30-Minute Seafood Gumbo
This seafood gumbo is ready in about 30 minutes and built on a quick roux for rich, deep flavor. Featuring crawfish and shrimp, it's easily made Whole30 compatible with a few simple swaps.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 pounds mixed seafood such as shrimp and crawfish
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour or cassava or arrowroot for Whole30
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or ghee or olive oil for Whole30
- ½ yellow onion diced
- ½ green pepper diced
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 4 cups vegetable stock or seafood stock
- 2 cups frozen cut okra thawed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon Cajun Spice Blend
- Louisiana hot sauce to taste
- Chopped green onions optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven to medium-high heat on the stove. Start your roux by adding flour and oil to the pan, stirring continuously for 5 to 7 minutes, as mixture starts to turn brown.
- Reduce heat and continue cooking until you get a dark caramel color on your roux, without burning.
- Add onion, celery and green pepper (the holy trinity) to the pot and stir, cooking for about 5 minutes. Pour in 4 cups stock, returning heat to medium-high until mixture comes to a boil.
- Add in okra and season with paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and dried parsley. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the gumbo to thicken.
- Add seafood and Cajun seasoning, cooking uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until seafood is cooked through. Add Louisiana hot sauce to taste. and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve with rice, riced cauliflower for Whole30, or potato salad.
Notes
How to Prevent Slimy Okra: If you have extra time, you can roast the okra before adding it to the gumbo. Place the frozen okra pieces directly on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 to 18 minutes. This helps dry it out and reduces the excess slime.
Choosing the Best Seafood for Gumbo: A mix of seafood creates the most flavorful gumbo. Shrimp is the most common choice, but I also include crawfish, crab, white fish like cod or halibut, just based on what I have on hand. If using frozen seafood, thaw and pat it dry first to avoid diluting the broth.
About the 30-Minute Timing: This recipe is designed to be faster than traditional gumbo, but feel free to take your time making the roux and building the flavors to your liking. The 30-minute reference takes into consideration that you’ve already prepared all of your ingredients.