Have you ever heard the expression that you get out of something what you put into it? This Seafood Gumbo, featuring the convenient Seafood Blend at your local Trader Joe’s, is exactly that. It is oh so worth it, though. This screams Sunday dinner until it’s blue in the face. It takes a little time, it may give you a little workout when making the roux (more on that to come), but the rich, warm flavor of a perfect roux with a generous blend of seafood, vegetables, and spices is a match made in heaven. It’s probably not ideal for the busy family on a Tuesday night. However, it IS perfect for feeding that family and having them ask for seconds!
If you’ve been to New Orleans or anywhere in the Bayou there’s a great chance you’ve experienced some of the finest gumbo around. You probably thought to yourself “if only I could make this at home”. Well, ladies and gents, follow along because the next stop on the Flavor Bible train is in Cajun Country. Is your mouth watering yet?
If you’re a food nerd like us and want to read up on all things gumbo just click here. We’ll spare the readers a lengthy monologue. Let’s get started.
Preparation: Seafood Gumbo (with Trader Joe’s Seafood Blend)
Let’s start with a couple of quick notes. We used this particular seafood medley because it was convenient, it was sitting in our freezer begging to be made into something, and it’s literally what we had. Many of the recipes here are born out of ingredients on hand. Feel free to sub in more traditional offerings like fish, crab, oysters, shrimp, crawfish, etc. Second… no, Trader Joe’s isn’t paying us, but if you like this recipe let them know and maybe they will 😀
Trust us, we wouldn’t complain.
If you are wondering what a roux is it’s a fancy word for flour and fat that come together to thicken sauces, soups, stews, gravies, etc. Learn more here. Again, we’ll skip the lengthy version for brevity.
We used certain ingredients for simplicity like frozen okra and a thawed, previously frozen packaged seafood medley. Fresh ingredients are never a bad thing and are certainly welcome here but will require additional prep time. We recommend prepping the vegetables and the seafood stock in the beginning. Mise en place is always the way to go and is essential in this recipe. You’ll see why.
Make the Seafood Stock
Make seafood stock from seafood base and set aside (or pour equal amount of canned/boxed stock into a mixing bowl for use throughout recipe). If you make your own seafood stock then an extra gold star for you! We tried to blend as much convenience with authenticity and flavor. We love Better than Bouillon products in case you were wondering.
Brown the Sausage
We get our Andouille sausage from a local farm. The casings on ours have to be removed before cooking but many store bought versions won’t require this step.
Heat the olive oil in the stock pot on medium heat. Brown the sliced andouille sausage on both sides for 3 – 4 minutes total, flipping to ensure complete browning (note: don’t worry about cooking fully through). Remove the sausage and set aside. Deglaze the pot with a small amount of seafood stock and scrape bits from bottom of pot. Pour liquid from bottom of pot back into seafood stock.
Make the Roux
This is the most important step and will make or break your gumbo base. This is also the part where the arm workout takes place. No pressure.
Add the vegetable oil to the stock pot on medium/low heat. Add in the flour. Stir constantly for 25 – 30 minutes or until roux is a medium brown color (like caramel or peanut butter). Time may vary based on stove heat, stirring, and differing amounts vs. the recipe above. NOTE: It’s imperative to partake in this labor intensive process because a burned roux will ruin the gumbo. You will need a proper roux for proper flavor and consistency. No need to be intimidated here but important to note.
We wouldn’t recommend leaving the kitchen during this step.
Build the Seafood Gumbo
Now that you survived that step and have the perfect roux, it’s showtime!
Add the Holy Trinity, jalapeno pepper, and garlic (and if using, the carrot and red bell pepper). Stir frequently as before for another 4 – 5 minutes and let vegetables soften. NOTE: This may be a little bit of a forearm workout but we still don’t want to burn the roux. You got this!
Add the reserved seafood stock and beer. Stir to mix well. Also, now it’s ok to slam a beer if you’re into that sort of thing. You’re well on your way.
Add the spices, herbs, bay leaves, okra, and green onion. Mix well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Have several more beers. After all you probably bought at least a six pack and we only asked you to spare one for the cause.
Add the Trader Joe’s Seafood Blend (see notes in recipe card and recipe notes below). Stir and mix well. Cover and simmer for 8 – 12 minutes or until seafood items are cooked through. What we don’t want is overcooked, rubbery seafood following all of that hard work.
Serve the Glorious Seafood Gumbo
Make the rice during the simmer process. Serve in a bowl with rice or as is. Top with some sliced green onion or fresh parsley.
Congratulations, you got a workout in while making a delicious seafood gumbo. If you followed directions you had a few tasty beers along the way. Pat yourself on the back.
Equipment: Seafood Gumbo (w/ Trader Joe’s Seafood Blend)
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A quality stock pot is a necessity in any kitchen, especially when making large batches of chili, Sunday gravy, large soups, or this wonderful gumbo you just read about. Here’s a nice one at decent price point if you’re in the market (affiliate link):
If you liked that, try this…
Apparently we need more Cajun recipes. For other soups and stews that will delight your palate visit our “Soups” section. There are some really good ones in there.
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Once you finish basking in the glory of another incredible dish we would love for you to rate and comment below. Tell us how you added your own spin to this recipe. Maybe even give us a share on social media with #flavorbible. You can also follow us on our social pages by clicking the links at the bottom of the page. Be sure to check back regularly as we continue on our global culinary journey!
Seafood Gumbo (with Trader Joe’s Seafood Medley)
Equipment
- 1 Stock Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 lb. Andouille Sausage, sliced If from a butcher or specialty store you will likely want to remove the casing prior to slicing
Roux
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
Holy Trinity
- 1 Sweet Onion, diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 2 -3 ribs Celery, diced
Additional Ingredients
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced
- 3 – 4 cloves Garlic, diced
- 6 – 8 cups Seafood Stock Depending on desired consistency (more for thinner, less for thicker). See notes as well.
- 12 oz. Amber beer or brown ale We used a brown ale
- 1 Green Onion, sliced
- 12 oz. Okra We used a bag of frozen okra and it worked perfectly.
- 1 tbsp. Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning Or comparable cajun spice mix. We love this stuff.
- 3 Bay Leaves
- ½ tsp Ground Thyme
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper To taste and preferred spice level
- 1 lb. Trader Joe's Seafood Blend (Shrimp, Calamari Rings, and Bay Scallops See recipe notes. Traditional recipes may include a white fish (variety of species), crab, oysters, etc.
Optional (we used these)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Whole Carrot, diced
- 1 tsp Everglades Hot Seasoning
Garnish
- Parsley or green onion tops Upon serving
Instructions
Seafood stock
- Make seafood stock from seafood base and set aside (or pour equal amount of canned/boxed stock into a mixing bowl for use throughout recipe).
Brown the sausage
- Heat olive oil in a stock pot on medium heat. Brown the sliced andouille sausage on both sides for 3 – 4 minutes total, flipping to ensure complete browning (note: don't worry about cooking fully through). Remove andouille sausage and set aside. Deglaze pot with a small amount of seafood stock and scrape bits from bottom of pot. Pour liquid from bottom of pot back into seafood stock.
Make the roux
- Add vegetable oil to stock pot on medium/low heat. Add in the flour. Stir constantly for 25 – 30 minutes or until roux is a medium brown color (like caramel or peanut butter). Time may vary based on stove heat, stirring, and differing amounts vs. the recipe above. NOTE: It's imperative to partake in this labor intensive process because a burned roux will ruin the gumbo. You will need a proper roux for proper flavor and consistency. No need to be intimidated here but important to note.
Build the gumbo
- Add the Holy Trinity, jalapeno pepper, and garlic (and if using, the carrot and red bell pepper). Stir frequently as before for another 4 – 5 minutes and let vegetables soften. NOTE: This may be a little bit of a forearm workout but we still don't want to burn the roux.
- Add seafood stock and beer. Stir to mix well.
- Add spices, herbs, bay leaves, okra, and green onion. Mix well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Add seafood blend (see notes in recipe card and recipe notes below). Stir and mix well. Cover and simmer for 8 – 12 minutes or until seafood items are cooked through.
Serving
- Make rice during the simmer process (if desired). Serve in a bowl with rice or as is. Top with some sliced green onion or fresh parsley.
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