This Seafood Gumbo Recipe is made with the delicious flavors of chicken, smoked sausage, shrimp, crab and aromatic vegetables enveloped in a luscious and savory rich roux served over rice.
Seafood gumbo is amazing and is one of my family's favorite recipes of all time. For us, seafood gumbo is a celebratory dish that's typically served on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthdays, and other special occasions. It's 100% a crowd-pleaser and is a dish that everyone looks forward to throughout the year.
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Why this recipe works
Gumbo is comfort food at its best. So, if you're a comfort food and seafood lover, this recipe is FOR YOU. Although it may seem intimidating to make, it's actually really easy and when done right, you'll end up with the most amazing flavor.
The most important element of this recipe is the roux which consists of mainly 2 ingredients, a fat such as butter or oil and flour. The roux adds the deep rich flavor to the gumbo while also acting as a thickener.
How to make seafood gumbo
This recipe is a multi-step process that's typically prepped a day ahead which I highly recommend; however, you can prep and make the gumbo all in the same day if you have the time.
It's an easy recipe but requires a long cooking time in order to develop the true flavor of gumbo. Authentic tasting gumbo cannot be made in under 3 hours. You'll find that this recipe requires patience but is well worth the wait.
Cleaning the shrimp and prawns:
- First, remove the outer shell and legs if attached and discard.
- Use a steak knife or paring knife to cut along the outer surface of the shrimp's back and sometimes its underbelly and remove the black vein and discard.
- Place the de-veined shrimp in a bowl of cold water and move on to the next shrimp until all shrimp have been de-veined.
- Rinse them really well with cold water.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb any excess liquid then place extra paper towels on top and pat dry.
- Put the cleaned shrimp in a large ziploc bag and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Cleaning the crab:
- Remove all the legs from the crab's body and set aside.
- Break the top shell and remove it from the body. Discard the top shell.
- Remove the gills from the crab's body. Discard the gills.
- Turn the crab over and remove the other layer from the crab's body. Discard that layer.
- Remove the crab's tail and mouth. Discard the tail and mouth.
- Dig out all of the gunk that you see. Discard the gunk.
- Rinse and remove more of the gunk and discard.
- Using a clean stiff chemical-free scrub brush, brush, away any hair and debris on the crab's shell.
- Rinse the edible crab parts well. Put into a large ziploc bag and place in fridge until ready to use.
- If you can find crab whereby the body has already been removed would be ideal as this would lessen the amount of time
Chopping the vegetables:
- Chop the onion, bell pepper, celery, and minced garlic.
- Put the chopped veggies in a ziploc bad or bowl with a tight fitting lid and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Browning the sausage:
- Slice the sausage on a bias or diagonal about a ¼ to ½ inch thick.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
- Place in a 400 degree preheated oven to bake for 15 to 20 mins until the fat has rendered.
Frying the chicken drumettes:
- If frozen, first thaw the drumettes in a large bowl of cold water
- Once completely thawed, place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb any excess liquid and use additional paper towels to pat dry.
- Season generously with Cajun seasoning and kosher salt.
- Dredge each drumette in all-purpose flour and place in a frying pan with cooking oil preheated to 350 degrees.
- Fry until the drumettes are crispy golden brown and are cooked through.
- Allow the drumettes to cool then place in a large ziploc bag until ready to use.
Making the roux:
This step is very important and is the base for a really delicious gumbo. Roux is a mixture of fat, flour, and liquid. As a rule of thumb, I think of it this way... 1 part fat, 1 part flour, 2 parts liquid. I tend to add a little bit more liquid to thin out the roux if necessary.
- Place a skillet on the stove-top over medium heat.
- Add a mixture of butter and some of the oil (that was used for frying the drumettes being sure to get those brown bits from the oil that's where the flavor lies).
- When the oil is hot, add in a couple tablespoons of the chopped veggies and saute until the veggies begin to soften, add in the flour and cook until the flour starts to turn brown but catch it in time, so it doesn't become burnt.
- Slowing pour in the chicken broth while whisking vigorously until the roux begins to thicken.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Start with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a dash of black pepper.
- Allow the roux to cool.
- Pour into an airtight container and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Putting it all together the day of:
- To a really large soup pot, fill it a little more than half way full with water (this will prevent it from over-flowing when adding all the ingredients.
- Add the chopped veggies, all your seasonings, kosher salt, the gumbo file, and tomato sauce, and crab.
- When the water is hot, add your sausage and the roux and continue to let it cook for a few hours.
- Add the chicken to the pot at about the 3 to 4 hour mark. If you add the chicken to the pot too early, the chicken will cook off the bone and will almost disintegrate.
- During this time, continue to taste taste, add more kosher salt, Cajun seasoning, gumbo file and more roux where you see fit until you get the perfect taste.
- Continue to let it cook to develop the flavor.
- Add the shrimp to the pot about 30 minutes before the gumbo is done. The shrimp are added lasts since it only takes a few minutes to cook.
- Once the shrimp are done, taste test again and add more seasoning or just kosher salt where you see fit.
- Serve over a bed of rice with a few dashes of hot sauce if you'd like.
Please refer to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
Do not allow the gumbo to sit out for a long period of time as this can potentially cause the gumbo to spoil. After serving, allow the gumbo to cool, then pour into an airtight container or freezer safe container. Never put gumbo into the fridge or freezer while hot. My gumbo has never spoiled although I know of others whose gumbo has spoiled. From my understanding, when gumbo has spoiled, it starts to foam on the surface as it sits. This is a sign that the gumbo should be thrown away. Please use your better judgment as it comes to food safety and to prevent spoiling.
Dishes that contain seafood is really tricky and gumbo is no exception when it comes to storage. I recommend keeping gumbo in the fridge for no longer than 24 hours. Store it in an airtight container.
The next day, remove the contents from the container and place in a pot over low heat until hot and serve over rice.
Dishes that contain seafood is really tricky and gumbo is no exception when it comes to storage. I recommend keeping gumbo in the fridge for no longer than 24 hours. Store it in an airtight container. The next day, remove the contents from the container and place in a pot over low heat until hot and serve over rice.
Yes, gumbo can be frozen and is what I recommend doing if you have leftovers. Depending on how you tend to use the leftovers, after 24 hours of being in the fridge, I suggest storing any remaining leftovers in a freezer safe container and storing it in the freezer. Gumbo can be stored in the freezer for several months.
Expert tips
- In case you didn't know, the brown bits from frying the drumettes are full of flavor and enhances the flavor of the roux.
- I recommend prepping all the ingredients the day before since gumbo takes a long time to cook.
- By having the ingredients already prepped ahead of time, saves you so much time.
- Cook in total for about 5 to 6 hours (while adding more kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and/or Cajun seasoning and gumbo file throughout the entire cooking process to develop the perfect gumbo flavor).
- Add the prawns at the very last minute since they cook REALLY FAST.
- You can use a combination of different sized shrimp although I prefer using large shrimp or jumbo prawns.
- When purchasing crab from the market, ask the butcher to remove all the crab parts that are not edible so you're left with only the edible parts this will make cleaning easier.
- Some markets have crab parts such as crab claws that are great for adding to gumbo such as Jonah crab claws.
- Feel free to add stewed tomatoes or okra if you'd like (I do not care for either one especially okra, so I do not add them).
- To make gumbo thicker, add a roux and allow the gumbo to cook until it reduces.
- Lobster tails are also a great addition and should be added at the end like shrimp.
- Although gumbo is relatively easy to prepare, getting that perfect flavor can be challenging which is why it requires a long cooking time for the most delicious flavor. So, patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to making gumbo.
- In my opinion, gumbo can’t reach its maximum flavor in less than 3 hours. For optimum flavor, 5 to 6 hours of cooking time is best.
- Similar to other soups or stews, gumbo is absolutely better the second day.
NOTE: Depending on your family or background and how you make gumbo may be different from mine. However, if you've never made gumbo you're definitely in the right spot. This recipe is one that I love and standby. If you like okra, feel free to add it in as many people do. I personally do not like okra, so I leave it out.
Other seafood recipes you may enjoy
Did you make this recipe?
If so, let me know how it went. Leave a 'Star Rating' within the recipe card down below and/or TAG @cookingwithbliss on Instagram. I can't wait to see how it turned out.
📖 Recipe
Seafood Gumbo Recipe
Equipment
- Large boiling pot with wide mouth or soup pot
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 small onion (or 1 medium sized or large onion chopped (plus reserve 1 tablespoon for roux))
- 1 large green bell pepper (chopped (plus reserve 1 tablespoon for roux))
- 5 stalks celery (chopped (plus reserve 1 tablespoon for roux))
- 5 cloves garlic (minced fresh garlic)
- 5 packs smoked sausage (any combination of beef smoked sausage, beef kielbasa, turkey smoked sausage, turkey kielbasa, pork smoked sausage )
- 6 lbs shrimp/prawns (large, jumbo, prawns)
- 12 lbs Dungeness crab (about 6 whole grab)
- 5 tablespoon kosher salt or seasoned salt (start with 5 tablespoons more will be needed)
- 5 tablespoon pure ground gumbo file (start with 5 tablespoons more will be needed)
- 5 tablespoon garlic powder (start with 5 tablespoons more will be needed)
- 5 tablespoon onion powder (start with 5 tablespoons more will be needed)
- 15 oz tomato sauce
Frying the chicken drumettes
- 1 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 cup all purpose flour (for dredging (coating) drumettes)
- 6 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 8 lbs chicken drumettes
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt (to taste)
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
Making the roux
- 2 tablespoon oil (reserved from fried chicken + THE BROWN BITS)
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock (plus ¼ cup extra if roux is too thick)
- 1 tablespoon onion (chopped - noted above)
- 1 tablespoon bell pepper (chopped - noted above)
- 1 tablespoon celery (chopped - noted above)
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Chop the onion, bell pepper, celery, and minced garlic. Put the chopped veggies in an airtight container or ziploc bag and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Cleaning the shrimp and prawns
- First, remove the outer shell and legs if attached and discard.
- Use a steak knife or paring knife to cut along the outer surface of the shrimp's back and sometimes its underbelly and remove the black vein that runs lengthwise and discard.
- Place the de-veined shrimp in a bowl of cold water and move on to the next shrimp until all shrimp have been de-veined.
- When all the shrimp have been de-veined, rinse them really well with cold water. Put the cleaned shrimp in a large ziploc bag and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Cleaning the crab
- Remove all the legs from the crab's body and set aside.
- Break the top shell and remove it from the body. Discard the top shell.
- Remove the gills from the crab's body. Discard the gills.
- Turn the crab over and remove the other layer from the crab's body. Discard that layer.
- Remove the crab's tail and mouth. Discard the tail and mouth.
- Dig out all of the gunk that you see. Discard the gunk. Rinse and remove more of the gunk and discard. Using a clean stiff chemical-free scrub brush, brush, away any hair and debris on the crab.
- Rinse the edible crab parts well. Put into a large ziploc bag and place in fridge until ready to use.
Browning the sausage
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the sausages on a bias or diagonal about a ¼ to ½ inch thick. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Line with foil paper and a mist of cooking spray to prevent them from sticking. NOTE: Use 2 baking sheets if necessary. Bake until the fat has rendered about 20 to 25 minutes. Place sausage on a plate lined with layers of paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
Frying the chicken drumettes
- If frozen, first thaw the drumettes. After thawing, place chicken on a baking sheet lined with layers of paper towels to absorb the excess liquid. Add more paper towels on top of the chicken and pat dry. Season with Cajun seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Add oil to a frying skillet. The size and depth of the skillet will determine how much cooking oil to use. The oil should be a couple of inches high in the skillet coming about halfway up the drumettes. The cooking oil should reach a temperature of 350 degrees F before adding chicken to the skillet.
- Add flour to shallow dish and dredge each drumette in the flour gently shaking off any excess flour and place in skillet to fry until the drumettes are crispy golden brown and are cooked through. NOTE: fry the chicken drumettes in batches to prevent over-crowding in the skillet.
- Remove drumettes from hot oil and place on a baking sheet lined with layers of paper towels to absorb the oil.
Making the roux
- Place a skillet on the stove-top over medium heat. Add a mixture of butter and the oil (the oil that was used for frying the drumettes being sure to get those brown bits from the oil that's where the flavor lies).
- When the butter/oil is hot, add in a couple tablespoons of the chopped veggies and saute until the veggies begin to soften, add in the flour and cook until the flour turns brown but catch it before it becomes burnt.
- Slowing pour in the chicken broth while whisking vigorously until the roux begins to thicken. Lower the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Start with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a dash of black pepper.
- Allow the roux to cool. Pour into an airtight container and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Bringing it all together the DAY OF
- Remove all ingredients from the fridge.
- Fill the pot a little more than ½ full of water this will prevent the gumbo from overflowing when all the ingredients are added. Add the chopped veggies, kosher salt, Cajun seasoning, minced garlic, tomato sauce, gumbo file, and crab. Place on stove-top over medium high heat and stir. When the pot comes to a boil, add the sausage and continue to cook.
- Meanwhile, heat up the roux in a small pot. After it's heated through, pour the roux into the larger pot with the other ingredients and allow it to continue cooking.
- At about the 3 to 4 hour mark, add the fried drumettes to the pot and continue to cook. During this time, taste test and add more kosher salt, gumbo file, and Cajun seasoning to continue to develop the perfect gumbo flavor. This should be done throughout the cooking process.
- Cook for about 5 to 6 hours. Add the shrimp to the pot at the very last minute as shrimp cooks really fast. This is also the time to add lobster if you'd like.
- When done, serve over a bed of white rice and enjoy while hot.
Notes
- In case you didn't know, the brown bits from frying the drumettes are full of flavor and enhances the flavor of the roux.
- I recommend prepping all the ingredients the day before since gumbo takes a long time to cook.
- By having the ingredients already prepped ahead of time, saves you so much time.
- Cook in total for about 5 to 6 hours (while adding more kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and/or Cajun seasoning and gumbo file throughout the entire cooking process to develop the perfect gumbo flavor).
- Add the prawns at the very last minute since they cook REALLY FAST.
- You can use a combination of different sized shrimp although I prefer using large shrimp or jumbo prawns.
- When purchasing crab from the market, ask the butcher to remove all the crab parts that are not edible so you're left with only the edible parts this will make cleaning easier.
- Some markets have crab parts such as crab claws that are great for adding to gumbo such as Jonah crab claws.
- Feel free to add stewed tomatoes or okra if you'd like (I do not care for either one especially okra, so I do not add them).
- To make gumbo thicker, add a roux and allow the gumbo to cook until it reduces.
- Lobster tails are also a great addition and should be added at the end like shrimp.
- Although gumbo is relatively easy to prepare, getting that perfect flavor can be challenging which is why it requires a long cooking time for the most delicious flavor. So, patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to making gumbo.
- In my opinion, gumbo can’t reach its maximum flavor in less than 3 hours. For optimum flavor, 5 to 6 hours of cooking time is best.
- Similar to other soups or stews, gumbo is absolutely better the second day.
Yvonne
Making this again soon, maybe for New Years. Its flavorful and delicious!