Spicy Slow Cooker Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

Today we are going to take a look at making a spicy shrimp and sausage gumbo in the slow cooker that you serve over a bed of rice.

Before beginning, gumbo is traditionally made with spicy andouille sausage, but here we used spicy chorizo instead. I like the smoky flavour that chorizo infuses into the gumbo. If you prefer a less smokey taste, you can use the more traditional andouille.

Ingredients:

300-400 grams spicy chorizo, sliced
300-400 grams frozen cooked shrimp
1 large bell pepper minced (we used an orange pepper)
2 medium carrots minced
1 large onion minced
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
1-3 teaspoons hot sauce (Tabasco is a traditional one)
5 cups vegetable broth (I like to use Vegeta seasoning as the broth in which case you use 4 tablespoons for 5 cups of water)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup whipping cream

First, slice your sausage into round, bite-sized pieces.

Then chop up your pepper, garlic, celery, onion and carrot until finely minced.

In a large saucepan heat some olive oil and saute the garlic and vegetables for around 4-5 minutes adding the thyme as you go.

Place the vegetables and the sausage in your slow cooker.

 
Add the hot sauce, vegetable broth and the two bay leaves and mix everything together.

Cover, set the slow cooker to low and cook for 6 hours. Then, turn the cooker up to high and add the frozen shrimp and the cream stirring it in slowly.

Put the lid back on and cook for a further 15 minutes until the shrimp is heated through.

Serve the gumbo over rice. It also goes nicely with cornbread. 

Enjoy.

See also: Fiery Caribbean style peel-and-eat shrimp

See also: Slow Cooked Curried Goat Stew