Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon
• chopped
• About 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 celery ribs
• chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• chopped
• 1 medium onion
• chopped
• 5 garlic cloves
• finely chopped
• 2 1/2 quarts fish or chicken stock (or a combination)
• 1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
• drained and chopped
• 1 pound frozen cut okra (not thawed)
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
• 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
• 1 rounded teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook bacon in a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat until browned but not crisp.

2. 2

   Transfer bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon and transfer rendered fat to a heatproof liquid measure, then add enough oil to fat to bring total to 3/4 cup.

3. 3

   Stir together fat and flour in skillet with a wooden spoon, then cook roux over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until well browned (a shade darker than peanut butter), about 20 minutes.

4. 4

   Add celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

5. 5

   Transfer to a 6- to 7-quart pot.

6. 6

   Stir in stock, tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, cayenne, and 2 teaspoons salt and briskly simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

7. 7

   Add parsley, scallions, shrimp, and oysters with their liquor and cook, stirring, until seafood is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

8. 8

   Stir in crabmeat and bacon and simmer until heated through, about 1 minute.

9. 9

   Season with salt.

10. 10

    Discard bay leaf.