The very first spoonful of this soul-satisfying brew is the essence of the fall season in Cajun country. With bold flavors of Louisiana seafood (oysters, shrimp, and crab) harvested from nearby Gulf waters and crawfish from inland ponds, it is further intensified with dark roux, smoked sausage, and Cajun spice. It’s gumbo time!
Quality Louisiana seafood and a dark Cajun roux is essential for this Seafood Gumbo. (Photo credit: George Graham)
One sign of the change of seasons is that the Cajun gumbo pots appear at the first hint of a drop in temperature. My black iron is always ready to come out of hibernation, and with my seafood gumbo mission, I headed straight to the Louisiana Direct Seafood website to find the highest quality seafood available.
One click on this website will open up a world of fresh seafood resources close to you.
This not-for-profit program of Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU Ag Center is my go-to source for connecting with fishermen across the region. As an online portal for discovering all the seafood available to home cooks and wholesale buyers, the website is a searchable clearinghouse of up-to-date information for finding the freshest catch. As fishermen bring their seafood haul to port, this website lets you know how, when, and where to find it. If I can’t make it to the docks, I can pick up my seafood locally in the Acadiana area from five retail outlets: The Market at Broussard Commons in Broussard, Gonsoulin Farm Store in Loreauville, Bi-Lo Supermarket in New Iberia, Don’s Specialty Meats in Scott, or Boudreaux’s Southern Seafood in Broussard. Give these retailers a call in advance, and they’ll have your order waiting. Or you can order online and have it shipped directly to you from their Louisiana Direct Seafood SHOP. With any option, the quality is as good as it gets.
Commercial fisherman Jessie Higgins weighs his catch on the docks in coastal St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. (Photo credit: George Graham)
From Dulac to Grand Chenier and all along the coast of South Louisiana, fishermen, harvesters, and processors make their living off the waters of the Gulf. These families have weathered nature’s fury and man-made disasters of all kinds but have remained resilient. I’ve gotten to know many of these families, and I can tell you that they are truly dedicated to the mission of preserving a way of life that is a time-honored tradition in Louisiana.
The highest quality shrimp, oysters, crab, and crawfish go into this gumbo. (Photo credit: George Graham)
Supporting our local fishing industry by buying local is an obligation that I feel deeply about. It irks me to no end when I see Louisiana cooks, even restaurants, buying overseas imports. For the sake of a few dollars, they lose sight of the economic impact their purchase has on the rich heritage and tradition of our seafood culture. Like me, I hope you buy local whenever possible.
Fresh ingredients and dark roux define a Cajun gumbo. (Photo credit: George Graham)
All Louisiana gumbo variations are delicious, but there are stark differences in the recipes for rural Cajun gumbo and citified New Orleans Creole gumbo. This recipe is for a traditional Cajun seafood gumbo—dark, smoky, and intense with seafood flavor. You will never see tomatoes in a Cajun seafood gumbo, while crawfish tail meat frequently finds its way into the pot.
Sold in 16-ounce glass jars, Rox’s Roux is your gateway to many classic Cajun recipes. Click on the photo to purchase. (Photo credit: George Graham)
For old-school Cajun cooks, a dark roux defines this dish. Stirring flour and oil for an hour until it magically transforms into a flavorful, chocolate-colored roux is a time-honored tradition. To make it easier, we are using our Rox’s Roux—the deepest, darkest, richest roux—in a 16-ounce jar that we sell online in our Acadiana Table Store. Rox’s Roux is available in many Lafayette area retail markets and is proud to be a Certified Louisiana product.
Each spoonful digs deeper into the essence of what it means to be Cajun. (Photo credit: George Graham)
After one bowlful of this seafood gumbo, you’ll understand what makes it special. It’s the hands of the Louisiana fishermen that harvested all these shrimp, crab, oysters, and crawfish. I can assure you will taste the quality and the love. This is Cajun cooking at its best.
Watch the step-by-step instructions in our video and let Roxanne, Lo, and I show you how to make this Cajun Seafood Gumbo. And then follow the details in our recipe to discover how easy it is to make this delicious Louisiana classic.
Click on the 4-minute video above and learn how to make this Cajun Seafood Gumbo.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 cup diced green onion tops
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 4 cups sliced smoked pork sausage
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 3 quarts seafood stock
- 1 cup dark Cajun roux, such as Rox’s Roux
- 4 gumbo crabs
- 1 dozen raw Louisiana oysters
- 2 pounds (21 – 25-count) Gulf shrimp
- 1 pound Gulf crabmeat (claw or white lump)
- 1 pound Louisiana crawfish tail meat
- 6 cups cooked long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
- In a cast-iron pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat, add the oil and sauté the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, green onion tops, parsley, and sausage for 5 minutes. Add all the spices and hot sauce. Add the seafood stock, roux, and gumbo crabs. Close the lid and lower the heat to a simmer. Let cook for 1 hour.
- Uncover and skim any oil or foam from the surface of the gumbo. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the remaining seafood. Cover and let cook at a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Ladle the gumbo in bowls over cooked Louisiana white rice. Serve with gumbo filé and hot sauce on the side along with diced green onion tops and lots of hot French bread.
This Boat-To-Table series of stories, recipes, and information about our seafood industry is brought to you in support of Louisiana Direct Seafood, a free program of Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU Ag Center.
Rox, Lo, and I invite you to join us in supporting our Louisiana seafood industry. (Photo credit: Caleb Dunlap)
YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE: If you like this Louisiana cooking story and recipe, then accept my invitation to subscribe by entering your email at the bottom or top right of this page. It’s quick and painless. You will receive an email alert and be the first to see when I add new Louisiana cooking stories and recipes. Thanks, George.
I can smell this gumbo being made! Question: Regarding the “gumbo crabs,” those are small blue crabs, correct?
Hey Lisette- Yes! Small crabs are harvested but have very little meat in them. They are cleaned (back shell removed) and packaged raw and frozen in bags. Tons of flavor in these crabs which are used for adding flavor to stock or gumbo. Sucking the claws is a special treat. You can buy gumbo crabs in most Louisiana seafood markets or grocers. All the best.
Looks good! My worst gumbo mistake, back in the early days, was spending a chunk of change on the best lump at the store, then stirring it into the gumbo. It fell apart into shreds, you couldn’t taste it, and my father sarcastically asked if it was really egg drop soup. My subsequent motto was “add just before serving.”
Hey Rebecca- Good comment. I’ve learned to use backfin or claw crabmeat in the gumbo, and use the white lump as a garnish at the end. It’s a shame to waist those jumbo lumps. All the best.
Looks scrumptious George. I have made straight-up Seafood Gumbo for our family Christmas celebration for over 35 years. I have slowly been trying to teach my daughter and son-in-law how to make “our” family gumbo. This year will be their solo attempt, under my watchful eye. It is definitely time for the tradition to be passed down. It is very gratifying that my children understand the importance of learning not only the ingredients needed for an award-winning family gumbo, but the techniques required, as well. God bless you and Rox this holiday season. I love your blog and your first cookbook. I hope to buy the second book sometime soon. Linda Johnson, Mobile, Alabama.
Hey Linda- You are a thoughtful mother who understands that family traditions can only become “traditions” when they are passed down. I wish you a Merry Christmas and bright blessings for the New Year.
Your gumbo looks great. My father was from Eagar, Louisiana, and my mother was from Galveston, Texas. My father taught me how to make Creole gumbo. When my mother passed, we lost our gumbo maker, because no one made gumbo like my mother.
I will be cooking this gumbo. Where are you located?
GREAT authentic rural Cajun gumbo recipe. I can only pray that mine comes out as good as yours. Thanks again, for sharing.
Followed the recipe; the best gumbo I’ve ever had.
Thanks.
George, first time here. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a dear friend’s house a few years back. She had seafood gumbo for supper. Yes, I call it supper, not dinner. That was the last time I ate seafood gumbo. Let me say it was to die for. I ate three or four bowls. Didn’t want to make a hog of myself by getting up for the fifth bowl. I keep telling my wife the roux has to be dark (black), but for whatever reason, it is always dark peanut color. I will be making a seafood gumbo for New Year’s, and I will follow your recipe. I am fortunate enough to have a seafood market that deals in fresh seafood near me. I will try making the roux myself. After seeing Rox make it, I think I can succeed. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Francis- I love your holiday spirit, your kitchen spirit, too. Making a dark roux from scratch is easy, but takes patience. I’m glad you’re watching Rox’s video; it gives you the details of timing and what to look (and smell) for in getting to that deep, dark stage. I know your seafood gumbo will be a big hit with your family. Please come back and post a comment on your experience. All the best for a blessed holidays.
George,
Looks like a great recipe, and I will try it soon. I make my own roux. How much oil and flour will I need for my roux to make the gumbo above? Thanks as always!
Hey Robert- To make 1 cup of roux, you will need 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of flour. All the best.
I’m a pure Cajun from Evangeline Parish. I have only one problem with your recipe. There no such thing as celery in our Cajun cooking. Now, Creole around St Landry parish uses celery, but your recipe is a true Louisiana recipe, and I only leave out the celery. I add hot pepper jalapeno and much hotter peppers. Excellent recipe.
Hey David- To each his own when it comes to cooking. But I will say hundreds of traditional Cajun recipes call for the Cajun trinity of bell pepper, onion, and, of course, celery. And if you prefer to cook without celery, then go for it. As I’ve been known to say, in Cajun cooking, there are no two recipes alike. All the best.
To add the “Cajun trinity “ is as sure and certain as “first you make a roux!”
Looking forward to more recipes!
Thanks Julia- Check back every Monday morning at 8:30am for more recipes. Have a Happy and Blessed New Year.
Sorry guys, I think you completely missed the boat on this recipe. It could make a nice seafood stew or a Cioppino, just not a Gumbo. The word “Gumbo” is African and means okra. And there is no okra in your recipe. A true Gumbo would be OKRA based.
Hey Paul- You are correct: the word “gumbo” comes from the West African word “ki ngombo” for “okra”. West Africans used okra as a thickener in their version of the dish and brought their gumbo technique to New Orleans in the early 1700s. That is why a Creole New Orleans seafood gumbo will almost always have tomatoes and okra–a delicious dish, for sure.
However, in the late 1700s, French Acadians settled the Southwest areas of Louisiana with a different approach to thickening their gumbo. They used the French technique of roux-making, and their version was deep, dark, and rich. Okra became less prominent in Cajun gumbo recipes.
Both versions of seafood gumbo are delicious, and each method celebrates the history and culture of traditions of Louisiana cooking.
All the best.
My only negative comment is the addition of smoked sausage in a seafood gumbo. As you say, each to his own. Not to say the sausage makes the gumbo taste bad it’s just too overpowering and masks the seafood taste. I always say, you can ruin a 100 dollar gumbo with a dollars worth of sausage.
I enjoy your recipes. Keep em coming.
Hey Ray- Some folks, like me, love the smoky undertone that a Cajun smoked sausage brings to a pot of gumbo, even seafood. I’ve not found that it masks the seafood flavor if you use a seafood-based stock. But as I have heard said, gumbos are like snowflakes, no two are alike. Happy Cooking!
This is a great recipe. Thank you for sharing it with us. I am from Northern California and then relocated to Kentucky at the age of 27, stopping in Louisiana along the way because I’d always wanted to visit the state. I had some of the best food I have ever tried and since then have made it my mission to teach myself how to make delicious Cajun and Creole meals and to pass my knowledge onto my daughter. Much love from Kentucky.
Hey Evangeline – Anyone that goes by the name Evangline should definitely have gumbo running through their veins. You are in the right place to learn everything about Cajun and Creole cooking; that is my passion, as well. Keep cooking and posting your beautifully crafted comments. Thanks.