Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

Shrimp gumbo is like a trip to New Orleans without the plane ticket. The secret is in the slow-cooked roux — don't skip it! Serve with white rice for soaking up the rich sauce.

If you ask anybody from Louisiana or the Mississippi Sound about making gumbo, the first thing they will tell you is about making the roux.

Good Gumbo Starts With Good Roux

My college roommate (from Metairie), my brother's girlfriend (from Biloxi), and my parent's neighbor of 35 years (New Orleans), have pretty much all told me the same thing, "My mother used to take out an old penny and sit it next to the pot. 'You're done when the roux is the color of this penny.'"

Now, these women certainly did not have the same mother, but they shared the same story. I'm guessing making a proper roux must be a rite of passage for a kid from around those parts, and probably a bit challenging because it requires a little patience. Twenty-five minutes or so of stirring can seem like forever to a 10 year old!

Creole Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage served in a shallow bowl
Elise Bauer

Good Roux = Oil + Flour + Time

But it really is the roux that makes the difference. The slow cooking of of oil and flour together create a wonderful flavor as the flour browns.

Now, I've also read about gumbos made with a "blonde" roux, in which the roux is not browned nearly as much. So, I would love to get your opinion on this if you are familiar with the various approaches to making gumbo.

What Is the Holy Trinity?

Once the roux is made, the next step is to mix in and cook the "holy trinity". The "holy trinity" in Cajun and Creole cooking is bell pepper, onion, and celery. It's called this because it forms the foundation of a lot of recipes in this cuisine.

What Is Filé?

Another hallmark of gumbo is the use of filé powder. If you are not familiar with filé (fee-lay), it is a powder made from dried sassafras leaves. It is a powerful thickener, but must be added at the end of cooking or it will form slimy, ropey strands in the gumbo. Filé is available in many supermarkets (we found ours at Whole Foods), or online.

Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage
Elise Bauer

Make-Ahead Steps for Gumbo

The dark roux can be prepared ahead of time and either kept refrigerated for several days, or frozen for up to three months (thaw before using). Just make sure to warm it up before continuing with the recipe. You could even double or triple the recipe for roux if you would like to have some on hand for future batches.

You could also prepare the gumbo up to the point before you add the shrimp, and then chill and refrigerate for a day or two. Warm it up again on the stovetop and finish cooking the gumbo with the shrimp.

What to Serve With Gumbo

Gumbo needs nothing more than a scoop of white rice. You'll often see gumbo served in Louisiana with a side of potato salad, garlic bread, or plain sliced French bread, as well.

To serve, sprinkle the gumbo with filé powder and hot sauce.

Shrimp gumbo with andouille sausage in a shallow bowl
Elise Bauer

Storing and Freezing Gumbo

Shrimp doesn't reheat very well; it tends to get a little rubbery. This means this gumbo is at its very best if made and served the same day it's made. That said, if you don't mind the shrimp, leftovers are great reheated for lunch or dinner. Leftovers will keep for about three days in the fridge.

Gumbo doesn't freeze well once you've added the shrimp. If you'd like to freeze, prepare the gumbo up to the point of adding the shrimp, freeze, then add the shrimp when you're ready to serve.

More Great Recipes From New Orleans

Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 90 mins
Total Time 105 mins
Servings 6 to 8 servings

If you are not familiar with filé (fee-lay), it is a powder made from dried sassafras leaves. It is a powerful thickener, but must be added at the end of cooking or it will form slimy, ropey strands in the gumbo. Filé is available in many supermarkets (we found ours at Whole Foods), or online.

Note that you can make your own shellfish stock with the shells from the shrimp. Put the shrimp shells and tail tips in a pot and cover with 2 quarts of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for an hour. Strain and use in this recipe for the stock. Diluted bottle clam juice will also work as shellfish stock in this recipe. Read more here.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (120ml) peanut oil, or other vegetable oil

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90g) all purpose flour

  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 3 celery stalks, chopped

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

  • 1 quart (950ml) shellfish or chicken stock, plus 1 cup (236ml) water (see Recipe Note)

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 8 to 12 ounces (225g to 340g) smoked andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds

  • 2 pounds (907g) shrimppeeled and deveined

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 3 to 5 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon filé powder, optional

  • Hot sauce (such as Tabasco) to taste

Method

  1. Make the roux:

    Heat the peanut oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven, on medium high heat, for a minute or two. Whisk in the flour and lower the heat to medium. Stir almost constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir.

    Let the roux cook until it is the color of peanut butter, then lower the heat to medium low. Keep cooking and stirring (careful, you want the flour to cook, not burn!) until the roux is the color of an old penny, about 20-30 minutes total time.

    Note that as the roux cooks, first it will clump up and thicken, but as the flour continues to brown past the peanut butter color stage, it will loosen up a bit.

    Start the roux for Cajun shrimp gumbo by whisking together flour and oil
    Elise Bauer
    Continue cooking the roux for shrimp gumbo until it starts to thicken and turn color
    Elise Bauer
    When done cooking, the roux for shrimp gumbo will be a dark copper color and quite thick
    Elise Bauer
  2. Stir in the vegetables:

    Mix in the "holy trinity" of green pepper, onion and celery and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

    Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the Cajun seasoning.

    Stir the peppers, onions, and celery for shrimp gumbo into the roux
    Elise Bauer
    Make sure all the vegetables are coated with roux and spices
    Elise Bauer
  3. Slowly add stock, then simmer:

    In a separate pot, heat the stock and water until steamy. Slowly add the steamy stock and water to the bell pepper onion roux mixture, stirring constantly while you do so.

    Bring the gumbo to a simmer and add the Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.

    If you find that the roux has broken a bit and oil is pooling on the surface of the gumbo, whisk in about another 1/2 to 1 cup of water. This will often "fix" it.

    Slowly add the warm broth for the shrimp gumbo to the pot with the roux and vegetables
    Elise Bauer
  4. Stir in the andouille sausage:

    Cook for 5 minutes (andouille sausage is already cooked, so you just need to heat it).

    Add the sausage to the stew with the vegetables for shrimp gumbo
    Elise Bauer
  5. Add the shrimp and simmer:

    Add the shrimp, and a tablespoon of file powder (if using), return to a simmer, and cook another 5 minutes, until the shrimp has just cooked through. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

    Finally, add the shrimp for the gumbo to the pot with the vegetables and sausage
    Elise Bauer
    Cook the gumbo until the shrimp are cooked through
    Elise Bauer
  6. Serve:

    Serve with white rice, garnished with green onions. To eat, sprinkle with filé powder and hot sauce.

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