This seafood jambalaya recipe includes a delicious medley of Cajun-seasoned salmon, shrimp, mussels, and andouille sausage. In just 45 minutes, you'll be enjoying a bowl of New Orleans' best comfort meal!
If you're searching for more New Orleans-inspired recipes, try my Shrimp and Grits in Creole Cream Sauce and Cajun Shrimp Toast with Hollandaise Sauce next!
Seafood jambalaya is a hearty, flavorful meal of creamy rice and fresh seafood. I love how versatile this meal is and you'll appreciate it too! Because this recipe is so adaptable, you can incorporate whatever seafood or meats you have a taste for.
Drop that Zatarain's box! This easy seafood jambalaya recipe is not hard to prepare at all. Just follow the recipe instructions step-by-step for the best seafood jambalaya!
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What is jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a popular rice dish in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. It has origins in French, Spanish, and African cultures and mainly consists of meat, vegetables, and long-grain rice.
There are two versions of jambalaya; Creole and Cajun. Creole jambalaya usually contains seafood and tomatoes. Whereas Cajun jambalaya usually omits both of those ingredients for a brown dish with chicken as the main protein.
This seafood jambalaya recipe is prepared similarly to traditional jambalaya but with a twist. I use cajun seasonings but incorporate seafood and tomatoes.
Ingredients
This seafood and sausage jambalaya recipe has the perfect balance of seasonings, rice, and tomatoes.
- Seafood. Medium shrimp with the shell-on, mussels, and salmon. I used mussels in the frozen section of Kroger (Ralph's). They are already cooked through in a white wine garlic sauce.
- Andouille Sausage. This is a staple in Creole and Cajun cuisine. If you don't have any, you can substitute it with another smoked sausage. (However, I strongly suggest using andouille!)
- The Holy Trinity and the Pope. Celery, onion, red pepper, and garlic cloves. (Plus green onion!)
- Herbs. Fresh thyme, parsley, and bay leaves.
- Cooking Oil.
- Tomatoes. Canned diced tomatoes
- Rice. Extra Long White Rice
- Seasonings. Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning.
- Bourbon/Whiskey. Optional.
- Seafood stock. You can purchase this at the grocery store but I prefer homemade.
Seafood Stock
This boosts the flavor of the rice and is so much tastier than water or store-bought seafood stock. Just mix and simmer these ingredients.
- Onion
- Celery
- Leftover Shrimp Shells
- Carrots
- Roasted Garlic Bouillion
How to Make Seafood Jambalaya
Here is a simplified version of the seafood jambalaya recipe. Review the recipe card for step-by-step instructions.
Prepare the Seafood Stock
In a medium-sized pot, add any leftover veggies in your fridge (such as onion, carrots, and celery), shrimp shells (heads included), and roasted garlic bouillion to about two cups of water. Bring it to a boil then let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
The broth should become darker and the vegetables will soften. Strain the broth carefully and set it aside until you're ready to use it.
If you'd like to save time, you can certainly use store-bought seafood stock instead.
Seafood Jambalaya
Preparing the Andouille Sausage and Holy Trinity
Cook sliced andouille sausage on medium/high heat until they are golden brown. Remove the sausages then add onion, red pepper, and celery to that same pot and stir.
Cook for about three minutes until the vegetables become soft and translucent. Add salt and pepper if desired and pour in bourbon/whiskey (optional). Cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until the alcohol cooks off. Add in cajun seasoning and Italian seasoning and stir for one minute.
Preparing the Rice
Then pour in the rice and stir for an additional minute. Pour in diced tomatoes and 1-1.5 cups of seafood stock. Add just enough stock to cover the rice so it has room to boil.
The water-to-rice ratio in this seafood jambalaya recipe is 2-to-1. This ratio produces soft, tender rice. Combine the rice with the water (in this recipe, 1.5 cups are used to 2.5-3 cups of seafood stock) and fresh herbs (thyme and bay leaves), bring to a simmer/boil, reduce the heat, and cover tightly for 20 minutes.
Once the water has evaporated, place the towel or aluminum foil between the lid of the pot and the rice, and let it sit for ten minutes to absorb the moisture and steam.
Prepare and Add the Seafood
While the rice mixture simmers, prep the seafood items. Add oil to a medium-sized saute pan on medium/high heat then add seasoned salmon skin side up and sear for 3-5 minutes.
The salmon does not have to fully cook at this step. Flip the salmon only once cook for an additional minute, and place aside until later use.
Prepare the shrimp in the same pan adding the remaining oil, season shrimp with cajun seasoning and saute for 1-2 minutes (note shrimp does not have to be fully cooked at this step).
At this time, the rice should've cooked for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, stir and test the rice for doneness. The rice should be 90% cooked through. Add more stock, (up to ½-1 cup at a time) and stir thoroughly.
At the same time, you can now add the par-cooked seafood and sausage to the pot on top of the rice. (Roughly chopped salmon, shrimp, mussels --with its juice--, and sausage.)
Cover and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes until rice and seafood is cooked through. Finally, garnish seafood jambalaya with freshly chopped parsley and green onion and serve!
What should I serve with jambalaya?
Seafood jambalaya is great as a standalone meal but if you're looking for some sides to complement it, here are some ideas.
- Cornbread or cornbread dressing like this Seafood Cornbread Dressing.
- Garlic bread
- Biscuits. Southern Buttermilk Biscuits would be tasty!
- Deviled Eggs. Try Cajun Shrimp Deviled Eggs.
- Potato Salad
- Salad
- Red wine
Tips and Tricks
- Remove the shells from the shrimp and use them to prepare seafood stock. This step is optional but recommended for depth of flavor. However, you can certainly use veggie or chicken stock instead.
- For fluffy rice, add a sheet of aluminum foil (or a towel) between the top of the pot and the lid. (See the recipe video for the visualization.)
- Be sure to check the rice halfway through cooking. Add more liquid if it cooks out. Results will vary based on the pot size, so adjust the liquid-to-rice ratio, ensuring the rice has enough liquid to cook.
- Use any seafood you would like. Fish could work, crawfish, scallops, crabs, cod, etc. Just adjust the cooking time based on your desired additions.
- Store any leftover seafood stock in a mason jar and refrigerate for later use.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover seafood jambalaya in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 4 days. It will last up to 3 months when properly stored in a freezer.
Defrost frozen jambalaya in the fridge the day before you plan to reheat it. To reheat the jambalaya, add it to a medium pan on low heat. Stir it, then cover it for about 10 minutes. The steam should add moisture back into the rice.
What is the difference between gumbo and jambalaya?
While both are classic Louisana dishes, gumbo and jambalaya are not the same. Gumbo is a thick stew served with rice whereas jambalaya is rice that is cooked in a stock (usually chicken or seafood).
I hope you enjoy this Seafood Jambalaya recipe!
If you try this recipe, I'd love to see it! Share it with me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
Seafood Jambalaya Recipe
Ingredients
Seafood
- ½ lb Medum Shrimp with shell on
- 1 lb Mussels see blog notes
- 1 lb Salmon
- 7 oz Andouille Sausage
Produce
- 5-6 Garlic Cloves
- 1 cup Celery
- 1 cup Onion
- 1 cup Red Pepper
- 4 sprigs Thyme
- 1 tablespoon Parsley roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Green Onion
- 2 Bay Leaves
Additional Items
- 2 tablespoon Cooking Oil split in half (1 tablespoon each)
- 14.5 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes
- 1.5 cups Extra Long White Rice
- 1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning plus 1 tablespoon for searing seafood.
- ½ tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 2.5-3 cups Seafood Broth see recipe notes
- 1-2 tablespoon Bourbon/Whiskey optional
Seafood Stock
- ½ cup Onion
- ½ cup Celery
- ½ cup Carrots
- ½ lb Leftover Shrimp Shells
- 1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Bouillion
Instructions
Seafood Stock
- In a medium sized pot, add any leftover veggies such as onion, carrots, celery and shrimp shells to about two cups of water.
- Bring to a boil and let simmer 15-20 minutes.
- Strain carefully and set aside until later use.
Seafood Jambalaya
- It is important to note, prep all ingredients first before starting this recipe for best results!
- In a large stock pot, add oil and bring pot to medium/high heat.
- Add sliced andouille sausage and saute until golden brown and fat has been released.
- Remove sausage from pot, set aside until later use.
- In the same pot with drippings from the sausage, add in onion, red pepper, celery and stir.
- Cook for about three minutes until vegetables become soft and translucent. Salt and pepper can be added if desired.
- While the vegetables are cooking on medium/high heat, pour in bourbon/whiskey (optional) and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until alcohol cooks off.
- Add in cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning and stir for one minute.
- Pour in rice and stir an additional minute.
- Pour in diced tomatoes and seafood stock. It is important to note, begin with 1-1.5 cups of stock, just to cover the rice so it has room to boil.
- Add the fresh herbs (thyme and bay leaves), cover and simmer on low/medium heat for 20 minutes.
- While the rice mixture simmers, prep the seafood items.
- In a medium sized saute pan, add ½ tablespoon of reserved oil and bring to medium/high heat.
- Season salmon with half of the cajun seasoning and Place the salmon into the pan skin side up and sear for 3-5 minutes. It's important to note, the salmon does not have to fully cook at this step.
- Flip the salmon only once cook for an additional minute, and place aside until later use.
- Prepare the shrimp in the same pan adding the remaining oil, season shrimp with cajun seasoning and saute for 1-2 minutes (note shrimp does not have to be fully cooked at this step).
- At this time, the rice should've cooked for 20 minutes. Remove lid, stir and test rice for doneness. The rice should be 90% cooked through.
- Add more stock, (up to ½-1 cup at a time) and stir thoroughly.
- At the same time, you can now add the par-cooked seafood and sausage to the pot on top of the rice. (Roughly chopped salmon, shrimp, mussels --with its juice--, and sausage.)
- Cover and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes until rice and seafood is cooked through.
- Garnish seafood jambalaya with freshly chopped parsley and green onion and serve!
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