Slow-Cooker Recipe: Seafood Gumbo

This recipe skips the tedious steps and hard-to-find spices of traditional gumbos without compromising any of the flavor. Serve over rice.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2  pound  sliced bacon, diced
• 2  stalks celery, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1  medium onion, sliced (1 cup)
• 1  green pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  cups  chicken broth
• 1  14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2  tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce
• 2  teaspoons  kosher salt
• 1  teaspoon  dried thyme leaves
• 1  pound  large raw shrimp, cleaned
• 1  pound  fresh or frozen crabmeat
• 1  10-ounce box frozen okra, thawed and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

Preparation

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Discard all but a thin coating of fat from the skillet. Add the celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Spoon the vegetables into the cooker and add the broth, tomatoes (with their liquid), Worcestershire, salt, and thyme. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours, or on high for 2 hours. Add the shrimp, crabmeat, and okra, and cook 1 hour longer on low heat or 1/2 hour longer on high.

Tip: Once the ingredients are in the pot and the slow cooker is simmering, don't lift the lid. Heat and steam escape. If you do, you'll lose an estimated 20 minutes of cooking time.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

273 (27% from fat)

Fat:

8g (sat 2g)

Protein:

38mg

Carbohydrate:

11g

Fiber:

2g

Cholesterol:

204mg

Iron:

4mg

Sodium:

1757mg

Calcium:

222mg