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+ servings
Healthy authentic seafood gumbo in a bowl with shhrimp and okra over cauliflower rice in a white bowl with gold spoon

Healthy Authentic Seafood Gumbo (Gluten-Free, Paleo, Whole30)

An authentic New Orleans seafood gumbo turned healthy, gluten free, paleo, low carb, and Whole30. With a real, rich roux, sausage, shrimp, and crab.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 3 hours 10 minutes
Total: 3 hours 15 minutes
Yield:10

Ingredients

  • ½ cup cassava flour
  • cup bacon drippings see note 1
  • ½ cup celery roughly chopped
  • 1 cup onion roughly chopped
  • 1 cup green bell pepper seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ pound Aidell's Chicken and Apple sausage sliced, see note 2 if not on Whole30
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
  • 1 ½ - 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon Louisiana hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend see note 3
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 2 teaspoons gumbo file powder divided, optional, see note 4
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or more bacon grease
  • 1 10- ounce package frozen cut okra thawed
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 8 ounces lump crabmeat drained
  • 1 ½ pounds uncooked medium shrimp peeled and deveined
  • Steamed cauliflower rice for serving optional
  • Fresh parsley chopped, for serving, optional

Instructions

  • Make your roux: heat 1/3 cup bacon drippings in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in cassava flour and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Cook this mixture, whisking almost constantly, for about 30 minutes, or until it turns a deep amber color. Don't let it burn - let this process happen slowly and gradually. This is what gives a real gumbo its rich flavor!
  • Meanwhile, add your celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture is finely chopped.
  • When roux is a rich amber color, stir in the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic mixture; add the sliced sausage. Stir well then add 1 cup water and whisk well. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the vegetables are softened a bit, about 15 minutes. Add the second cup of water, if needed, to keep the mixture from burning on the bottom of the Dutch oven.
  • Meanwhile, bring 4 cups beef broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. If you have not used both cups of water yet, heat the 2nd cup of water with the beef broth. Stir hot broth into the roux-vegetable mixture and whisk well. Stir in coconut aminos, salt, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, dried thyme, and diced tomatoes. Simmer for 2 hours over low to medium-low heat. If you have gumbo filé, add 1 teaspoon to the soup after 1 hour.
  • In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil or more bacon grease in a skillet or the saucepan used to heat beef broth. Add the thawed okra and vinegar and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until sticky and softened. Stir into gumbo, along with crabmeat and shrimp. Simmer 45 minutes over low heat. If you have gumbo filé, stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon right before serving.
  • Serve with steamed cauliflower rice: stir in a little to your gumbo or invert a packed 1/2 cup of cauliflower rice on top of gumbo for presentation. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

Note 1
If you don't have bacon drippings, substitute a fat like avocado oil.
Note 2
If you're not on a Whole30 or grain-free, Andouille sausage is best here. It's more authentic when you have Andouille!
Note 3
Make sure your Cajun seasoning is compliant! You can also make it easily.
Note 4
I left gumbo filé out of my recipe testing because it can be so hard to find. Use it if you have it, but don't stress if you don't! Click here to order gumbo filé.

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcal | Protein: 24g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 204mg | Sodium: 1426mg | Potassium: 390mg | Total Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 10g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 29.7mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 3mg