Carol V's Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

• 34 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large onions
• chopped
• 4 stalks celery
• chopped
• 1 large bell pepper
• chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes
• undrained
• chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• minced
• 12 cup fresh parsley
• chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried whole thyme
• 1 teaspoon red pepper
• 1 large bay leaf
• 4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (20 ounce) packagefrozen sliced okra
• thawed
• 2 lbs medium shrimp
• peeled and deveined
• 1 lb fresh crabmeat
• 2 dozen oysters
• shucked
• 1 lb crab claws (optional)
• 1 12 teaspoons salt
• 12 teaspoon black pepper
• hot cooked rice
• chopped fresh parsley
• chopped green onion
• gumbo file

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven.
2. Add flour, and cook over medium heat 10 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of a copper penny.
3. Stir in onions, celery and bell pepper: cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add next 6 ingredients and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in chicken broth and okra; bring to a boil.
6. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add shrimp and 1 pound crabmeat; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
8. Add oysters and crab claws, if desired; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
9. Stir in salt and pepper.
10. Remove bay leaf.
11. Serve over hot rice.