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Seafood Gumbo

Seafood gumbo gets its rich flavor from a roux cooked until deep brown like milk chocolate, then simmers with okra, shrimp, oysters, and crab. Serve it over fluffy long-grain white rice for a hearty Southern dinner.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 13 minutes
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 43 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Southern
Calories: 670
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the gumbo
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 yellow onion large, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 3 stalks celery diced
  • 1 package (12 oz) okra frozen sliced, thawed and drained
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 cups low-sodium seafood stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1.5 lb medium shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 8 oz shucked oysters drained
  • 1 lb lump crabmeat picked over for shells
  • 1 tsp filé powder
For the rice
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 cups long-grain white rice

Equipment

  • 1 6-quart Dutch oven
  • 1 2-quart saucepan

Method
 

Make the gumbo
  1. In a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-low heat, whisk the vegetable oil and all-purpose flour constantly for 20 to 30 minutes, until the roux is deep brown like milk chocolate.
  2. Carefully stir in the yellow onion, green bell pepper, celery, and okra, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
  3. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  4. Gradually whisk in the seafood stock.
  5. Stir in the bay leaves, dried thyme, kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, then bring the gumbo to a gentle simmer.
  6. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally; while it simmers, cook the rice.
Cook the rice
  1. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the water to a boil, stir in the long-grain white rice, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
  2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.
Finish the gumbo
  1. Stir in the shrimp and oysters and simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque, the oysters curl at the edges, and both reach 145°F.
  2. Gently fold in the crabmeat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through.
  3. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and stir in the filé powder.
Serve
  1. Spoon the gumbo over the rice.

Notes

Take your time cooking the roux; keep whisking constantly so it browns evenly without scorching. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days; freezing is possible, though the seafood texture may soften. For a gluten-free option, replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.