Seafood and Okra Gumbo is full of fresh shrimp, crabmeat, and oysters in a rich and flavorful roux with plenty of spice.
A homemade pot of gumbo is definitely worth the work and the wait. And luckily gumbo only gets better with time so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor for more than one day.
This particular okra gumbo is totally seafood based. There’s no chicken or sausage, but you could add some andouille sausage if you are a stickler for having sausage in your gumbo.
Why Add Okra To Gumbo?
A lot of people don’t like okra or think they don’t like okra. But it’s a very important part of this gumbo, adding both flavor and acting as a thickener. Okra is one of the 3 ways a gumbo can be thickened. The other two are using a roux and file powder. Okra has a high amount of mucilage which gives it its slimy quality. It is this mucilage that helps thicken the gumbo.
Note: If you want to try a Seafood Gumbo without okra, try this Seafood Gumbo. It is amazing and it is full of shrimp, crab and andouille.
The okra for this recipe is cooked for 30 minutes. Cooking it this long gets rid of the slimy texture and really enhances its flavor.
The hardest part of making gumbo is making the roux and it really takes patience. A combination of butter and vegetable oil is cooked with the flour to make this roux. Be ready to stir for a full 30 minutes. You can stop stirring for a few seconds here and there but if you’re like me, you run the risk of getting distracted and burning your roux. The darker you get your roux, the more flavor your gumbo will have.
If you’re short on time, try this 30-Minute Gumbo!
More New Orleans Favorites:
Seafood and Okra Gumbo
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil,, divided
- 1 pound fresh okra,, sliced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 2 garlic cloves,, minced
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes,, undrained
- 4 cups shrimp or chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pound fresh medium shrimp,, peeled and deveined
- 1 pint freshly shucked oysters with liquor
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of Vegetable oil over medium heat. Add okra and cook, stirring frequently for 25 to 30 minutes or until okra is lightly browned and no longer slimy.Remove from heat and set aside.
- While okra is cooking, make the roux.Heat butter and remaining vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot until butter is melted.
- Add flour and and cook and stir for 30 minutes, or until a dark brown color. Heat should be medium to medium-low. If the heat is too hot, the roux will burn and you will have to start over.
- Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook, stirring often for 8 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, stock, bay leaves, salt, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, thyme, white pepper and okra. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes uncovered.
- Add crab meat and parsley and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes or until they are mostly pink.
- Add oysters and cook just until their edges start to curl, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve with rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Nutritional info is provided as a guide only and can vary based on brands of products used, measuring techniques, and cooking methods.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
It was the bomb, I will definitely cook this again
For the roux, Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.
This sounds very appetizing will make it for Christmas
Good recipe, quick and easy, used a couple cups of Spicy Hot V8 juice for extra zing, used Rotel tomatoes. We would not add tomatoes to our chicken Gumbo but for seafood results were good 🙂 Thanks
Recipe was easy to follow and the result was delicious. Will definitely make again.
Currently making a gumbo in baton rouge, Louisiana. Those tomatoes DO NOT BELONG IN ANY GUMBO. Someone has to stop these monsters putting tomatoes in gumbo. I’ve never commented on a recipe online but I am now.
I’m sorry you don’t like tomatoes in your gumbo. Ours tastes wonderful with.
It it yummy
Not the southern gumbo I remember. But had lots of flavor and I was satisfied with my results. Good quick recipe. I believe with time and practice like all things it will gwt better the more I make it.
Can I use a firm fish like grouper instead of oysters?