Spicy Seafood Gumbo

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 medium onions, chopped
8 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (28 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen okra, sliced, thawed
1 pound crab claws
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
5 bay leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 teaspoons dried whole thyme
2 teaspoons dried whole basil
2 teaspoons dried whole oregano
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds medium-size shrimp, unpeeled
1 quart oysters, undrained
1 pound crab meat
1 pound fish fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes
Hot cooked rice
File powder (optional)

Combine oil and flour in a cast iron skillet; cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until roux is brown, but NOT black.

Stir in onion, celery, and garlic; cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Transfer mixture to a Dutch oven. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, okra, crab claws, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, sage and pepper; simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Peel and devein shrimp. Add shrimp, oysters, crab meat and fish to Dutch oven; simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve gumbo over hot rice and, if desired, sprinkle with file.