LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Seafood gumbo, a blend of roux, vegetables, and protein from the Gulf, involves a few more steps than traditional Louisiana gumbo.

Stacy Spedale, a chef at t’Pot Noir Cajun Kitchen in Lake Charles, said the key to a good gumbo is all in your base.

“A chicken and sausage gumbo, I’ll start with the chicken to get me a broth. Seafood gumbo, you start with the shrimp heads and the tails to get you a good seafood stock,” Spedale said.

Spedale says that seafood stock is made by combining shells, peelings, and heads of the seafood, your vegetables, and then bringing it to a boil. You then add your crab meat. Whether you’d rather it be shredded or in the shell, Spedale said it’s up to you.

When cooking seafood, unlike traditional chicken and sausage gumbo, it only

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