When I travelled to New Orleans to do a restaurant tour, I was most intrigued by the street vendor's gumbos.
This recipe is my own version of a Roy Gustav recipe book which has long been misplaced.
I've prepared it many times with many ingredients but my favorite is this hearty seafood version.
Gumbo has as many variations as Nawlins has chefs.
Traditionally there are two ways to thicken a gumbo in addition to the roux, one is okra and one is filé(feelay). I always offer filé on the table for both guest's taste and a unique conversation piece.

Quote:

For hundreds of years the Choctaw Indians have had a settlement at Bayou Lacombe on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, and they had a way of making Gumbo long before the white man and the black man arrived. They invented filé (pronounced feelay). The tender green leaves of the sassafras tree are gathered, dried, and ground to a powder. Only a few tablespoons of the powder will thicken a whole pot of Gumbo and give it a flavor that’s spicy and pleasant. The filé must always be added after the pot is removed from the fire. If allowed to boil, it becomes stringy and unpalatable. Okra and filé should never be used together in a Gumbo or it will be as thick as mud. The Creoles in New Orleans used filé only in the wintertime, when fresh okra was not available but many Cajuns prefer filé gumbo year-round. They pass a big bowl of filé around at the table, so that all the guests may take as much as they want.

Ingredients
one bunch of green onions
two large white onions
two large celery branches
two cups of sliced okra
two lbs of shrimp with shell and head if possible
one lb can of fresh crab meat , I use claw or special
one pint of oysters
sometimes I'll add some firm white fish or crayfish depending on my mood.
one lb of Andouille Sausage.
stick of butter
flour

Spices
salt
pepper black
pepper white
Pepper cayenne
thyme
parsley

Fresh thyme and parsley are best

Spice lose flavor with age, and cayenne will get spicier with heat, so start with less and add to taste.
NUMBER ONE RULE OF USING SPICE- you can always add, but never remove.

First thing to do:
Peel all those shrimps!
Save the shells, crush them in a sauce pan with about 7 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. simmer until the liquid reduces to about 1/2. Drain and save the shrimp stock.
This will make your kitchen smell delicious as well as provide the base flavor for you your gumbo.

second thing:
dice the white onions and celery then slice your sausage about a quarter inch thick.
Don't use a food processor as you want the dice to add texture to the stew.
we want these ready to go for the roux

OK, let's make a gumbo
Take a good sized stock pot, and put it on a low heat. If the heat is too high you'll burn the roux and have to start over.
Put in the stick of butter
melt it
add about the same amount of flour as you have butter, If you are unsure use the spice rule and add a table spoon at a time until the butter/flour mix has the consistency of a thick batter, but not so much as to make it crumbly.
Now we often to constantly stir this on the low heat, and it will turn white where it is touching the pan, then it will take on an almost foaming appearance and begin to smell like fresh bread. Then it will begin to brown. and will continue to get darker.
A light colored roux is called blonde and a darker roux is called red. Roux is French for red.
We want our roux the color of nutty to old penny. The darker the roux, the more flavor it will have, but it is a rustic flavor, which if done too fast will taste overcooked. Use your smell to determine your preference.
Once the roux reaches it's desired color, add the white onions and celery. Stir them in coating them with the roux and allow them to cook until tender.
Now is a good time to chop the green onions, parsley(if fresh)2tsp fresh one tsp dry, and the thyme.
Thyme is best used sparingly as it is very flavorful, invoke the spice rule. I usually use about 1/2 tsp give or take a pinch.
Now add the sausage and okra slices and green onions once the white onions and celery are tender.
Keep stirrin often and you can raise the heat to medium
start to add some black pepper, white pepper, and thyme.
Remember Andoille sausage contains cayenne and may purge enough heat to your taste. So if your sausage is very spicy, then just put a smidgen of cayenne in, or maybe none at all. Tabasco Sauce is commonly served with gumbo and can add plenty of heat for those guests who prefer the spice of cayenne.
cook this until the okra starts to become tender.

Here comes the magic.
pour in about 2/3 of the shrimp stock.
This should thicken almost immediately if the stock is hot.
stir some more and then judge how thick the gumbo looks to you.
The hotter the liquid becomes the thicker it will get.
bring it to a simmer, and see what you get.
The stew should be just about like a thin gravy, smooth, and creamy like.
The okra will also help add thickening but usually after it stands hot for a while. This will almost look slimy as you lift up a spoonful.
If the stew is too thick add the remaining stock, or if it turns out too runny, cook a bit more blonde roux and add it in while the gumbo is simmering.

Taste the gumbo and determine what spices need adding. Salt, pepper, thyme etc.
Remember the spice rule.

Cook up some white rice. For 8 people use 6 cups of water 3 cups of rice.
when the rice is done, let it sit for a bit, while we finish the gumbo.

add the raw shrimp flesh, crabmeat,oysters and parsley to the simmering gumbo and cook for 5 more minutes.

oo la la.
Ladle into stew bowls ensuring that and equitable portion of shrimp and oysters are included.
top with an ice cream scoop of white rice on top and garnish the rice with a bit of parsley as well.
Serve with a crusty French baguette.
Offer Tabasco,filé,and some Zydeco Music.