Published Oct 2, 2026
I want to avoid being a food blogger with 30 paragraphs before the recipe, so I will keep the overview brief. My grandmother was childhood friends with someone who was locally famous for their seafood gumbo recipe down on the gulf coast. The recipe was given to my grandmother as a gift to make batches for my father, and it is potentially the only remaining copy of the recipe that is written down. Please make, share, and enjoy. Best made in as large of a batch as you dare, and best enjoyed with family over white rice.
This recipe is written for a 15-gallon pot, which is perfect if you’re feeding a small army and less perfect if you’re feeding four people. So instead of doing fraction math on the back of a receipt, use the calculator below. Punch in how many gallons you want and every ingredient rescales, right down to the bay leaves.
About 4 hours start to finish, mostly simmering · Base recipe: 15 gallons
Makes about 5 gallons, roughly 80 cups.
The base
- 5 lb≈ 1 bagFrozen vegetable seasoning blendPictsweet, 5 lb bags
- 2 tsp≈ 2 clovesChopped garlicA light hand; see notes
- ⅝ oz≈ ⅙ jarChicken bouillonWyler’s, 3.75 oz jar
- ¾ oz≈ ⅙ bottleAccent seasoning (MSG)Accent, 4.5 oz bottle
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tspLiquid shrimp & crab boilZatarain’s
- 5⅓ oz≈ ⅓ canTomato sauce16 oz can, or diced tomatoes by the same weight
- To tasteSalt
- To ¾ fullWaterFill the pot about three-quarters full
Seasoning
- 5 leavesBay leaves
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tspCreole seasoningTony Chachere’s Original, or to taste
- ⅜ oz≈ ⅓ bottleGumbo filéZatarain’s, 1.25 oz bottle
- 2 Tbsp + 2 tspKitchen Bouquet Browning & Seasoning Sauce
Seafood & okra
- 6⅔ lbShrimpSmall, fresh
- 1⅓ lbCrab meatFresh or frozen
- 1⅓ lbOkra
The roux
- 12 oz≈ ¼ canShorteningCrisco, 3 lb can
- 1⅓ lbAll-purpose flour
- If neededInstant roux mixBackup thickener; see step 7
Brands are suggestions. They’re what the recipe was built around, so the seasoning amounts assume them. Swap freely, but taste as you go.
Make the gumbo
- In a large stockpot, combine the vegetable blend, garlic, chicken bouillon, Accent, crab boil, and tomato sauce. Hold the seafood and okra for later.
- Add water until the pot is about three-quarters full, and salt to taste. (Use a pot a bit bigger than your batch, or “three-quarters full” gets out of hand fast.)
- Bring everything to a boil and let it boil for 30 minutes.
- Add the bay leaves and Creole seasoning, then let it cook for about an hour. Start the roux now, since it takes about as long.
- Stir in the roux and cook on medium for about 30 minutes.
- Add the gumbo filé and Kitchen Bouquet.
- Check the thickness. If it’s thin, stir in some instant roux and a little more Creole seasoning now, before the seafood goes in.
- Add the shrimp, crab meat, and okra, then simmer for a couple of hours.
Make the roux
- Melt the Crisco in a separate pot.
- Add the flour a little at a time, stirring, and keep cooking until it browns. Plan on about an hour, and stay close. Burned roux can’t be saved, only restarted.
Notes
- Vegetable blend: Pictsweet’s frozen seasoning blend (onion, celery, bell pepper) comes in 5 lb bags, which keeps the math easy. For big batches, the foodservice case is six 5 lb bags (product ID 4039582).
- Garlic: 2 Tbsp (about 6 cloves) is a light hand for 15 gallons. Go heavier if you like garlic, and you probably do.
- Accent is just MSG. It does the same job here it does everywhere else.
- Tomato: tomato sauce or canned diced tomatoes both work. Use the same weight either way.
- Crisco: a full 15-gallon batch uses about ¾ of a 3 lb can.
Leave a Reply