Prepare the onions, celery, bell pepper, and okra in a bowl.
Add the spices into a small bowl.
In a skillet, brown the sausage over high heat. If you bought fully cooked sausage, skip this step and go directly to making roux
Once the sausages are browned, remove them and place on a plate to cool. Don't worry if they're still raw inside.
Deglaze the pan with a little stock and add it back to the main stock.
Prepare the roux by adding the oil to a heavy stock pot over high heat.
When the oil begins smoking sprinkle the flour and begin to whisk the mixture.
Continue whisking. Do not walk away or your roux will burn. You are looking for a deep red brown color. Be very careful, splashing the roux will severely burn you.
It's beginning to take color.
Almost there.
That's about good. Took roughly 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and add half of the vegetables, dumping away from you to prevent splashing.
Stir and cook the veggies for 2 minutes.
Add the remaining veggies, spices, and garlic. Cook another 2 minutes
Remove the roux from heat.
Bring the stock to simmer in a large pot.
Add the roux a spoonful at a time, stirring in between so it's not lumpy.
Bring the soup to a simmer. Cut the sausage into chunks and add to the gumbo. If you're using chicken, add it here too.
Simmer for 20 min, or longer to suit your schedule.
Add the shrimp, crab, and oysters. Cook until the shrimp are pink or about 3 minutes
Add the parsley, green onion, and gumbo fil. Stir and serve over hot rice.
