Step 1

Begin by dicing the onion and peeling the shrimp (reserving the shells). Place peeled shrimp into the refrigerator until ready to use.

Step 2

Make a seafood broth by heating 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and adding all shrimp shells (heads included) plus two bay leaves. Sauté for 3-4min, then add chicken broth. Turn the burner to low and let simmer while you prepare the crabs.

Step 3

While seafood broth is simmering, boil the live crabs for 3-5 min, then drain and let cool.

Step 4

Clean all of the blue crabs by removing the large claws, top shell, gills, and apron. Save the large claws and cleaned gumbo crabs for later to add back into the gumbo.

Step 5

Blend one can of tomatoes and set it aside.

Step 6

Stir the shrimp broth and press down on the shells to extract the juices, then strain the seafood broth (being careful to remove all shells) and set it aside. Have both the tomato sauce and seafood broth ready to pour in quickly when the roux is finished.

Step 7

In a large pot, add Bisquick and oil to make the roux. Stir continuously until roux is dark chocolate in appearance. This will take approximately 20-30 min. *Do NOT leave roux unattended or it will burn. Add onions in this stage when roux turns dark brown.

Step 8

Add the seafood broth and blended tomatoes quickly to the roux, then add the okra and crabs. Hand squeeze the remaining can of tomatoes and add them to the gumbo along with the rest of the tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and your favorite cajun seasoning. Cook on low for 20-30min. Add water if needed.

Step 9

During the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, add seasoned shrimp and jumbo lump crab meat until cooked through.

Step 10

Serve warm​ with rice (if desired). Add fresh parsley for garnish. Enjoy!