trimmed and diced
1 large Yellow Onion peeled and chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper cored, seeded, and diced
8 ounces fresh Okra trimmed, or frozen and thawed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
1 teaspoon dried Thyme
2 Bay leaves
8 cups Brown Chicken Stock
One 10-ounce can Ro-Tel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis
One 8-ounce can diced Tomatoes in Sauce
4 tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 teaspoons liquid Crab Boil (Find in the seafood section of your supermarket)
1 tablespoon Sugar
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
3/4 pound small Shrimp peeled and deveined
1/2 pound Jumbo Lump Crabmeat picked over
1 pint shucked Oysters coarsely chopped (strain oyster liquor into chicken stock)
1 tablespoon Filé Powder (Find in the spice aisle of your supermarket)
1/2 cup Water
Cooked White Rice to serve

Directions

Make a Roux:
Place butter in a small, heavy skillet. Place skillet over medium-low heat to melt butter.

Add flour. Cook, stirring often, until smooth and light caramel in color, about 30 minutes. Set aside.

Gumbo:
Pour oil into a large skillet. Place over low heat.

When oil is hot and shimmering, add celery, onions, peppers, okra, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft, about 45 minutes.

While vegetables are cooking, pour stock in a large heavy pot. Place over low heat and warm.

When vegetables are done, transfer to warmed stock.

Add Ro-Tel, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, crab boil and sugar.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Increase heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add shrimp, crab and oysters. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 – 30 minutes.

Whisk filé powder into water. Pour mixture into gumbo.

Stir in reserved roux. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves.

Serve gumbo by itself or over rice, as you like.