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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This was the BEST gumbo recipe ever! It was easy to follow. I was not expecting the roux to change texture after adding the onion. I thought I did something wrong. But it all came together in the end. Thank you!
The same thing happened to me as with Paula Boyd. The gravy thickened when I added the onions, but OMG how good this was. I will make this again soon.
Can crawfish meat/tails be added to this recipe? If I add okra and file, when do I add to the gumbo?
of course, the authentic gumbo from new orleans restaurant will absolutely have the craw fish, shrimp, crab meat, mussel, even some fresh oyster…..and the whole soup is a little bit spicy.
This is an excellent recipe to start with but definitely want to add a few items that are left out that we Southerners always use and that is okra and I double the shrimp. You can add oysters to this as well so don’t be afraid to experiment. Pending on your seasoning you will need to add salt. You can always mix up your own with some paprika garlic salt cayenne pepper salt and pepper. If your sauce is too thin, add cornstarch
When I make roux I make a triple batch I use what’s needed for my GUMBO and pour the rest into several ice cube trays and freeze it to be used when needed. Very simple process and saves a bunch of time to make another pot of GUMBO cause the roux is already to be used.
When in college I worked at a restaurant in NOLA that made a dry roux in bulk, and kept it in a large one gallon jar. I always thought that was clever!
Amazing! This was my first time ever making it on my own. I had 3 of the 8 people say it was the best gumbo they had ever had. I added okra and a little bit of oyster sauce as the shrimp I had didn’t have heads.
How much okra did you add? I want to do the same…when is it added?
I used roughly a cup, maybe a cup and a quarter. I added it after I’d added the stock to the roux and it came out great.
The best gumbo ever! I did add okra because we love that in gumbo💕💕
This recipe is everything. Of course I added my own little twist into the recipe as I’ve been making gumbo for many year but this one brought me back to how I originally learned the craft of making gumbo. I truly wish I could rate it higher.
My gumbo was watery. I did everything as the recipe . Didn’t have crabmeat . So just added more sausage . Also is there a way to make roux gluten free? Would GF flour thicken too ?
Yes gluten free flour is available at Walmart.
Corn starch would thicken anything
I’ve been using white rice flour as a thickener in gumbo for years. I like Bob’s Redmill white rice flour. It works great! I do a 1 for 1 substitution for wheat flour.
I love to make gumbo. I grew up with my Dad making seafood gumbo from whatever scraps of this and that he had on hand. When I got married it was one of the first dishes I learned to make. I would sit a jar of peanut butter beside the stove. I knew that when I got to peanut butter color I still had to go darker and to be patient. The home stretch goes the fastest. Even so, I can never remember the recipe for quantities of protein versus veggies. After 40 years of making gumbo I am still trying new recipes. This one is a keeper. I loved the dark roux and the balance of flavors. I made mine with shrimp, scallops, some leftover homemade sausage and pork stock I had in the freezer. I don’t usually use beer in my gumbo but it was amazing! I will definitely add beer in the future! I also added a touch more of tabasco. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
My husband loved this and asked me to make it again. My roux was similar in color to milk chocolate. I think darker would have not been to our taste. The cooked roux is the feature flavor and the darker it is the stronger the flavor. Next time I might use an alternative for the crab meat due to finding a few shells. I used Stella Artois beer because that’s what I always have on hand. I use bouillon paste so I can adjust the flavor and saltiness. I made a homemade Cajun creole seasoning from an internet recipe without adding any salt. Good thing too because it was salty enough.
My husband loved this! Said it was the best soup he had ever had! He shared some with his boss who said the same thing. It was my first time making a roux, it took me 1.25 hours to get the roux to the right color but it was so worth it. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you for this wonderful recipe