Lucy's Signature Summer Seafood Gumbo

Ingredients

• 3 pound medium wild-caught gulf shrimp, heads on
• 2 pound cooked blue crab claw meat, picked through for shells, handled carefully to keep the meat in big chunks
• 4 large ripe, tomatoes or one 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with their juices
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil or bacon grease
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch celery, coarsely chopped, including leaves
• 2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
• 8 shrimp or seafood stock, heated
• 2 teaspoon teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoon lulu’s crazy creola seasoning, or other creole seasoning
• ¼ cup hot sauce
• 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 4 blue crab bodies, if available (optional)
• 2 1/2 pound fresh okra, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces, or thawed frozen cut okra
• 2 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• cooked white rice, for serving
• french bread and butter, for serving