Instant Pot Gumbo

Gumbo is one of those dishes that I love, but I don't always love how long it takes to make. So when I came across this Instant Pot I had to give it a try.

What really caught my attention was that he doesn't try to make the roux in the Instant Pot. Instead, the roux goes into the oven and gets nice and dark while you work on everything else. You still get that deep gumbo flavor, but without standing over the stove stirring flour and butter forever.

And don't let the fish sauce scare you. You aren't going to taste fish sauce. It just gives the finished gumbo another layer of savory flavor.

Annotated Cooking Notes

The roux matters. Gumbo is not the place for a pale roux. You want it somewhere in the neighborhood of milk chocolate to dark chocolate. The darker it gets, the deeper the flavor. Just remember that there is a fine line between dark roux and burned roux.

I really like the oven method here because it takes away most of the constant stirring. Check it occasionally and give it a stir as it darkens.

Don't skip browning the sausage. That little bit of caramelization adds flavor, and you also get all those browned bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot. When you add the stock, scrape those up. That's flavor—and it also helps prevent the dreaded Instant Pot burn warning.

The seafood is flexible. The original recipe uses shrimp, crawfish tails, and oysters. If you can't find one of them, don't let that stop you from making the gumbo. Use more shrimp, add crab, or simply increase the sausage.

Fish sauce is the secret ingredient. It isn't traditional, but it works. Combined with Worcestershire sauce, it gives the broth a little more depth without making the gumbo taste fishy.

Add the seafood at the end. Shrimp, crawfish, and oysters don't need to spend six minutes under pressure. They go in after pressure cooking and cook quickly using the Sauté setting.

Gumbo filé goes in last. It helps thicken the gumbo and adds its distinctive earthy flavor. Don't pressure cook it.

Ingredients

For the Roux

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Gumbo

1 pound andouille sausage, sliced

8 ounces fresh oysters, including their liquid

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pound 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 pound frozen okra

½ tablespoon gumbo filé powder

Oil, for browning the sausage

Directions

Make the Roux

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Combine the flour and melted butter in a cast-iron skillet and stir until smooth.

3. Place the skillet on a lower oven rack and cook until the roux reaches a deep brown or dark chocolate color. Depending on how dark you want it, figure about 45 minutes. Give it a good stir once or twice while it cooks.

4. Remove the roux from the oven and set it aside.

Make the Gumbo

1. Combine the paprika, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. You'll add this seasoning mixture in stages.

2. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Once it is hot, add a little oil and brown the andouille sausage. Remove the sausage and set it aside.

3. Add the prepared roux to the Instant Pot followed by the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add about one-quarter of the seasoning mixture, then stir in the garlic and fresh thyme.

5. Pour in the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and fish sauce. Add the bay leaves and about half of the remaining seasoning.

6. Scrape the bottom of the pot really well with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned pieces.

7. Return the sausage to the pot and add a little more of the seasoning mixture.

8. Place the frozen okra on top.

9. Cancel the Sauté setting. Lock the lid in place, make sure the valve is set to sealing, and pressure cook on High for 6 minutes.

10. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure.

11. Remove the lid and switch the Instant Pot back to Sauté.

12. Add the shrimp, crawfish, oysters and their liquid, gumbo filé, and the remaining seasoning.

13. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, just until the seafood is cooked through and the gumbo is hot.

14. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serve it over white rice and throw some crusty bread or cornbread on the side.

This isn't exactly a 20-minute weeknight dinner, especially when you include the roux, but compared with spending half the day making gumbo, I'll take it.

Source: Adapted from Marwin Brown, Food Fidelity, “Cajun Instant Pot Gumbo Recipe w/ Sausage and Seafood.”