Curried Shrimp and Crab Gumbo Recipe (2024)

Curry leaves fresh?

This makes way more than four (4) servings. Maybe as many as 12. One cup of flour for the roux is a lot. Then 32 ounces of seafood stock. I will say this was a delicious recipe. Especially the twinkle end where the cracked pepper, cilantro leaves, and scallions were placed in the bottom of the bowl before the gumbo was poured in. This recipe was a huge hit in our family. But it serves more than four (4) people. I would have cut the recipe in half for my wife and I. Thank you!

Curry leaves have nothing to do with curry powder. Curry leaves impart a subtle flavor to a dish, in much the same way bay leaves do. Curry powder was an invention of the British Raj that came out of the British mispronunciation of the word "Karhai" which is the name of the cooking vessel commonly used in Indian cooking. The brits wanted to take home an approximation of the spicing they came to love in India, so they invented curry powder - or else their cooks did it for them.

Can the curry leaves, may be replaced by curry powder?

Loved this. Made as is, it was very thick, almost like a chowder. Might try less flour next time. Shelled the shrimp and sauteed the shells in a Better Than Boullion Fish stock versus homemade stock. Made the gumbo through Step 3 the morning of a dinner party, then added the shrimp and crab after reheating, really simple to get on the table. YUM!

Made this and really loved it. Before cooking (after reading comments) and while experimenting with the taste of the cooking gumbo we decided to double the spices and add 1 tsp of Garam Masala. I also used a more traditional 1:1 ratio of flour to fat for the roux and cooked it down to a deep dark chocolate brown. Finally, we added extra crabmeat & catfish we had on hand, since the gumbo is more than 4 servings worth and we wanted even more leftovers. Wonderful!

Yes - and so worth searching them out. They add an amazing dimension to many things, not just Indian food. Search them out at an Indian Market and freeze them - they work great out of the freezer. Oh, and while you are at the Indian Market, stock up on spices - their prices are typically far lower than mass outlets.

I made just according to recipe, and the flavors were great...however it was too pasty for my palette...I note that all the other gumbo recipes in the article used a 1:1 ratio of oil to flour for the roux (which seems to be standard beyond the article as well), while this one had more flour to oil...given the 6 cups of broth (which does, in the end, serve more than 4 people), I'll be trying 3/4 cup of both oil and flour next time. I think the proportion also will help cook (darken) the roux.

never freeze curry leaves. they will get dark and lose their fragrance

You can purchase them online through Amazon (about $6) or at Whole Foods. It's a bargain if you have Prime through Amazon

Made Mr Vilkhu's version straight using a shrimp shell, dungeness crab shell and black cod head and bones stock. Great! We did however ladle the gumbo around the rice as we were taught to present it and garnished with the cilantro and scallions divided among the bowls. Offered Tabasco sauce on the side. Off the charts; cook basmati rice in ½ water and ½ coconut milk. It's super but far from my Lafayette or Breaux Bridge style seafood gumbo. Prairie Cajun chicken and sausage gumbo next?

Definitely a lot of gumbo for 4 people. I felt there was quite a bit of liquid compared to the amount of seafood so I added a pound of rock cod and will add more seafood the next time I make it.

Both curry leaves and kafir lime leaves are always found at the Asian markets. I keep a stock of both frozen....and they work just fine when fresh are called for.

I buy curry leaves at one of the Indian markets we luckily have and I freeze the ones I don’t immediately use. Works fine.

My understanding is that curry leave and curry powder are two different things; you would not be substituting one for the other.

This recipe is terrible and misleading. One cup of flour is excessive to make a roux, but an inexperienced cook such as myself who follows the recipe carefully would not know that. This error ruined the dish and wasted excellent ingredients. A supposed pro chef should be more meticulous when listing the ingredients.

But, where’s the okra at? This isn’t the exact recipe that is served at the restaurant, but it is delicious. The okra is crisp and not slimy at all, was hoping to learn the secret- sigh.

Very nice. My modifications:-Used 3/4 cup gluten free oat flour and 3/4 cup oil (about the best GF option I’ve found for roux)—made stock with shrimp shells, crab shells, celery, onion, small carrot, peppercorns and a garlic clove. 8 cups of water—added only 5 cups of stock. —generous on the garlic and ginger.

Delicious! I found the curry leaves at Kalustyan's, and I followed as written, but with a few tweaks:4 cups seafood stockTomatoes = 1 28 oz can whole with juicesDouble chile powder (Didn't have Kashmiri chile, so I used a combo of hot paprika/cayenne). Next time I will use a bit more, we like spicy.Added 12 oz andouille sausage, cut into rounds, browned and drainedCrab placed directly on top of rice, then gumbo ladled over it to serve. The crab was pleasantly warm, and not lost in the stew.

It was good but I’ll wait a while before I make it again because we are only 2 , and it was a large recepie I wasn’t sure if freezing will make sense ,so I shared it with neighbors .

Made this last night and it was quite good. Made the roux with a 1:1 ratio as suggested, used dried curry leaves, doubled the Kashmiri chile powder (we like it hot!), and added a squeeze of lemon to finish. This dish met a craving I didn't even know I had!

I’ve made this twice. Although my family loved it the first time I thought it needed more work. I added two additional cups of stock and actually used curry leaves ( did not have first time) and it is perfection... definitely going into rotation!!!

The Kashmiri chili powder did give it a little tang.Very good.

Does anyone else feel like it needs some acid? Made it twice and it’s so close to being perfect, but lacks something which I think is acidity. I used 1/2 cup avocado oil and 1/4 cup butter in lieu of the vegetable oil. Everything else was the same as the recipe.

I made this fantastic recipe and added some andouille sausage I had in the freezer. It was amazing! Had my son over who had lived in NOLA for many years. He liked it but said it was not really a gumbo. Ha! A traditionalist! It is more of an Indian dish than a gumbo but it is well worth making. I will make it again and again. Already shared the recipe with others.

We couldn’t find curry leaves (we did but it was an hour round trip). I substituted 1.5 tbsp of Curry Seasoning - the dish was wonderful.

Excellent dish. I used crab meat from Whole Foods. It was already cooked and didn't seem to add much flavor. I added cod pieces from the frozen section of Trader's Joe's, to bulk up the seafood in the dish. I made my own fish stock, using salmon heads from Whole Foods and shrimp shells. It took as long to make as the gumbo itself, after having to de-shell the shrimp and de-gill the salmon heads. The roux didn't brown but was instead yellow, made more so by the tumeric.

Recipe makes way more than 4 servings! I would say it’s close to 8 servings (almost 3qt of gumbo made and I only did 1/2 recipe). I substituted the curry seasonings for one block of Japanese Golden Curry sauce mix. This gumbo was a big, big success & I will make it again.

Definitely going to give this a try. Regarding the roux to lower the fat and calories I would brown the flour 3/4 c. in a 400 degree oven for 15 min stirring every five minutes. Saute veggies and then add the browned flour.

Have not made this yet. Read through recipe. Okra is a thickener I always use in Gumbo. Reduce the amount of flour, definitely.