When only the coziest meal will do, a big bowl of shrimp and crab gumbo always hits the spot. A rich, complex stew filled with plump shrimp and tender crab meat comes with just the right spice kick to make this crowd-pleasing meal. After just one taste, this gumbo is sure to become your new favorite comfort food.
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One of my absolute favorite recipes is my andouille sausage-chicken gumbo, and I'm not alone. That gumbo recipe has consistently been one of my most shared recipes, which doesn't surprise me. Growing up in Houston, Cajun cooking hugely influenced our food scene, and I made plenty of trips to New Orleans, so I know a good gumbo. My andouille sausage-chicken is one delicious gumbo, and I expected everyone to love it as much as I do.
Given that gumbo's popularity, I thought it was time to bring you another option -- this time with shrimp and crab. While I love the smoky depth the andouille sausage adds, I have a weakness for seafood. Besides, sometimes it's fun to change it up. Who doesn't love options, rights?
You'll also find this gumbo is perfect for entertaining. Sure, it does take some time to make, but you can cook this gumbo several days ahead or keep a batch in the freezer for an impromptu gathering. My freezer always stays stocked with plenty of gumbo, so I'm never without a comforting meal ready to go in case we decide to host friends or family last minute, which happens more often than you'd think.
Bonus: For more options, try my duck gumbo and crawfish and andouille sausage gumbo!
Ingredients
Before we start cooking, let's chat ingredients. Here's everything we need to make this seafood gumbo.
- Canola oil
- Bacon grease
- Flour
- Cajun seasoning, preferably homemade
- Celery ribs
- Green bell peppers
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Seafood stock, preferably homemade
- Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce
- Bay leaves
- Filé powder
- Shrimp
- Crab meat
- Fresh parsley
- Cayenne pepper, optional for you heat fiends
- Rice for serving
For the seafood stock, I have a great recipe that adds so much flavor to this gumbo. You will need plenty of seafood shells on hand to make the stock, so if you don't have those in your freezer, you can order the Better Than Bouillon Fish Base, Better Than Bouillon Lobster Base or More Than Gourmet Classic Seafood Stock. If you use the More Than Gourmet brand, make sure you pick up three packs to ensure you have enough stock.
In a pinch, you could substitute chicken stock for seafood stock, but the final result won't be the same. I'm sure it would still be good, but it won't have that prominent seafood flavor that I love in a shrimp and crab gumbo.
You'll also notice filé powder on the ingredient list. This is a crucial ingredient. Filé powder, which is made from dried sassafras leaves, acts as both a thickener and major flavor booster. Gumbo just isn't gumbo without filé powder.
These days, you can generally find filé in all grocery stores. If for some reason you can't find it, Amazon has your back again.
Oven Roux vs. Stove-Top Roux
Our shrimp and crab gumbo first starts with a deep, dark roux, and we have two cooking method options. One is an oven roux, and the other is a stove-top roux.
Both methods cook oil and flour until they turn the color of melted chocolate like so.
With the stove-top method, you constantly whisk the gumbo roux until it turns this dark color. Don't be surprised if the process takes up to an hour. We don't want to burn our roux, so we keep the heat slightly under medium. While we could cook the roux at medium, I wouldn't go higher than that, and you may want to bring it down a bit periodically if it starts to get too hot.
The oven method actually takes longer, about two hours, but you don't have to constantly stir it. Every 20 minutes, you give it a stir and let it continue to cook. I actually prefer this method because it's less hands-on time even if the process is longer overall.
No matter which method you choose, making a proper gumbo roux takes time. You can't get around that. So much of gumbo's flavor comes from the dark roux, so if you get lazy with this step, you'll be left with a sad, not-so-good gumbo. Consider gumbo a cooking project, not a quick weeknight dinner.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Once our roux reaches that dark chocolate stage, we're ready to make the rest of our gumbo. We start by cooking onion, green bell pepper and celery, which is known as the holy trinity of Cajun cooking, in our roux.
Now we add a little garlic and then slowly pour in our seafood stock along with our bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and whisk until all smooths out. From here, we let our gumbo simmer covered for about an hour to allow the flavors to meld.
After the gumbo has a chance to simmer, we add in our shrimp, crab, filé powder and fresh parsley. We let the gumbo cook until the shrimp is pink, which should only take a few minutes. Now we give the gumbo a taste to see if we need to add more Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper for a spicier kick. At this point, you can also add a touch of salt if it's necessary.
And that's it! Serve over rice with some Louisiana hot sauce and get ready for some cozy comfort food.
Perfect Pairing
With the shrimp and crab, I like a pale ale with this seafood gumbo. Pairing a pale ale gives us a nice combination of hops and malt. I'm a fan of how the hops enhance the spice while the bready malt complements the toasted notes of the dark roux. A pale ale also has enough backbone to stand up to the gumbo without overpowering the shrimp and crab.
For a wine, an off-dry riesling is a great call. An off-dry riesling comes with plenty of acidity to cut through our rich stew while brightening our delicate seafood. We also get a touch of sweetness to balance that Cajun spice.
When you're craving a cozy, comforting meal, I hope you try this shrimp and crab gumbo. Everyone is sure to love this authentic Cajun dish.
Cheers!
Love This Gumbo?
- Summer shrimp etouffee
- Andouille sausage-chicken gumbo
- Instant Pot red beans and rice
- Authentic Texas chili from a Texan
- Colorado-style pork green chile
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📖 Recipe
Shrimp and Crab Gumbo
Equipment
- Large stock pot
- Whisk
Ingredients
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup bacon grease
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 celery ribs chopped
- 2 green bell peppers chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves grated or minced
- 9 cups seafood stock preferably homemade (see note)
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning preferably homemade
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 pounds shrimp shelled
- 1 pound crab meat shells picked out
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon filé powder
- Salt to taste optional
- Cayenne pepper to taste optional
- Rice for serving
Instructions
Oven Roux Method
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the ¼ cup canola oil and bacon grease with flour in a Dutch oven or deep cast-iron skillet. Place uncovered in the oven and whisk every 20 minutes until the roux turns the color of melted chocolate. This should take about an hour and a half to two hours. Be careful not to touch the roux. It will be very hot.
- Once the roux turns dark brown, place the Dutch oven on the stove and turn to medium heat. If using a cast-iron skillet, pour the roux into a large stock pot over medium heat. Stir in the celery, green bell pepper and onion and cook for about five minutes. Stir frequently. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Slowly stir in the seafood stock. Add in the Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for about an hour and stir occasionally.
- Discard the bay leaves. Add the shrimp, crab, parsley and filé powder. Simmer uncovered until the shrimp turn pink. This should only take a few minutes. Taste the gumbo. If it needs more Cajun seasoning or salt, add a little at a time until it suits your taste. If you’d like more heat, you can add cayenne pepper to your desired heat level. Keep in mind the flavors will bolden if you refrigerate it overnight. Serve over rice and with additional hot sauce if desired. Enjoy!
Stove-Top Roux Method
- Heat canola oil and bacon grease over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk continuously until the roux turns the color of melted chocolate. This could take up to an hour, depending on your heat. Don’t turn the heat up too high to make the roux cook faster because it could burn. I typically keep mine slightly under medium to be safe, but I wouldn't go past medium.
- Once the roux turns dark brown, stir in the celery, green pepper and onion and cook for about five minutes over medium heat. Stir the vegetables often. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Slowly stir in the seafood stock. Add in the Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for about an hour and stir occasionally.
- Discard the bay leaves. Add the shrimp, crab, parsley and filé powder. Simmer uncovered until the shrimp turn pink. This should only take a few minutes. Taste the gumbo. If it needs more Cajun seasoning or salt, add a little at a time until it suits your taste. If you’d like more heat, you can add cayenne pepper to your desired heat level. Keep in mind the flavors will bolden if you refrigerate it overnight. Serve over rice and with additional hot sauce if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don't have time or the ingredients to make your own seafood stock, I recommend Better Than Bouillon Fish Base, Better Than Bouillon Lobster Base or More Than Gourmet Seafood Stock. For the More Than Gourmet brand, you may want to pick up three packets to ensure you have enough stock.
- If you don't have bacon grease on hand, you can use more oil in its place, though I love the depth of flavor bacon grease adds.
- Feel free to make this gumbo a day or even several days ahead. I think it gets even better in the refrigerator as the flavors have time to meld. It also freezes beautifully.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Sarah says
Hi! This recipe looks good and my boyfriend and I plan on making it soon. I’m not a fan of canola oil. Could I use olive oil or just double the bacon grease in place of the canola? Thanks!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Hey there! I’d avoid olive oil. It can burn easily when making a dark roux, and it’s pretty strongly flavored. Are you open to a vegetable oil or peanut oil? Replacing it with all bacon grease should also work. Hope you love it!
Linda says
It's hard to say no to gumbo especially when it's so delicious like this one!
sara lafountain says
It is so cold here and this gumbo was warm and delicious! Kids loved it too, 5 stars from us.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'm so glad y'all loved it! It truly is the perfect comfort food for those chilly nights.
Serena says
Perfect for a fall day as the weather is cooling down. Yum!
Sharon says
What a beautiful stew. Had shrimp, crab claws, sausage and steamed mussels on top. I would do this again and again
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'm so happy to hear that, Sharon! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and sharing your experience.