Recipe Manuscript

Gombo De Crabes

Name: Gombo De Crabes
Prep time: PTPT25M
Cook time: PTPT35M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 225 g veal or half of a small chicken (about 500 g, bones and meat); 30 g unsalted butter (for roux); 30 g all-purpose flour (for roux); 500 ml water; 12–15 fresh crabs, or 500 g fresh lump crab meat; 30 g unsalted butter (for sauteing crab); 50 g ham, cut into small pieces and fried; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; Steamed long-grain rice (for serving)

1903

From the treasured pages of Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages

Written by Célestine Eustis

Early Modern Kitchen (1900 - 1930)American Intermediate Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1903

Original Manuscript(circa Early Modern Kitchen, 1900 - 1930)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Gombo De Crabes

"Prenez une demi livre de veau ou une demi volaille, coupez en tranches, faites un bon roux, ajoutez un demi litre d'eau, faites mitonner sur le feu; épluchez douze ou quinze crabes avec les mains, conservant la chair seulement; faites revenir dans une poêle, avec du beurre, les crabes, pendant quelques minutes, puis versez-les dans la casserole sur le jus de veau et n'oubliez pas d'ajouter quelques petits morceaux de jambon frit, assaisonnez bien au goût et servez avec du riz sec. Avant de mêler les crabes à la sauce, il faut avoir soin de retirer tous les gros morceaux de viande, afin que le goût de crabe domine."

Note on the Original Text

Historically, recipes emphasized intuition over precision, assuming cooks already understood fundamental techniques—hence the lack of specifics for roux color or exact seasoning amounts. The term 'gombo' refers to both okra and the stew itself, but here, okra is absent—underscoring the regional and seasonal adaptations in Creole cuisine. Spelling and grammar reflect contemporaneous French usage and occasionally blend with English, reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of New Orleans kitchens.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages (1903)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Célestine Eustis

Era

1903

Publisher

R.H. Russell

Background

Take a delicious journey back in time with this charming bilingual collection of Creole and American recipes, crafted for cozy households. Célestine Eustis blends French flair with Southern soul, guiding both the novice and seasoned gourmand through the distinct flavors and delightful traditions of old Creole kitchens.

Kindly made available by

Internet Archive

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from "La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages," published in 1903—a seminal work capturing the flavors of Creole kitchens in turn-of-the-century New Orleans. Creole cooking, a melting pot of French, African, Spanish, and Indigenous influences, cherished local seafood and sophisticated techniques like roux-making. Crab gombo (or gumbo de crabes) typifies this rich culinary heritage, meant for home cooks yet refined in flavor. Rice, introduced through centuries of global trade, completes the meal—making it simultaneously practical and luxurious.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In 1903, cooks would have used heavy cast-iron pots or enameled Dutch ovens to make the roux and simmer the broth. A sturdy knife chopped the meat, while a simple frying pan or skillet was used for sautéing crab and frying ham. Rice would have been steamed in a separate covered pot. Kitchen work was largely done over a wood or coal stove, with ladles for stirring and skimming.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

8 oz veal or half of a small chicken (about 1 lb, bones and meat)
2 tbsp unsalted butter (for roux)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour (for roux)
2 cups water
12–15 fresh crabs, or 1 lb fresh lump crab meat
2 tbsp unsalted butter (for sauteing crab)
2 oz ham, cut into small pieces and fried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Steamed long-grain rice (for serving)

Instructions

Begin by taking 8 ounces of veal or half a small chicken, cut into slices.
Make a rich, medium-brown roux by stirring together 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of butter over gentle heat until browned.
Slowly pour in 2 cups of water, stirring until smooth, and simmer gently.
Meanwhile, clean 12 to 15 fresh crabs (or use about 1 pound of crabmeat if live crabs are unavailable), retaining only the sweet meat.
In a skillet, sauté the crab meat in 2 tablespoons of butter for a few minutes until fragrant.
Add the sautéed crab to the roux-based broth, ensuring to first remove the large veal or poultry pieces so the flavor of crab predominates.
Add a handful (about 2 ounces) of small pieces of fried ham for depth of flavor.
Season the mixture well with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve piping hot with fluffy, dry-cooked rice.

Estimated Calories

350 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Preparing and cooking this dish takes about 1 hour in total. You will spend some time cleaning and slicing the meat, making the roux, simmering the broth, sautéing the crab, and finishing all parts of the recipe. Each serving contains around 350 calories when served with plain steamed rice. This recipe makes about 4 servings.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.