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. 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! 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. 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. Try it with potato salad! 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. 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. 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. That’s it, my friends! I hope you enjoy your seafood gumbo! It’s one of my favorites ever! 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.
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NOTE: This post was updated on 12/25/23 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 1/2/19.
