This delightful Seafood Gumbo is full of shrimp and crab and it has a nice spicy kick. There’s nothing like a warm bowl of gumbo, and I especially like a seafood gumbo.
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Making a big pot of gumbo is a little labor intensive, but it lasts for days and only gets better with time. It’s perfect for a lazy afternoon spent at home. Build a nice fire in the fireplace and put your biggest pot on the stove.
The most time-consuming part and the most important part is making the roux. It is a process that should not be rushed. It forms the base of the flavor and you really want to take the time and develop a deep, robust flavor. Making roux can take some practice. Turn the heat up too high and it will burn and you will have to start again.
In addition to shrimp and crab, this Seafood Gumbo is also flavored with the Holy Trinity- (onions, bell pepper, and celery), lots of garlic, a bottle of beer, thyme, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and lots of Cajun seasoning. Plus there’s a pound of andouille sausage for some meatiness.
Equipment Needed
- 6 to 7-quart Dutch Oven– It’s important to use a Dutch oven with a thick, heavy bottom so the roux doesn’t burn. This Dutch Oven is perfect.
- Fine-Meshed Sieve– for straining the shrimp stock. This set of 3 strainers is very useful in the kitchen.
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Seafood Gumbo
Ingredients
- 2 pounds unpeeled fresh large shrimp
- 1/2 cup butter, divided
- 2 (32-ounce) cartons chicken broth
- 1 pound andouille sausage,, sliced
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle amber beer
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup green onion tops
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 pound lump crabmeat
- Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Peel and devein shrimp, placing shrimp shells in a large pot. Refrigerate shrimp until needed.
- In a large pot, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add shrimp shells and cook until pink. Then add broth.
- Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm until needed.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook sausage until browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add oil and remaining 1/4 cup butter to Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat until butter is completely melted.
- Add flour and stir with wooden spoon until smooth.
- Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring frequently until roux is a dark caramel color. This will take 30 to 40 minutes.
- Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add green pepper and celery and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often.
- Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add beer and stir in well.
- Pour shrimp stock through a fine-meshed sieve into Dutch oven. (I like to add it in 3 separate additions, mixing well between additions.
- Add Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves, plus the reserved andouille sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
- Add green onions, parsley, and shrimp. When shrimp are pink, remove from heat and stir in crabmeat.
- Serve with white rice.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I never made cajon rue before so this kind of blew my mind. This recipe took all day start to finish, including cleanup. The finished product, in my opinion should sit a day to bring in all the flavors fully. Delicious.
I just made your Gumbo!! It was made/cooked exactly as you said to do!! It turned out Fabulous!! I made the mistake of adding Salt, which on the norm is okay “but I added to much and now I’m disappointed!! It’s salty!! I hate what I did when it was perfectly great!! Thank you so much for sharing your Recipe!! It’s definitely a Keeper!! Beverly Spinks
Thank you for your recipe, it has been a while since I made Gumbo. I used bacon drippings instead of oil because we always used it in the past. I modified it a little with Jalapeños and Anaheim peppers instead of bell peppers. I also added 2 Talipia filets broiled with Cajun spice and a bay scallops that I added with the shrimp. Your sequence is perfect, so good you nailed it. Again thanks for the recipe,
This is a good step by step roux guide.
https://jesspryles.com/recipe/how-to-make-a-roux/
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I am going to be one of those obnoxious reviewers bc I didn’t make this as is but what I did make turned out AWESOME. Also my first time making gumbo despite living in Louisiana for 14 years now. (Sad.) I don’t eat pork so I skipped the sausage and I used seafood stock instead of chicken broth. I also added gumbo file and okra bc that just seemed like a no brained and skipped the beer bc it didn’t seem authentic to me, I dunno. To make up for that I added more stock and water with a lot of bonus seasoning. I didn’t use just extra Cajun seasoning though to avoid it just being a salt bomb and instead added more of the individual things that make up Cajun seasoning eg garlic powder, cayenne, chili powder, paprika, onion powder. Basically I just adjusted all the flavors to taste for what seemed right to me. I think you can make this recipe as is and it would be just great! And if you are a confident or experienced cook then it also works as a great starting point. I have lived in Louisiana since I came to college here in 2005 but have no family history here so making gumbo wasn’t in my repertoire and picking a recipe was kind of a big deal bc I wanted it to be good. It was! Recommend!
Not sure why you even bothered to post a review, other than to post your own recipe.
Leave her be..gosh
Great job jill..
Amen.
Made this as specified.except knocked down the cajun seasoning by half and added about 30 fresh oysters. No beer Familyloved it esp.wife who’s from Houma LA. Great recipe.
Lighten up Francis…er Shirley. Way to go Jill!
I like how you stated that you used file’, all other recipes nevered stated using it and i was raised using it in our gumbo! can not wait to make my gumbo… im buying a little each month because buying all at once gets expensive thanks for sharing,have a nice one.
Hands down, this is the best gumbo recipe I have ever made! I spent about two hours (give or take) getting the roux as dark as possible and it was worth it. Followed the recipe to the letter and it was perfection. I made it for Christmas Eve dinner and my boyfriend proposed the next day… Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not! 😁
This is THE best gumbo! Everyone that has eaten this in my home never forgets it. My 93 year old Mother who is very particular and eats very little consumes 2 bowls every time and even complimented me which almost never happens!
My roux is super thin. What did I do wrong?
Add more flour.
Gumbo file powder or sliced okra are what I use if the gumbo is too thin for your preference at the final boil. Otherwise, as mentioned, more flour when making the roux. I’ve also used corn starch whisked into cold seafood/chicken stock and then slowly poured/whisked into the boiling final gumbo stock. Good Luck!!!
This gumbo was amazing! I did have to add salt, pepper and to me, Old bay seasoning is a must for all seafood, just a MD thing I guess. I also pan seared and added some scallops. I refrigerated it overnight and served it for Christmas dinner! W can’t wait to make it again. It was worth all of the labor!!!
Absolutely delicious! This was my first time making gumbo and my family loved it. I added chicken breast to it making it even more thick and delicious. Thumbs up.