The best seafood gumbo recipe with loads of shrimp, white fish, crab and oysters, all with plenty of Cajun seasonings. It's heaven in a bowl. This is absolutely my favorite.
Seafood Gumbo Recipe
It's time for Seafood Gumbo, my friends. Gumbo is one of my very favorite things on this entire planet, and I'll take it any way I can get it, whether we're talking chicken and sausage gumbo, extra spicy gumbo, vegetarian green gumbo, whatever!
I just want gumbo!
When we visit New Orleans, we enjoy gumbo every day. Every person makes it a little different, but you still get that "gumbo" essence, which is one of its outstanding qualities.
You can make it your own! Especially with seafood.
Let’s talk about how to make seafood gumbo! Excited!
Seafood Gumbo Ingredients
- FOR THE GUMBO
- Oil. Use ¾ cup vegetable oil. Peanut oil is great here.
- Flour. Use ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- Vegetables. Use 1 large onion, 1 large green bell pepper, 2 jalapeno peppers (optional), 2 celery stalks, 4 cloves garlic, and 2 cups okra.
- Liquids. Use 12 ounces amber beer and 5 cups seafood stock. Use 4-6, depending on how thin you’d like your finished gumbo. You can also skip the beer and just use more stock.
- Seasonings. Use 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning blend or more, 1 tablespoon cayenne powder, for more heat, ½ teaspoon dried thyme and bay leaf, plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Extras. 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon hot sauce or more to your preference, and ½ cup freshly chopped parsley.
- FOR THE SEAFOOD
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound white fish - use red snapper, grouper, catfish, whatever is available to you
- 1 pound lump white crab meat
- ½ pound smoked oysters Or use freshly shucked if you can get them.
- FOR SERVING
- Cooked white rice fresh chopped parsley, spicy chili flakes, spicy chili oil, extra hot sauce
How to Make Seafood Gumbo - the Recipe Method
Start with a Roux. First, heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add flour and continually stir until the flour is incorporated, forming a roux.
Constantly stir the roux for 20-30 minutes (or longer), ensuring nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, or it may burn. The roux will darken to a peanut butter color to a light chocolate color, then to a dark roux the color of chocolate. I like to achieve a light chocolate color for my seafood gumbo.
*See my NOTES above on making a roux. Learn more here about How to Make a Roux.
Add the Vegetables. Add in onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic and okra. Stir the mixture often, about 5 minutes, until the okra is no longer slimy.
The Liquids. Stir in beer, seafood stock, Cajun seasonings, cayenne pepper, salt, thyme, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauce.
Simmer at Least One Hour. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. 1.5-2 hours will develop more flavor.
Add the Seafood. When nearly ready to serve, add in the shrimp, fish, crab and oysters* (See my NOTES below about your seafood options). Cook another 10 minutes, or until all the seafood has cooked through.
Serve the Seafood Gumbo. Stir in the fresh parsley. Serve the seafood gumbo into bowls with rice and top with fresh chopped parsley or green onions, spicy chili flakes, spicy chili oil, and extra hot sauce if desired.
Try it with potato salad!
About the Roux
Your roux will darken the longer you cook it. It stars out very white from the raw flour, but as you cook, stirring constantly, the flour darkens to a light brown and gets darker, to the color of copper and eventually very dark, like chocolate.
Lighter, or blonde, roux is thicker and will result in a thicker gumbo. Darker roux is thinner or soupier.
I cooked mine to a dark chocolate brown this time, though you can cook it to your own personal preference.
Learn how to make a roux - includes a video recipe.
Gumbo Seafood Options
I used shrimp, red snapper, crab and smoked oysters for my seafood gumbo. I just love the combination of those ingredients. However, you can use pretty much any seafood that you'd prefer.
Famous Cajun chef Emeril Lagasse uses gumbo crabs in his seafood gumbo, but they aren't easily found where I live. You can use pretty much any type of fish. Catfish is good here. Try any whitefish, really.
I actually added in a bit of shrimp powder that I made from my cookbook, “The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook”. It adds some umami to the dish.
How to Make Seafood Stock
You can use a store bought seafood stock, or even use chicken or vegetable stock, but you can make your own seafood stock fairly easily.
I save shrimp shells, crab shells and lobster shells, things you might normally throw away. I keep them in the freezer for meals like this.
Simply add the shells to water, bring to a boil at medium-high heat, then simmer for an hour or so, or longer. The nutrients from the shells leaches into the water and becomes a rich and flavorful stock.
It is quite delicious and a great way to make use of those shells.
NOTE: If you don't want to spend the time making a seafood stock, substitute it with chicken broth and you'll still have an incredible pot of Cajun seafood gumbo.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Tomatoes. Try adding tomatoes or tomato sauce to the dish before the long simmer. It's a nice option for more of a Creole style gumbo.
- Andouille. Many gumbos include smoked andouille sausage, which is very common in Cajun cuisine. Even though this is a seafood gumbo, feel free to include it in your gumbo pot. I think it's great with this.
- Simmering Time. Don't skimp on the simmering time if you can help it. This isn't a 20 minute or 30 minute gumbo. The dish really benefits from a longer simmer, so plan for spending a bit of time in the kitchen.
- File Powder. File powder is a common ingredient in gumbo, stirred in to act as a thickener. Use it if you'd like. Very popular!
Storage Information
Seafood gumbo will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy your seafood gumbo! It's one of my favorites ever!
Patty's Perspective
I love a good seafood gumbo. All that tasty seafood floating around in a big bowl of tastiness. Mike has been making different types of gumbo for years, and I have to turn one down.
I love his gumbos. He's made this with catfish as well and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I really hope you try this recipe out.
It's a keeper for sure.
Check Out My Other Gumbo Recipes
If you love gumbo, check out some of my other gumbo recipes.
Check Out These Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS.Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Seafood Gumbo Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup vegetable oil peanut oil is great here
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 large bell pepper chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped (optional)
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 cups okra chopped
- 12 ounces amber beer (optional - you can use extra stock instead)
- 5 cups seafood stock use 4-6, depending on how thin you’d like your finished gumbo
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning blend or more, as desired
- 1 tablespoon cayenne powder optional, for more heat
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce or more to your preference, use your favorite!
- ½ cup freshly chopped parsley
FOR THE SEAFOOD
- 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 pound white fish use red snapper, grouper, catfish, whatever is available to you
- 1 pound lump white crab meat
- ½ pound smoked oysters Or use freshly shucked if you can get them
FOR SERVING
- Cooked white rice fresh chopped parsley, spicy chili flakes, spicy chili oil, extra hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Swirl in the flour and continually stir until the flour is incorporated, forming a roux. Constantly stir the roux for 20-30 minutes (or longer), ensuring nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, or it may burn. The roux will darken to a peanut butter color to a light chocolate color. *See my NOTES above on making a roux.
- Add the onion, peppers, celery, garlic and okra. Stir the mixture often, about 5 minutes, until the okra is no longer slimy.
- Stir in the beer, seafood stock, Cajun seasonings, cayenne pepper, salt, thyme, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauce.
- Bring the pot to a quick boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour. 1.5-2 hours will develop more flavor.
- When nearly ready to serve, add in the shrimp, fish, crab and oysters* (See my NOTES above about your seafood options). Cook another 10 minutes, or until all the seafood has cooked through.
- Stir in the fresh parsley.
- Serve the seafood gumbo into bowls with rice and top with fresh chopped parsley, spicy chili flakes, spicy chili oil, and extra hot sauce if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This post was updated on 12/25/23 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 1/2/19.
Jessica says
I was making this tonight and don’t know where I went wrong. The roux was perfect. Added the veggies and then started to add the liquid. The roux just floated around in clumps and it never came together. Help.
Mike Hultquist says
Sorry to hear, Jessica. I've never had this happen with a roux or gumbo, but I know what it is. Your roux basically separated, or "broke", much like a sauce can break sometimes. It's hard to say why, as it could be not enough flour or cooked too long or at too high heat, so many possible factors. One thing you can do is make a quick blonde roux and swirl it into the simmering gumbo to help thicken. I hope this helps a little.
Marilyn says
So very good!
Kozmo says
This looks great. I'm a little nervous about throwing in raw oysters though. You suggest smoked oysters with the option of fresh shucked. Do the raw oysters firm up well? If I can't be convinced they'll firm up, I might poach or bake them before adding.
Mike H. says
Kozmo, when added at the right stage of cooking, raw oysters will firm up nicely without turning rubbery, no worries about that. However, we don't want you to be nervous when cooking either, so definitely lightly poach or bake them first. By doing this, you'll still get the rich flavor of the oysters without the risk of overcooking them.
Glenn says
Have read many seafood gumbo recipes on the internet, some even claiming to be authentic New Orleans recipe. There is always the one ingredient that we use in New Orleans, that is not in the recipes. Gumbo Filet. Amount used depends on individual taste. Some will omit it completely and put the bottle on the table to be used individually. Myself, I sprinkle it along the top then stir it in while cooking.
Mike Hultquist says
Glenn, file powder is mentioned in the Recipe Notes section. I guess not everyone reads the whole post. Anyway, thanks for the 4 stars.
Sarah S says
I've made it twice now. My partner is not a fan of okra so I just left it out. The flavors are so rich and delicious, it will be on our regular rotation!
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed it, Sarah! This is absolutely one of my favorites. I LOVE seafood gumbo!!
Randy Snakenberg III says
I made this to bring to our Thanksgiving potluck at work. It was held on a Friday, and our CFO is VERY Catholic and said he would be skipping the event as he only eats fish on Fridays. I told him "hold on now, come to the event and I'll figure something out for ya". He's from Galveston and absolutely loved it, as did the owner of my company, who is from Louisiana. I couldn't afford to make it again for the Christmas potluck and had to hear everyone's disappointment when I showed up without a pot of gumbo. They said if they knew it was a financial issue that everybody would have chipped in because it was that good. Definitely give this recipe a try, you won't be disappointed.
Mike Hultquist says
Wow, this is great to hear, Randy! Super happy they all enjoyed it! I love it, and greatly appreciate it.
Jeremy Heyl says
I make Gumbo often, and seafood gumbo is my favorite. This is pretty much how I make mine (all except the beer part, I'm sure to try that next). For those of you that don't want to use/don't like okra try this: when the roux is the color you want and still screaming hot, add your thinly sliced okra (1/4 inch thick or less) first! It will bubble and hiss and all that slime gets steamed out and all you're left with is the thickening goodness. Let bubble and hiss for quick minute or two, then move on with the rest of your vegetables. I've never tried this with frozen okra as you don't want to add anything frozen to hot oil but if you thaw it to room temp and drain it first it will probably still work.
Mike H. says
Thank you for the input, Jeremy!
Ramya says
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu / tempeh / mushrooms / cauliflower / vegetable stock and vegan worcestershire sauce i never had seafood gumbo before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Mike H. says
Go for it, Ramya. Enjoy!
Linda says
Add crawfish and it is amazing!
Mike Hultquist says
Yep, crawfish is great here. You can use any of your favorite seafood with seafood gumbo.