It is finally Friday. Are you all looking forward to the weekend? Of course you are! The weekend is the time period where we can catch up on life and have some extra time for ourselves. Time for myself is usually spend in the garden or the kitchen. Cooking is a great way for me to clear my head and spend some time thinking of nothing else but the process and the ingredients. This Louisiana style shrimp gumbo recipe is great for a weekend when you have a little more time to relax while you cook. Plus there are plenty of leftovers to eat during the busy week!
This Louisiana style shrimp gumbo recipe was a real treat for me and my family. Most of the time I eat vegetarian because I want to make vegetables the center of my food consumption. However, succulent shrimp and other types of seafood have such a special flavor that I would never want to live without, and are worthy of the occasional splurge. So delicious!
I recommend buying shrimp from the meat counter instead of the kind that comes in the bag. In my experience, meat counter shrimp is of much higher quality, and you can usually choose where your shrimp comes from. I get gulf coast white shrimp, which is a good sustainable option for the U.S. (source here). When we splurge on some shrimp, we want nothing but the best!
Variations for the Louisiana style shrimp gumbo recipe:
- If you want a low fat gumbo, try using about half the oil. It makes the roux difficult to stir and easy to burn, but it can be done.
- For the dry white wine I use Chardonnay because that is what I keep in the house to drink. Use whatever quality wine you like and the results will be great.
- If you don’t like spicy food, omit the cayenne pepper.
- I make homemade shrimp stock using this method, omitting the salt. Store bought fish stock would be the best alternative. Chicken or vegetable broth won’t have the same sweet flavor.
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 10 garlic cloves, minced
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 12 oz okra, sliced (fresh and steamed, or frozen and thawed)
- 1 cup dry white wine (I use chardonnay)
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups homemade shrimp stock
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp old bay seasoning
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 1¼ lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2½ cups cooked brown rice
- Combine the oil and flour in a dutch oven. Stir over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is about the color of peanut butter. This is your roux.
- Add onions, peppers, and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes or until starting to soften.
- Mix in tomatoes and okra. Saute 1-2 minutes.
- De-glaze with the white wine and let the wine reduce to about half.
- Mix in water, stock, and seasonings (salt through cayenne). Let simmer for 20 minutes so the flavors can meld.
- Mix in rice and shrimp. Simmer for 10 more minutes, or until the shrimp is opaque and cooked through.
The pictures were updated 2/20/26, the recipe remains the same!
Mighty Rad Gumbo 😎 We made extra and have meals in the freezer 🙏🏼🎁
Fantastic Gumbo!
You left off tomatoes from the ingredient list. Your photos helped guide us 👍🙏🏼
Thanks for letting me know about the error. Got it fixed. So glad you enjoyed the gumbo!