Easy Shrimp Gumbo
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Classic comfort food stew simmered to perfection, filled with andouille sausage + shrimp. So cozy and just so darn good.
This shrimp gumbo has been made on repeat all winter long. And I really do mean all winter long. Because there’s truly nothing better than walking into the house with the aroma of this gumbo simmering for the past 2 hours, waiting to be devoured, in the dead of winter.
Now it requires a bit of stirring and patience for the dark roux (the key to a great gumbo recipe) but I promise, your efforts will be well worth it. It’s savory, rich, hearty, and just so darn good, especially with a dash of hot sauce and some crusty bread off to the side.
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
WHAT IS GUMBO?
Gumbo is a very popular stew in Louisiana made with a dark roux, the holy trinity of vegetables (onion, bell pepper, and celery), and a combination of seafood, andouille sausage, and chicken, typically served hot over cooked rice.
WHAT IS A DARK ROUX?
A roux is equal parts fat and flour. And the dark roux here takes patience (and the base for a very good gumbo recipe!). The roux requires constant stirring to prevent burning, and the color should resemble dark brown, or the color of milk chocolate.
CAN I USE DRY HERBS INSTEAD?
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
I’M SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE OKRA. CAN I OMIT OR SUBSTITUTE?
You can omit the okra or substitute with other vegetables such as zucchini, green beans or broccoli florets.
HOW DO YOU SERVE GUMBO?
Gumbo is traditionally served hot with cooked white rice and hot sauce on the side.
Easy Shrimp Gumbo
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 ½ cups frozen sliced okra
- 1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes; set aside.
- Reduce heat to low; add butter and remaining 4 tablespoons vegetable oil to the Dutch oven, stirring until butter has melted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in flour until dark brown, about 20-25 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium; add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in chicken stock, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in sausage, tomatoes, Worcestershire, thyme and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until reduced and flavors have blended, about 2 hours.
- Stir in okra until heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in shrimp; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat; discard bay leaves and stir in parsley.
- Serve immediately with rice and hot sauce, if desired.
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A perfect recipe. Exact measurements. Cooking times were perfect also.
Ingredients were spot on as well.
I’ll definitely re use in the future when only Gumbo can fill the need and want.
This is more of a soup consistency as it came out extremely watery and even after 2 hours didn’t cook down enough to make a thick stew like base.  I may try it again with only 5/6 cups of chicken broth.  The flavor was good though.  I also sprinkled about 1/2 of Cajun seasoning with the shrimp .Â
Substituted bacon grease for the butter in the roux, and smoked sausage because I didn’t have andouille, but everything else was the same as the recipe. So, so good! I had never made dark roux, just the “normal” copper-colored kind. Next time I might add smoked oysters like another reviewer mentioned. At my house, the more seafood the better!
Good recipe but omit the Maters, we don’t put that in da Gumbo.  Good Gumbo needs da roux, da holy trinity and da fixings but never tomatoes.
Hi, Louisiana born and bred here. Once you add tomato, it’s no longer gumbo. Still delicious, but we refer to this dish as Shrimp Creole. Works great with catfish chunks, too. We call that Courtbillon, but it’s almost all the same ingredients, minus the okra.
I always add some smoked oysters to my gumbo. Mmmmmm.
I’m returning to this recipe for the 5th or 6th time.  The dark roux takes patience and constant attention stirring, but the rest is just easy prep work, and once your past the roux, adding the veges pretty mindless.  That why I like this dish to entertain, doubled up, and I still don’t get leftovers!!!
My family is in the South, I was born in New Orleans. I love gumbo and make it often! Tho I haven’t tried your exact recipe, it sounds great! I don’t use hot sugar tho. I use gumbo file. Also a mix of green and purple okra make it a step up! And people think I’m weird, but I learned from my father (who’s family before him taught him), don’t use bread on the side, use Ritz crackers, and as word as it sounds, put a little butter on the crackers, it takes it to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL!
I love your recipe! In my opinion, it is not Gumbo without OKRA. I am a native of Louisiana. If you must, fry your cut okra then add to your Gumbo. I also like Crab Legs in the shell cooked in Gumbo. Sprinkle some Gumbo File in the Gumbo. I guarantee!
The name gumbo is derived from the West African Bantu’s name ‘ki ngombo’, for okra.  If it’s made without the okra it’s just a stew.  It might be delicious, but it’s not gumbo.  What is corn chowder without corn, or clam shower without clams?  Both would just be soups.
Thanks for the recipe
I will make this, but I cannot find andouille sausage, what is a good sub?
Smoked sausage will work
I love gumbo and lucky to have a Cajun momma who made shrimp & crab  gumbo on weekends .  People, made the recipe with all the ingredients, okra makes gumbo …gumbo is okra. .  Momma substituted Rotel canned tomatoes to bring a Texas spice. She also used the shrimp shells to make stock, not chicken broth.  I’ve never seen roux made with butter, vegetable oil is authentic, withstands the long browning process. She also browned sausage separately then added. This is good stuff!
You are absolutely correct! Okra’s name is gumbo.Â
I’m terrible at adding “salt to taste”. Could you readers tell me how much you used? Thanks so much!
Yummy! This is an excellent recipe! The only minor changes I made was I added 1 Tb Creole seasoning and I didn’t add okra, I didn’t have it on hand. We served it with rice. Everyone enjoyed it! This is such a delicious gumbo dish! I highly recommend it! Thank you so much!
We do not like okra. What could be substitutedÂ
Is it possible to see the answers to people’s questions?  There seems to be quite a few that don’t like okra, myself included, so one answer would help us all.
Hi Barbara! You can omit the okra or substitute with other vegetables such as zucchini, green beans or broccoli florets. This is also listed above within the post. Hope that helps!
Looks delicious. Can I omit the okra ?
You can omit the okra or substitute with other vegetables such as zucchini, green beans or broccoli florets.
I’m going to make this! Â Recipe looks wonderful. We have one family member that is allergic to shrimp. Im wondering if i could brown chicken early on in the recipe and then right before i add the shrimp put some aside for them and then add shrimp. Do you think it would be good with both shrimp and chicken ?
Absolutely, sounds like a winning combo!
Sure, you can substitute something for the okra, but okra is really what gives it the taste. The okra cooks in and you don’t see it unless like us we use 2 bags of okra one that blends in and one at the end to have that wonderful taste. I was allergic to shrimp for a long time in my youth. I have made gumbo without the shrimp and just doubled the chicken.
Looks great, and I look forward to making it. But no Cajun or Creole spices?
No Cajun seasonings and no okra, why cook it? You just took everything that makes it gumbo out. It will be as bland as bland can be. Be adventurous. Make it the way they give it, and you will love it.
Thanks, Mike.
Like so many of your recipes, this looks like another winner and I’m going to give it a try soon (especially since we just happen to be at the Gulf coast vacationing the next few weeks so access to fresh shrimp will be an added bonus).
One question about the frozen okra … can you tell me what the equivalent number of 12 oz. bags will be needed to get to the 2-1/2 cups called for? Â Might not be a bad idea to add that info along side the 2-1/2 cups in the ingredient list. Â Thanks.
Following up to my own question. Â Made this recipe with a few modifications (including using store bought dry roux (Kary’s) mainly because I was lazy … but it worked quite well) and it was great. Â
As an FYI … a 12 oz. bag of frozen sliced okra is just about 2-1/2 cups (as the recipe calls for).
Can you suggest any substitution for the okra. I just can’t….
This does look delicious, but I’m a little apprehensive about the okra. What’s its texture after being cooked this way? I’ve never eaten or cooked with it, as I’ve always been put off by reports of its “sliminess.”
You can omit the okra or substitute with other vegetables such as zucchini, green beans or broccoli florets.
I have a question about okra. My family does not care for it. What is another substitute.?
You can omit the okra or substitute with other vegetables such as zucchini, green beans or broccoli florets.
Can this recipe be frozen, except for the okra and shrimp which could be added in the reheat?
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the shrimp and okra (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked shrimp, okra and rice when serving.
I make a lot of gumbo. You can freeze everything. I make about 2-8 gallon pots a month. I get 8 containers per pot and freeze all of it except what we need for a meal.
Cajun Mike