Easy Seafood Gumbo
A party for your mouth! This Easy Seafood Gumbo recipe is on the table quickly and easily. Loaded with authentic creole flavors and tons of seafood, this classic Louisiana Seafood Gumbo is a favorite dinner for every occasion.
Seafood Gumbo
One of my favorite recipes to date, this southern Seafood Gumbo recipe takes me straight back to New Orleans. I visited while on a business trip sooooo many years ago and packed in as much as I could to get a taste of the city. My heart, and belly, were so full when I left but I never stopped dreaming about the best seafood gumbo I ever put into my mouth.
This Easy Seafood Gumbo recipe is one of the things that I’ve been able to nail down perfectly as far as spice, vibrant flavor and heartiness. This is seriously a stick to your ribs kinda dinner that you’re going to want to serve up every single week. It’s easy, freezer friendly and so totally loaded with mouthwatering deliciousness.
How to Make Gumbo
Making a Louisiana Gumbo Recipe from scratch is super simple to do. You can add whatever seafood you like but for this easy gumbo I like to add shrimp, crabmeat and oysters. They’re all easy to find and you can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd.
- Make the roux using butter and flour by whisking together over medium high heat until golden brown.
- Add the onions, peppers and celery to the roux and stir to combine. Cook until softened.
- Stir in the sausage and cook 1 minute.
- Add the garlic, mustard, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, creole seasoning and file powder. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the seafood, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through.
- Serve with rice.
Gumbo Substitutions
Try to find oysters at your seafood counter that are in a can and be sure to check the date to be used. Nothing is worse than opening a can of “overripe” oysters that have been sitting in a can for a little longer than they should be.
Also, if you find that jumbo lump crabmeat is too pricey, feel free to use backfin or claw meat for this recipe. Since it’s a stew, you can use less pretty crabmeat than you would for these crab cakes.
Ingredients in Gumbo
Other than the seafood in this recipe, the main ingredient in a classic New Orleans Gumbo, both used to thicken and flavor the gumbo, are roux and either okra or file powder (or both!).
For no other reason than just plain preference, I like to make my Chicken Gumbo with okra and my Seafood Gumbo with File powder. But both of my recipes call for a roux, made of butter and flour, which is the main thickening agent in all Gumbo recipes.
How To Make a Roux
Making a roux for the base of your Gumbo recipe is really simple to do, all you need are two ingredients: Fat and flour. You can use any type of fat like butter, oil, lard, bacon grease…whatever floats your boat. For this roux, I start it all with a healthy helping of butter.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the mixture forms a paste.
- Cook the roux, whisking constantly, until it turns a deep golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Use in your recipe, as directed.
What is File Powder?
File powder, also known as Gumbo file, is a slightly spicy herb made from the dried, ground leaves of the sassafras tree. It’s a common ingredient found in most gumbo recipes and you can find it in the spice section of most well stocked grocery stores.
If you prefer not to use file powder in your recipe you can substitute it with 1 cup frozen okra added with the seafood.
What is the difference between Gumbo and Jambalaya?
While similar in flavor and add-ins, like chicken, sausage or seafood, Jambalaya is more of a paella dish or, primarily, a rice based dish. Gumbo, on the other hand, is a soup or stew based recipe that is thickened with a roux.
I love both a gumbo and jambalaya but this easy Seafood Gumbo recipe has stolen a special place in my heart forever.
What is traditionally served with Gumbo?
I love to serve my Seafood Gumbo with plain white rice but I’ve been to restaurants in Louisiana that serve their gumbo recipe with potato salad. Sounds strange but it’s certainly delicious and adds a ton of body to the soup. Definitely a must try if you’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen!
Here are a few more sides I like to serve with my easy Seafood Gumbo recipe:
- Surprisingly, this Smashed Potato Salad is amazing with Seafood Gumbo!
- Spice it up with some Fried Green Tomatoes
- Top a pile of these Pimento Cheese Mashed Potatoes.
Looking for even more Louisiana classics….maybe for your Mardi Gras party? Check out these easy favorites:
- Classic Muffuletta Sandwich
- Easy Cornmeal Crusted Shrimp Po’Boy
- Super simple Pimento Cheese Spread
- Easy Chicken Fried Steak with Country Gravy
Want even more easy recipe inspiration? Follow us over on Instagram!
Get the Recipe: Easy Seafood Gumbo
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 1/2 cups sliced smoked andouille sausage approximately 3 links
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 tsp creole seasoning
- 1 tsp file powder
- 32 ounces chicken stock
- 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 cup jumbo lump crabmeat
- 6 ounces oysters and juices
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked white rice
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium/high heat.
- Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the mixture starts to turn golden brown and smell nutty, approximately 3-4 minutes. (Do not stop whisking or the roux will burn.)
- Stir in the onion, bell pepper and celery. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the sausage to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in the garlic, mustard, cayenne, garlic powder, creole seasoning and file powder. Cook for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly and scraping up any brown bit on the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly add the chicken stock to the pot stirring to combine. Bring the soup to a boil.
- Turn the heat to low. Stir in the shrimp and oysters with oyster liquor (juices). Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper to the soup and stir to combine.
- Simmer for 10 minutes or until the soup begins to thicken. Stir in the crabmeat.
- Serve the seafood gumbo over rice, if desired. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and parsley for an extra pop of color.
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14 Comments on “Easy Seafood Gumbo”
Sorry nice try. Great Grandparents and Grandparents would be upset by this, Over 60 years of tradition in my household past down, diluted by this for likes. Its really about respect of one thing that we hold dear to our hearts and thats cooking. Give some history about where Gumbo comes from, thats the main ingredient. This should be called Gumbo inspired soup.
I’m sure this won’t be posted….
Hi Rio, Thank you for your comment. Funny thing is I received this “soup” recipe from a friend of mine that grew up in Metairie, LA so you can take up your issues with her. 🙂 Much like my Polish recipes here, I know there are so many variations of Gumbo that each family calls their own and this was based on hers. I will happily add the history of Gumbo, as well as, what makes it traditional and some notes that this is my version based on a Louisiana native. Thanks again for your very kind words and if you haven’t tried my “soup” recipe you may not want to give it a rating just by reading the recipe. Not really fair if you haven’t even tasted a spoonful of it. Happy Holidays to you!
Since I live in South Louisiana and in a vibrant community of Cajun and Creole culture and cuisine, I readily know the difference between. Neither groups in my area would ever cook gumbo without the namesake ingredient which is okra. Okra in West African is “gumbo.” As my Mawmaw used to say, “If it does not have okra, it is a soup, not a gumbo!” Most Creole cuisine has tomatoes and I use “Creole tomatoes” which I grow. Cajun and Creole seasoning also differs a little, to the discerning.
I prefer Cajun Gumbo with fresh shrimp, oysters, crabs, crab legs, sometimes red fish, and much stock made from shrimp heads, crab shells, etc. This can sometimes be a large production since my kin and friends have been known to cook for 200 family and friends.
Thank you for all the information!
Big hit at my house! My youngest and I made this for dinner tonight. It was very good. It did take me well over the 35 minutes listed to make it.
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad you loved it, it’s a favorite here.
This was my first attempt at Gumbo and it was delicious! Can’t wait to try other recipes of yours! Thanks!
I’m so glad you loved it! It’s so easy, so it’s a favorite here.
This gumbo was a huge hit! Everyone asked for seconds!
This is so easy and so good! Love a good gumbo!
This is so delish! Especially perfect to make with Mardi Gras right around the corner!
It realy is!
It’s been years since I’ve made gumbo. This looks like the perfect recipe for Mardi Gras!
It’s totally perfect!