Seafood Gumbo
intro
Rich, hearty Louisiana Creole stew brimming with tender shrimp and crab, thickened with a nutty dark roux, served over rice for warm, bold, spiced comfort.
Ingredients
Steps
Cook the dark roux
Heat 80 ml vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Whisk in 60 grams all-purpose flour until completely smooth with no lumps. Cook, whisking constantly to prevent burning, for 18-22 minutes until the roux reaches a deep milk chocolate brown color and releases a rich, nutty aroma.
Sauté the aromatic trinity
Add 150g diced yellow onion, 100g diced celery, and 100g diced green bell pepper to the finished roux. Stir to coat all vegetables fully in the roux, then cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes until vegetables soften and turn translucent. Stir in 12g minced garlic and cook for an additional 60 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Build the gumbo broth
Gradually pour in 1.2 liters seafood stock, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent lumps from forming. Stir in 400g undrained diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Bring the mixture to a gentle rolling boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring once every 5 minutes to prevent sticking.
Cook the sliced okra
Stir 226g ½-inch thick sliced okra into the simmering broth, re-cover the pot, and continue cooking over low heat for 15 minutes until okra is fork-tender and its raw grassy flavor is fully cooked off. Use a slotted spoon to skim any thin, pale foam that rises to the broth surface as it cooks.
Simmer the seafood
Stir 340g peeled, deveined medium shrimp into the gumbo, and cook over low heat for 3 minutes until shrimp just turn pink and opaque. Gently fold in 226g picked lump crab meat, taking care not to break up the delicate crab lumps, and cook for an additional 2 minutes until crab is fully heated through. Remove the pot from heat and discard the 2 bay leaves.
Serve over fluffy rice
Ladle approximately 360ml (1.5 cups) of hot gumbo into each shallow serving bowl, then top each portion with a 135g (¾ cup) scoop of fluffy cooked long-grain white rice. Garnish with 7.5g sliced scallions per bowl and an optional dash of hot sauce, then serve immediately.
Tips
2.Avoid overcooking seafood: shrimp will turn tough and rubbery if simmered longer than 4 minutes, and delicate lump crab meat will break into tiny shreds if stirred too roughly.
3.Taste and adjust seasoning right before serving: sodium levels can vary widely between brands of seafood stock and Cajun seasoning, so add extra salt, cayenne, or spice as needed.
OMG this gumbo is the real deal!!! I grew up eating my grandma’s gumbo outside of Lake Charles and I was so skeptical of online recipes but this tasted exactly like home. The roux came out perfect, I added a little extra okra like my memaw used to and served it over rice with a side of cornbread. My whole family went back for seconds, even my picky 10 year old! Game changer for weeknight dinners when I’m craving that home flavor.
Made this for our neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were begging me for the recipe! I was worried it would be too spicy for the kids so I cut the cayenne in half, and it was perfect for everyone. The andouille sausage and shrimp paired so well together, I didn’t even have any leftovers to bring home. SO good, will be making this again for Mardi Gras next year for sure!
Really solid gumbo! Flavor was on point, the only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is I wish the cook time note mentioned you need to prep all your veggies first before starting the roux. I was chopping onions while my roux was going and almost burnt it! Ended up turning out great anyway, added some lump crab meat because I had it on hand and it was chef’s kiss. Will make again now that I know to prep ahead.
Meal prepped this on Sunday and it held up so well all week for lunches! The flavors got even better after sitting in the fridge for a day or two, which I was not expecting. I used frozen shrimp and pre-chopped trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery) to cut down on prep time, and it still tasted totally authentic. 10/10, no sad desk lunches for me this week!
Taste was good but I ran into a couple issues. I followed the recipe exactly but my gumbo ended up way thinner than I expected, almost like a soup instead of that thick, stewy gumbo I’ve had at restaurants in NOLA. Also, my shrimp got super rubbery? I think I added them too early. Might try again but adjust those things next time.
My husband is from New Orleans and he said this is the closest gumbo he’s had outside of his mom’s kitchen!!! I was so nervous to make it for his birthday dinner but the instructions were super easy to follow even for someone who’s never made Cajun food before. I served it with garlic bread and he went back for three bowls. Best wife points ever, thank you for this recipe!!
Just finished making this for my post-hike dinner and wow, it hit the spot! It’s freezing here in the mountains right now and this warm, spicy gumbo was exactly what I needed. Threw in some extra oysters I had leftover from a fishing trip last weekend and they were such a good addition. Will be making this all winter long!
First time ever making a roux and I was so stressed but the step-by-step instructions made it so easy! I was worried a medium difficulty recipe would be too much for me as a beginner cook but this was totally doable in the 1 hour 15 minute cook time, even with me taking it slow. My kids loved it, they kept saying it tastes like the gumbo we got on our trip to New Orleans last summer! 🥰