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.
Featured Comment
This sausage and 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 oh-so-cozy gumbo simmering for the past 2 hours, waiting to be devoured in the dead of winter with all the crusty bread.
why i love this recipe
- Rich, cozy, comforting goodness
- Easy, simple recipe to follow (and perfect for beginner cooks)
- Family-favorite and a huge crowd-pleaser
- Leftovers taste even better
- Makes for the best freezer meal
What is gumbo?
Gumbo is a Southern stew typically made with a dark roux (a mixture of fat and flour), a medley of vegetables known as the “holy trinity”, and various proteins such as chicken, sausage and seafood. Gumbo is typically served with rice and hot sauce.
Creole gumbo vs. cajun gumbo
While both are iconic Louisiana gumbo dishes, creole gumbo will generally include tomatoes with a light colored roux whereas cajun does not have tomatoes and typically calls for a darker roux for richer, deeper flavors.
What is the holy trinity?
The holy trinity is a blend of vegetables including bell peppers, onions and celery.
tips and tricks for success
- The dark roux is key here. Do not rush the dark roux, the key to a great gumbo recipe. It requires a bit of stirring and patience but the efforts will be well worth it (rushing over high temperatures will lead to a burnt roux). The finished roux will resemble the color of a Hershey’s chocolate milk bar and will be savory, rich, hearty and just so darn good.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your gumbo. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Know your shrimp size. Shrimp size is calculated on number of shrimp per pound. The smaller the number, the larger your shrimp. There are about 40-50 medium shrimp per pound.
- Buy frozen shrimp. For superior quality and freshness, using frozen shrimp is ideal (but avoid the bags with freezer burn), opting for a quick thaw under cold running water.
- Use your favorite protein. This recipe specifically uses andouille sausage and shrimp, but you can also try an andouille sausage and chicken combination instead.
- Make ahead of time. Gumbo is one of those dishes that tastes better as it sits, which means the leftovers are the absolute best. Make this ahead of time up to 2 days in advance, storing in the fridge in an airtight container and reheating over low heat until warmed through.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Freeze as needed. Gumbo is also a very freezer-friendly dish, keeping in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freeze the gumbo separately from the rice to preserve texture and to prevent sogginess.
what to serve with easy shrimp gumbo
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Easy Shrimp Gumbo: Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
You can omit the okra or substitute with other vegetables such as zucchini, green beans or broccoli florets.
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture (so they can brown nicely and evenly).
Gumbo is traditionally served hot with cooked white rice, scallions and hot sauce on the side.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags for up to 3 months, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop (adding a tablespoon of water as needed).
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
Equipment
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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Can you send a video of how to make the gumbo?
You can view the instructional video of the gumbo located in the recipe box. You can also view it here. Hope that helps, Diane!
I’ve used this recipe several times now and I love it!! I like to do a little less chicken broth so it doesn’t take as long to cook down. I also like to cook frozen shrimp separate and then just throw it in at the very end. I also like to use olive oil over vegetable oil.
DAMN DELICIOUS!!!
I followed your recipe to the tea. At 1st I thought maybe I had too much liquid but once adding the okra it thickened it up. Adding this to my Winter dishes. Next time I may try it without the tomatoes just to see the difference. Thanks for another awesome recipe.
Can I make any part of this recipe ahead of time ?
Made this and will make it again. So flavorful. I used Cajun style andioule style. When cooking was done I stirred the cooked rice into the pot.
Excellent Gumbo! I added cooked chicken for even more protein, and reduced the liquid to 6 cups. I love the simplicity of this Gumbo. The roux is the only hard part, but well worth it. Another go-to recipe from Damn Delicious! Thank you!
I’m making the gumbo today and it just isn’t as thick as I’m used to. I’m adding some extra cornstarch to give it more body. We’ll see how that goes.
Gumbo is translated “okra.” You can leave it out but never substitute w/ broccoli or anything ekes. Shrimp Creole has tomatoes, not gumbo!! Everything else is accurate…..born & raised in Southwest Louisiana Chere!
Born and raised in Lake Charles area and can say I agree with everything you said.My grandma served saltines with her gumbo.If you say gumbo to some Texans they think okra and tomatoes.
Raised in Lake Charles, as well. My mom was a French speaking Cajun. She, and her family, didn’t put tomatoes in her chicken, duck, turtle, tripe, etc. gumbos but would sometimes throw in Rotel in seafood gumbos. I am close to 70 and my mom is long gone, so tomatoes in a seafood gumbo has been around awhile. I guess we all cook the way our mothers and grandmothers did.
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 .
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