The Best Cajun Seafood Gumbo with NO OKRA!
My roots growing up begin with my Dad's birthplace which was Sweet Lake in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. My mother was from Oberlin in southwest Louisiana, otherwise known as "Cajun Country." My parents met, married and eventually settled in Lafayette, the heart of Acadiana. Gumbo was always a part of our cuisine, whether we had it at the homes of relatives, grandparents or when my mother made her own. Most of the time we had chicken gumbo, but if my mom got her hands on some okra, she might splurge for shrimp and make her shrimp gumbo served over rice (always) with slices of boiled egg. My favorite, however, was when she made seafood gumbo including crab claws and oysters. My version is made without okra (I know, I know, some say it's not really gumbo without okra, but I disagree). My definition of gumbo is a cross between a soup and stew with a rich dark roux, flavored with the "trinity" of onion, bell pepper and celery (I always include and c...