Melt butter in a big saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir constantly, cook about 30- 45 minutes on low until the color becomes carmel colored. This is a Roux (roo) it thickens and adds a nutty flavor.

Add the pepper, garlic, celery, and onions. Fry until it becomes translucent. Or add everything except seafood to crockpot.

Add in the okra and the remaining ingredients. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and boil over medium-low heat until thick for one hour. Or you can cook in a crockpot on high for 5 hours and add the seafood the last hour.

Before you serve the dish, don't forget to remove the bay leaf. Serve with rice. I used Tony Cachere's dirty rice and it was really good.