Pull the turkey meat from the leftover turkey carcass, chop into bite size pieces or shred, sprinkle on some creole seasoning and set aside. Measure out the flour and vegetable oil. Mix the Herb and Spice Blend in a small bowl and set that aside. Chop the vegetables and set aside. Chop the garlic and set aside in a small bowl. Drain the oysters in a strainer set over a bowl, but do not rinse. Place this in the fridge until needed. Reserve whatever oyster liquid you have.
Place the turkey stock in a stock pot and start heating it on low. Keep it covered and on low so it does not reduce.
Place a large cast iron frying pan over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil to the frying pan. When the oil is shimmering whisk in the flour to make a medium roux.
As soon as the roux is dark enough add the veggies about half or a third at a time and stir to completely mix the veggies with the roux.
Continue to cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently and scrapping the bits off the bottom, careful not to let it burn or scorch. This will take at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Add in the garlic and green onions and continue to cook until aromatic, usually a couple of minutes.
Mix in about half the spice mix and the 2 bay leaves; a mix well and cook for another five minutes.
Turn up the heat on the stock pot and bring the turkey stock to a rolling boil.
Using a slotted spoon, mix in the veggie/roux mix, one spoonful at a time, stirring each spoonful until everything is blended and mixed with the stock, making sure it returns to a rolling boil in between each spoonful. Continue this, one spoonful at a time until all the veggie/roux mix has been added to the stock.
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat slightly to a heavy simmer and maintain for about 15 minutes, uncovered. Then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, uncover and add the turkey pieces a few at a time, stirring them into the stock in a similar fashion as you did the veggies, letting it come back to a rolling boil between each spoonful.
Add a little more spice mix, stir well.
Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and simmer for about a 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Uncover and bring to a heavy boil. Add the oysters, by hand, a few at a time, stirring before adding more. When all the oysters have been added, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Prior to serving, take a spoon and skim off the grease which has floated to the top. Give the gumbo a good stir then taste for seasoning-add a little more of the Herb and Spice Blend or some more salt and black pepper, if needed. If you want more oyster flavor, add some of the reserved oyster liquid. Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice with some potato salad and crispy french bread.
Notes
If you have time, making your own turkey stock makes this gumbo really great. Check out my recipe for homemade stock here. Oysters may be very salty. Also, if you use commercial stock or Creole seasoning, these may also have salt. I usually wait until I’ve added the oysters (done at the end) before I add any additional salt.Keep in mind that the roux will continue to darken somewhat even after you start cooking the Trinity in it. That’s really not a problem, but add the Trinity when the roux is still a little lighter than you want it.A leftover holiday turkey presents a great opportunity to make this delicious gumbo and making the stock out of the turkey carcass is ideal. Here’s my recipe on how to do that. However, you may not want to do that or you may not even have a leftover turkey, but you still want some Turkey and Oyster Gumbo. Fear not, we have alternatives. If you do have leftover turkey, just strip the meat off the bones. Don’t want to hassle with making the stock? That’s fine, just get some commercial Turkey (or chicken) stock and you are ready to go. If you don’t have leftover turkey, pick up some bone and skin-on turkey thighs. Put about 12 cups of the commercial stock in a stockpot and boil the thighs, lid on, for 45 minutes to an hour. You’ll be able to pull the meat and use it as the recipe calls for. You can simmer the skins and bones for another 30 minutes or so if you want to get all the flavor, or just strain out 8 cups of the stock and use it as directed. Simple.The gumbo can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for a couple of days, it actually gets better! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days or can go in the freezer for about 6 months. The key is to store the gumbo in an airtight container. Defrost the gumbo in the refrigerator overnight, then simmer gently in a stockpot for about 30 minutes. Don’t refreeze this gumbo once it’s been frozen.