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–+ servings
gumbo with rice and seafood in a white bowl

Instant Pot Gumbo w/ Sausage and Seafood

Delicious instant pot gumbo with that classic flavor & consistency, cooked in less time. Andouille sausage and seafood combine for hearty comforting gumbo
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cajun
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 609kcal
Author: Marwin Brown

Equipment

  • instant pot

Ingredients

For the Roux

  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1 cup Melted Butter unsalted

For the Gumbo

  • 1 lb andouille sausage
  • 8 oz Fresh Oysters liquids included
  • 1 lb Shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1 lb Crawfish tails
  • 1 Bell Pepper diced
  • 1 White Onion diced
  • 3 Celery ribs diced
  • 4 Garlic Cloves chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • ¼ cup Fresh Thyme
  • 5 cups Chicken Stock
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
  • 1 lb Frozen Okra
  • ½ tablespoon Gumbo File Powder

Instructions

Make The Roux

  • Mix the flour and melted fat or oil in cast iron skillet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place skillet on lower rack and allow to cook. You may need to stir well once or twice depending on how long you let it cook. A super dark roux will take you somewhere close to 45 minutes give or take a few. Set the roux aside when done.

Make The Gumbo

  • Turn Instant Pot on and using the “Saute” settings heat on medium/normal until display reads “Hot.” Add a tablespoon oil and brown the sausage. Remove the sausage and set on a paper towel lined plate.
  • Add the roux to the instant pot. Then add the onions, celery, peppers and saute a bit. Add about ¼ of the spice mix and stir. Mix in the garlic and fresh thyme.
  • Add in the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, bay leaf, and half of the remaining spices. Stir well with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom to deglaze the pan.
  • Add the sausage back plus a little more seasoning. Add the okra on top. Cancel the “Saute” then add the lid, close and seal. Pressure cook for 6 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then manually release remaining pressure.
  • Open, add seafood ingredients plus the file and the last of the spice mix. Saute on medium 5-10 minutes.
  • Serve with bread, green onions, and parsley

Notes

Trust me, it’s simpler and easiest to bake your roux in the oven. You can certainly make the roux in the instant pot, but you don’t get that dark chocolatey color I prefer. 
Roux is equal parts flour and fat. The recipe call for butter, but you can use your preferred. For me I like half butter and half duck fat. Dark fat is rich and deeply flavored. If butter makes everything better, then duck fat makes everything great.
Roux color is up to you. The darker = the more complex, but obviously takes longer to make.
Seafood choice is a personal thing. As a matter of fact that’s the beauty of gumbo, beyond the core ingredients (roux and holy trinity of celery, onions, and peppers) you have a lot of flexibility. I had easy access to crawfish and oysters so I included both along with the shrimp. Crab meat or legs/claws are options as well.
Fish Sauce is a non-traditional add but sneaky good in this gumbo. I like Red Boat personally. It’s umami-rich flavor-wise and plays well with the Worcestershire sauce to add more depth to the gumbo. 
Fresh thyme is another big time flavor boost. I like including both fresh and dried thyme. The dried thyme gives that slow release thyme flavor that is totally infused to the dish, while the fresh version gives that herbal essence that you smell and taste right off the top.
Commercial “Cajun seasoning mixes” are ok, but for maximum flavor make your own. Store bought pre-mixed stuff don’t have enough paprika flavor for my taste and they’re heavy on the salt side.
Season at every step as you go.
Make sure you deglaze the pan for both flavor and to avoid the dreaded “burn” issue that happens with Instant Pot cooking sometimes.

Nutrition

Calories: 609kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 266mg | Sodium: 1870mg | Potassium: 691mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1844IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 4mg
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