Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo | Easy Homemade Shrimp Dinner Recipe (2024)

This Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo is such a satisfying dish! This hearty, flavor-packed dinner is perfect for busy weeknight meals.

Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo

Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo is one of our absolute favorites around here. Just one beautiful bowl fullis so rich and hearty- it’ll fill you right up and warm you straight down to the bone. It’s just a little bit spicy and a whollllllllllle lotta delicious. It’s perfect on a cold winter night… like tonight! :)

How to Make Shrimp Gumbo

To start we’ll need 1/2 cup diced onion, 1/4 cup diced celery, and 1/4 cup diced celery. I use a mandolin slicer with a dicing blade and a cut resistant glove– I just got mine few months ago and I don’t know how I’ve lived without them! They make slicing and dicing vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, potatoes…) a breeze- they’re done in a snap. It’s one of those items that practically lives in my dishwasher because I’m using it and washing it every night! :)

I go ahead and dice all my vegetables at once, measure out what I need, then freeze the rest in individual quart-sized freezer bags. That way I always have diced vegetables on hand for cooking- I almost always have diced celery, onion, red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, carrots, and zucchini in the freezer.

Now that you’ve got your vegetables, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium-low heat in a large pot or dutch oven. When the butter starts to foam, add the onion, celery, red peppers and 1/2 tsp salt and “sweat” for 5-7 mins, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 5 more mins until the onions begin to turn translucent.

Meanwhile, you’ll need 4 cups chicken stock. I prefer to just make it using chicken bouillon granules. They’re like the cubes, only you don’t have to unwrap them. I use 1 heaping tsp per cup of water, and I pour the boiling water in using another kitchen item I can’t live without- this electric tea kettle my mom gave me for Christmas! :)

Once the vegetables are soft, add the chicken stock. Add 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.

At this point you’ll want to go ahead and start the rice- for 4 people, I do a ratio of 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, and 1 tsp salt. Add all to a sauce pan, bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer over low heat for 14-15 mins.

Now for the sausage- we’ll need 1/2 lb, sliced. My absolute favorite brand of smoked sausage is Eckrich- and since most smoked sausage only comes in 1 lb packages, I usually just go ahead and slice it all, and put the other half in the fridge for or jambalaya later in the week. Or just go ahead and use it all in the gumbo. I won’t tell. :D

Add the smoked sausage to a skillet and then turn the heat to medium- cook, stirring occasionally until browned, about 7-10 mins. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the gumbo. Pour off any excess fat left in the skillet.

In the same skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter. When foamy, add 2 tbsp flour and whisk until incorporated and the roux is light brown and fragrant, about 2-3 mins. Add to gumbo and stir.

Now to give the gumbo it’s distinct brown color and also to thicken it a little more, I use 1 tbsp filé power (pronounced fee-lay). Add to gumbo and stir (I use the whisk from the roux) until well incorporated.

And finally, add 3/4 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp to the gumbo. Turn off the heat, cover and allow to sit for 10 mins before serving. There will be plenty of residual heat in the pot to cook the shrimp to perfection.

Or if shrimp isn’t your thing, feel free to substitute with cooked, chopped chicken. This makes an excellent chicken & sausage gumbo! :) If making that way, I would boil 8 oz of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with 4 cups of water and 4 tsp chicken bouillon granules for 10-15 mins. Shred the chicken and reserve the 4 cups chicken broth to use in the gumbo. Then, when browning the sausage, add the chicken for the last couple of mins, then add to gumbo with the sausage.

Either way, you can’t go wrong- it’s delicious. I can’t get enough of this gumbo! :)

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