Shrimp Gumbo

Grab a bowl and spoon and ladle up some of this gumbo! A shrimp gumbo with andouille sausage! This gumbo recipe is ultra flavorful as we make a homemade roux to elevate the flavor.

If you love a good seafood recipe, this sausage and shrimp recipe just might hit the spot. No need to travel to Louisiana or even New Orleans for a bowl!

Hearty,, and loaded with veggies. This is such a comfort food. Serve over a bed of rice and dive in.

This Gumbo Recipe Is…

• Made with 2 types of meat
• Packed with flavor
• Loaded with veggies
• Thick and hearty
• Rich in flavor
• Reheats well

What is Gumbo?

Depending on your region and cook your gumbo recipe could vary. Gumbo is a hearty and soup/stew that is filled with Creole spices.

You will find there is tons of recipes from Louisiana gumbo to New Oreleans. Some recipes use tomatoes, others won’t. Same for the meat. Chicken is a popular protein that is sometimes used.

While there are tons of ways to make this Cajun style soup, it is popular all over the globe.

Gumbo Ingredients

Shrimp and Sausage – Andouille sausage and shrimp are the two varieties of meat we used. You could also add in some diced chicken if you wanted.

Chicken Broth – The broth is a part of the thick roux-based sauce. Broth adds a nice richness to the recipe, where water would take a lot of flavor away.

Flour and Oil – You will add in the remaining oil and flour to your dish after a few steps. This is going to help be the thickening agent for your soup.

Vegetables – we used tomatoes, sweet peppers, okra, onion, celery, and garlic. You can always swap vegetables if you want.

Herbs and Spices – Thyme, bay leaves, paprika, and cayenne are the spices we used.

Hot Sauce – This is going to enhance and add spice to your dish. Feel free to leave hot sauce out for a milder flavor. Or add in sauce to ramp up the spice factor.

How to Make

Full directions on how to make gumbo are below in the recipe card. This is a visual walk through on how to make the soup.

Step One: In your main pot on the stove add part of oil and the sausage. Cook on both sides to create a golden brown crust. Remove and place on a plate.

Stay Two: In a different pot you will peel and add your shells into the pot. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.

Step Three: Once the shells are pink, add the chicken stock to the shells. Bring a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

Step Four: In the pan with sausage reduce the heat and then add in the flour and some oil. Stir continuously stirring the flour to create a roux. You want it to soak in the oil and cooking the flour removes the flavor of the flour.

Step Five: Once the gumbo roux is brown and cooked add in 1 more tablespoon oil, and your veggies as directed in the recipe card at the bottom of post.

Step Six: Once that cooks for 5 minutes add in the garlic, thyme and bay leaves. After 5 minutes add in your seasoning, hot sauce and okra.

Step 7: Strain broth to remove shells, and pour the broth mixture in with the sausage and veggies. Then pour in the tomatoes and simmer.

Do your finishing touches with the lemon juice and herbs, then ladle up and serve this easy gumbo! Serve with a bed of rice if you would like!

Expert Tips

• Cooking the shrimp shells is going to truly enhance your broth to an flavor that you would lack otherwise.
• Consider adding in a little Creole seasoning to enhance the flavor and even add in some spice.
• Hot sauce is optional but it will give a nice flavor. This will create a Cajun gumbo flavor like New Orleans gumbo style.
• You do not have to serve with rice, but it is how we do it. Just cook rice as directed on the package in its own pot on the stove or a rice cooker.
• Feel free to add in diced chicken and cook with the mixture sausage. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked.

Storing Leftovers

Not sure how to store leftovers from this seafood gumbo recipe? We will share two options with you!

Refrigerate: You will refrigerate any leftovers you have. It will store for around 3-4 days in the fridge. Always use your best judgement in terms of the quality of the dish.

Freezing: You can freeze gumbo if you do not eat it all. The big thing in that is the veggies will be a lot softer once it thaws after being frozen. If you don’t mind the softer texture just freeze for 2-3 months.

Thaw in the fridge overnight and then heat the gumbo up on the stovetop or in the microwave and enjoy.

Practical notes

Common questions when making this gumbo soup recipe are listed below to help.

What rice to use to pair with gumbo?

You can use any variety of rice you would like. We love to do a white or brown rice as we find it pairs nicely without overpowering the flavors of the gumbo.

Can we change the meat used?

If you want to swap out the types of meat used go right ahead. The goal is to ensure all the meat is fully cooked, then dish up your gumbo and enjoy!

What makes gumbo thick?

The gumbo roux made with the flour is what makes gumbo so thick. The flour is going to become a thickening agent when it is cooked with the proper steps. That way if you pour over rice, it soaks all into the rice creating a rich flavor.

Should we put tomatoes in gumbo?

Traditionally in New Orleans you will find tomatoes were used a lot in making gumbo. Some people find tomatoes are one ingredient that do not belong in a gumbo recipe. It has then become a personal preference to add or not. Depending on your region you grew up eating gumbo a certain way.

Have you tried the recipe? If so, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below or drop a comment. Also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Facebook Pinterest or our Facebook Group

Ingredients

Makes 6 -8 servings

• 20-25 raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined (save shells)
• 1 rope andouille sausage, sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons oli, canola
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 5 Tablespoons flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large red peppers, chopped
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 head garlic, minced
• 4 bay leaves
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
• 8 medium okra, chopped
• 1-16 oz can tomatoes
• 4 cups cooked rice, optional

Equipment

• Shrimp Deveiner Tool Shrimp
• Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 7-Quart, Sapphire Blue

Method

1. Start by getting a Dutch oven or Stock Pot and add your sausage and cook to get them a little charred on each side. This will take around 5-7 minutes to do.
2. While that is cooking grab another pot and you will add in your shrimp shells, and cook for 5 minutes until no longer pink. This is meant to be just shells, not the shrimp itself.
3. Once the shells are all pink add in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once it boils reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. In the pan with the sausage, you will add in 1 tablespoon of oil and then your flour. Stir constantly and create a thick dough-texture, that begins to darken. The molasses color is going to add incredible flavor to your gumbo.
5. Once the roux reaches proper color add in another tablespoon of oil and toss in the onions, pepper, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the bay leaves, thyme and garlic, cook for another 3-4 minutes.
7. Now you will add in the rest of the seasonings, hot sauce if you want, and okra.
8. Strain your broth mixture pouring it into the pot with sausage. You want to discard all the shrimp shells.
9. Add in your shrimp, and the diced tomatoes. Cook until the shrimp are bright pink in color and fully cooked.
10. Season your shrimp gumbo with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
11. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs (if you used fresh) and ladle up over a bed of rice if you would like.

Kitchen notes

Meat –

We used shrimp and Andouille sausage, feel free to add in diced boneless chicken as well or alter the meats used. Shrimp Shells – Cooking the shrimp shells with the broth might seem weird but it really adds a deep flavor to the broth that you won't get otherwise. Gumbo Roux – The flour needs to cook and become darker in color. The heating the flour with oil will remove the flour flavor. Then then flour takes on flavor as it darkens to really richen and thicken the gumbo. Thickness of Sauce – If your sauce is too thin for your liking, just allow the gumbo to simmer with a lid off and it will reduce more as it cooks. Or make a cornstarch slurry with 1 teaspoon cornstarch to 1 teaspoon cold water. Stir well then pour the cornstarch into the pot.