Catfish Stew over Rice - The Local Palate

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• 3-4 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 pounds firm catfish filets
• Cajun seasoning
• 2 onions
• chopped
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 quart clam broth
• 8 tomatoes
• charred and chopped*
• 1 pound field peas
• cooked (Collier uses pink eye and cream peas)
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Hot pepper sauce to taste
• 1 pound fresh crabmeat (or 2 cans),1 pint shucked oysters
• 1 tablespoon gumbo filé powder
• Cooked white rice for serving
• <i>*To char tomatoes, cut each in half and sprinkle cut side with salt. Broil in oven until charred. Let cool before roughly chopping. </i>