Shrimp Gumbo
Shrimp gumbo is a rich, flavourful Louisiana stew with shrimp as the hero ingredient, but also made with onions, bell peppers, celery, and okra. It is simmered with Cajun spices, and a roux based broth, and is served over rice for a comforting, hearty dish.
I love gumbo and this is not my only recipe for gumbo on the website. Packed with so much flavour, this is a meal in itself. Some soups come before a meal – but not so with shrimp gumbo. There are so many times I go to my parents home and there is a pot of gumbo simmering on the stove. Two bowls later, I am a happy man!
What Makes Shrimp Gumbo So Good
Originated in Southern Louisiana, gumbo is a beloved stew that is hearty and packed with so many ingredients that every bite is unique.
- The Roux – A properly browned roux provides the flavour base. Depending on how brown it is cooked, the roux can give the gumbo a rich and nutty taste.
- The Trinity – The term trinity is referred to the inclusion of onions, celery and bell peppers. This adds more flavour along with the roux.
- Seafood Flavours – the shrimp and the seafood stock makes this a true coastal soup.
- Okra – I love okra, and for me, gumbo requires a lot of okra. It provides a nice earthy flavour to the soup.
- Hearty – with all the ingredients as well as being topped with rice, gumbo is a full meal.
How To Make Roux
Roux is a classic skill and technique used for many different dishes like béchamel sauce, cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese, étouffée, gumbo and some curries. There are two ingredients used in a roux: flour and a fat (butter or oil). I use oil and will either use peanut or vegetable oil.
To make the roux add the flour and fat, at a ratio of 1:1, to a pot large enough for the gumbo. Heat at medium low and mix regularly, scraping the bottom of the pot.
Over time, you will see the roux starting to brown. continue to cook it, whisking regularly. You really want to make sure that you are scraping the bottom of the pot because it easily burn if you don’t.
Expert Tip: Halfway through, you can see the roux is like a peanut butter colour. This takes around 20-25 minutes. It is at this colour that I use the roux for étouffée, but I like it a deeper brown for gumbo. So keep cooking and stirring.
Continue cooking the root, stirring often, until it reaches a caramel or hazelnut colour as you can see in the photo above. This colour will provide a deep nutty flavour to the gumbo, that cannot be matched by any other method or ingredient.
Trinity Time!
Once the roux is ready, add the trinity to the pot. This is the chopped onion, bell pepper and celery. I also include some minced garlic as well. Stir the chopped vegetables in with the roux and cook it for a few minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the Okra
Stir in the okra and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes. As you cook, there will be some moisture/liquid drawn out of the okra. This is called mucilage and will help with thickening soups or dishes with a sauce. More mucilage will be drawn out the longer the gumbo cooks.
How To Make Seafood Stock
While the roux is simmering, I like to make some seafood stock in another pot. It is very easy to make and cheaper than buying a few cartons of broth.
To make seafood stock, fill a large pot with water. Add the shells of the shrimp, a few bay leaves, an onion, the stump of the celery (a great way to use this which many times just gets thrown in the garbage), and some cajun spice/creole seasoning.
Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer at a rolling boil for about an hour. Turn off and wait for later to add the amount of stock needed to the gumbo.
Add The Stock
Pour 12 cups of the seafood stock into the pot and stir in all the spices. Bring the gumbo to a boil and then reduce the heat to a medium low. You are looking for a low barely rolling boil. Let the gumbo simmer for about 2 hours. This will cause all the flavours to come together and the broth of the gumbo to slightly thicken.
If you find that the broth is reducing too much, you can add some extra seafood stock that you made until it gets to a consistency that you like. The broth of gumbo should not be thin like consommé or soups like minestrone. But, it should not be as thick as a stew.
Add The Shrimp
Shrimp takes only minutes to cook, so it should be added near the end of the simmering time of the gumbo. When you are near serving time, stir in the peeled shrimp. Cook for about 5-10 minutes. The shrimp will turn pick (an indicator that it is getting cooked) and float to the top.
How To Serve Gumbo
To serve gumbo, ladle a healthy amount of the soup to a bowl and then spoon some cooked rice on top of the gumbo. If desired, add a little bit of your favourite Louisiana hot sauce to desired heat level.
More Cajun/Creole Recipes
- Louisiana Style Barbecue Shrimp – One of my favourite ways to cook shrimp, this dish is packed with flavour. Make sure to serve it with some crusty bread!
- Shrimp Creole – Another great way to serve shrimp, this dish has a tomato based and perfect served with rice.
- Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya – A classic New Orleans style dish! So good.
- Creole Style Stewed Okra – A delicious and healthy side dish that has that amazing creole seasoning.
Shrimp Gumbo
Ingredients
- 1 cup oil
- 1 cup flour
- 1 onion , diced
- 1 green pepper , diced
- 3 celery stalks , diced
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 3 cups okra , sliced
- 12 cups seafood stock , or other broth
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want is spicy)
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 pounds shrimp , peeled
- 5 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- With the oil and flour, make a medium dark roux. Add the oil to a pot and heat it on medium/low heat. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until the roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to the desired color. It should be a hazelnut brown color
- Add the onion, pepper and celery and cook at a medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in the okra and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- Add the spices and seafood stock. Bring to a boil.
- Lower to a simmer so that it has a low rolling boil.
- Cook for about 2 hours.
- Add the shrimp about 5 minutes before serving. Stir often and once they are cooked through, the gumbo is ready to be served.
- Serve with a couple spoonfuls of rice in each bowl.
Nutrition
Per serving:
