Effortless Louisiana Seafood Gumbo (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Making the Roux

01 - 1 cup canola oil
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour

→ Chopped Veggies and Herbs

03 - 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
04 - ½ cup chopped parsley
05 - 2 cups chopped yellow onions
06 - ⅔ cup green onions, sliced
07 - 1 cup chopped celery
08 - 1 cup chopped green bell peppers

→ Sausages

09 - 2 links of andouille sausage, cut into slices
10 - 2 links of smoked sausage, sliced

→ Seafood Options

11 - 2 pounds unpeeled whole crabs
12 - 8 ounces fresh lump crabmeat
13 - 2 pounds large shrimp

→ Dry Seasonings

14 - 1 tablespoon garlic powder
15 - 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
16 - 1 tablespoon onion powder
17 - 4 whole bay leaves
18 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme

→ Broths and Stocks

19 - 5 cups chicken broth
20 - 5 cups seafood stock

# Instructions:

01 - Heat the oil in a big Dutch oven over medium. Stir in the flour and stay on it, constantly stirring, till the color darkens to almost like chocolate. It’ll take around 20-30 minutes, so take your time.
02 - Toss the onions, bell peppers, and celery into the roux. Mix well and let them soften and become see-through, which typically takes 5-7 minutes.
03 - Add in the smoked and andouille sausage slices. Stir them around and cook until the flavors start to release, about 3 minutes.
04 - Stir in the garlic powder, Creole mix, onion powder, and thyme. Make sure they’re evenly blended into the pot.
05 - Pour in seafood stock along with chicken broth bit by bit, stirring while adding to mix everything well. Add the garlic and bay leaves, then let it boil. Lower the heat, cover it, and let it quietly bubble away on low heat for about 90 minutes. Stir from time to time.
06 - During those 90 minutes, get your sides (like rice) set up and ready to go.
07 - After the simmering is done, gently put in the shrimp, crabs, green onions, parsley, and lump crabmeat. Heat it up to a soft boil again, then let it down to simmer for about 15 minutes. The seafood’s good to go when it’s all cooked.
08 - Turn the heat off, pull out the bay leaves, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Dish it up over some rice or pair it with potato salad, whatever works for you.

# Notes:

01 - For extra spice, swap the smoked sausage for 2 more links of andouille, and toss in an extra spoon of Creole seasoning.
02 - Cut the sausages differently—keep the smoked sausage in big slices but dice the andouille smaller. Kids can pick out the spicier bits easier this way.
03 - Leave about a third of the shrimp unpeeled—that little effort adds flavor. Most peelings can be skipped, but you’ll love the broth taste.
04 - Play around with stocks. Seafood stock, plain chicken broth, even a shrimp stock all work. Add a bit more or less depending on how thick you want it.

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