This shrimp and sausage gumbo recipe is made with homemade shrimp stock and a beautiful dark brown roux for a comforting bowl of goodness.
My friend is out galavanting around New Orleans ahead of Mardi Gras and I have to say, I felt a twinge of jealousy, so I decided that if I couldn’t go to New Orleans, I’d at least try to bring some New Orleans food to me.
If you know anything about how to make gumbo, you’ll know the roux is the most crucial part of the recipe. The other components of this recipe include the holy trinity of celery, bell peppers, and onion along with a rich, homemade shrimp stock, jumbo shrimp, and andouille sausage. From there, a healthy shake of your favorite store-bought or homemade Creole spice blend (I love Tony Chachere’s!)
How to make a roux:
The key to a good gumbo? The roux. A mixture of oil and flour that cooks very slowly on the stovetop until a deep copper or chocolate brown color is reached. The deepness of the color depends on the style of gumbo you want to make.
The process takes anywhere from 30–50 minutes, depending on the style of gumbo. It needs to be as dark as a copper penny for a Creole-style gumbo and chocolate brown for a Cajun-style gumbo.
The biggest challenge is moderating the heat. You want the roux to deepen in color, not burn! Cook the flour in the oil over medium heat, stirring or whisking regularly, until it deepens in color. After 20–25 minutes, you’ll reach the peanut butter stage. Compare your roux to a jar of peanut butter and once your color matches the peanut butter, turn the heat to low and continue stirring until it deepens to the color of a copper penny. Once you reach the copper penny color, you’re ready to make the rest of the shrimp and sausage gumbo. You can continue darkening the color of the roux to a chocolate brown if you want a Cajun-style gumbo instead.
The shrimp stock:
While you cook the roux, prepare a homemade shrimp stock. Using the shells from the shrimp, sauté them in butter and then throw in the scraps from your gumbo preparation (onion skin, scallion scraps, celery scraps, garlic paper, bell pepper scraps) and let it simmer as the roux finishes.
Finishing the shrimp gumbo recipe:
From there, add the holy trinity–celery, bell pepper, and onion–to the roux and then cook for 5 minutes. Next, add minced garlic and the Creole seasoning. Strain off the shrimp stock and whisk it into the vegetables and simmer it for an hour. To finish the shrimp and sausage gumbo, add the shrimp and andouille sausage and cook until the shrimp are opaque. Serve it up with cooked rice, minced scallions, and gumbo filé sprinkled on top!
Looking for more shrimp recipes? Check my archives!
If you made this recipe, please rate it and comment below! You can also follow me and share your creations by tagging me! I’d love to feature your #triedandtruerecipes creation on my feed!
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo Recipe
Equipment
- Large stockpot
- Large pot
- Sieve
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup lard or vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 5 ribs of celery with leaves
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 6 scallions
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder optional
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 pounds shrimp peeled, shells reserved for the stock
- 1 pound andouille sausage sliced into rounds
- 8 cups water plus more if needed
For serving:
- Cooked white rice
- Gumbo filé
Instructions
Prepare the holy trinity:
- Before beginning the recipe, prepare all of the ingredients. Reserve any scraps, including onion and garlic paper, the tops and bottoms of the bell peppers, and any root ends from the scallions and celery for the homemade stock. First, peel and dice the onion. Next, trim and slice the celery. Next, trim, deseed, and dice the bell peppers. Transfer the diced onion, peppers, and celery to a large bowl. Trim and mince the scallions and separate the white and green parts. Next, peel and mince the garlic cloves. Keep the white parts of the scallions and the minced garlic together in a bowl. Reserve the green parts of the scallion for serving.
Cook the roux:
- Add the flour and oil to a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot and turn the heat to medium. Cook, whisking or stirring regularly, for 20–30 minutes until the roux reaches the color of peanut butter. Next, turn the heat to low and continue stirring for an additional 20–30 minutes until the roux reaches the color of a copper penny.
Prepare the shrimp stock:
- Melt the butter into a second large pot. Add the reserved shrimp shells and cook in the hot butter for 1 minute. Add the reserved prep scraps and cover with 8 cups of water and a generous sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer as the roux cooks.
Cook the gumbo:
- Once the roux finishes cooking, add the onion, celery, and bell peppers and turn the heat to medium-high. Stir to coat the vegetables with the roux and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and white parts of the scallions and cook for 1 minute more. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the Creole seasoning and cayenne powder if using.
Add the stock:
- Strain the stock through a sieve into a large bowl. Using a ladle, add a few ladles of the stock to the roux and whisk to incorporate. Continue ladling the stock, whisking after each addition, until all the stock has been added—taste and season to your preferences. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for an hour until the vegetables are tender. Taste and season once more. Skim off any foam that floats to the top of the gumbo.
Finish the gumbo:
- Add the shrimp and andouille sausage to the pot and cook for 5–10 minutes until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through. Taste and season once more.
To serve:
- Serve the gumbo with cooked white rice and garnish with the green parts of the scallions. Sprinkle with gumbo filé and enjoy!
Fantastic! Tried & true works every time!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!