I have made gumbo before. This really isn’t gumbo.
It is more of a quick and almost gumbo recipe. It has some of the aspects of gumbo at least.
The ham gives the dish a little bit of saltiness. It also mixes nicely with the okra.
Fresh okra is not in season, so I used frozen. I don’t really think this changed the dish at all.
I also used mostly canned tomatoes. I had two fresh tomatoes, so obviously needed to supplement with the canned. I don’t think this made all that much difference either. Honestly by the end of the cooking time I could not tell the difference between the tomatoes in the dish.
While the dish wasn’t bad, it was just missing something. Maybe it was the flavor usually added by the roux. Maybe it was the lack of seasoning. Maybe it was a combination of things.
So, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really gumbo.
CRAB GUMBO
1/4 Cup Diced Ham
1/2 Clove Garlic
2 Cups Sliced Okra
2 Tablespoons Fat
1/2 Bay Leaf
1/8 Teaspoon Thyme
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
6 Peppercorns
6 Diced Tomatoes
1 Cup Hot Water
1/2 Pound Crab Flakes
Fry diced ham, garlic, and okra in fat. When well coated with fat, but not brown, add remaining ingredients, except crab. Cook 20 minutes. Add crab and cook 15 minutes longer. Serve on mounds of hot rice.
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