Last updated on September 21st, 2019
I’m so excited to share this Whole30 Instant Pot seafood gumbo with you! It comes bursting with flavor and delicious ingredients like sea bass filets, bell peppers & shrimp! It’s the perfect one pot meal to add into your rotation and is dairy free, paleo and low carb.
An easy seafood gumbo recipe made in the famous Instant Pot
I feel like I am always one of the last people to jump on the “trending” bandwagon, and that has been made evident by how long it has taken me to finally start using my Instant Pot.
I bought it nearly two years ago, but it’s been sitting in my cabinet collecting dust with the exception of a few bone broth making sessions. I’m the worst.
I’m happy that I finally took it out of the cupboard and decided to make this easy seafood gumbo recipe inside of it. You really can’t go wrong with making gumbo, as there are so many different types of protein you can add inside depending on your taste preferences.
I found that adding in the sea bass was the perfect way to get in an extra dost of omega-3’s, coupled with wanting to support sustainable seafood practices. I highly recommend getting on the gumbo train because it’s a delicious and joyous ride.
Another way to customize this recipe would be to add cooked cauliflower rice or white rice inside of the gumbo.
I decided to leave it out because I knew there would be days I’d want to eat it sans the rice, but a traditional gumbo recipe would have rice inside of the stew. You really cannot go wrong either way!
Do I need to use sea bass in this gumbo recipe?
Sea bass is not a fish that is easy to find from a sustainable source, so if you can get your hands on some, please do! 🙂 By the way, did you know that sea bass has the highest amount of omega-3’s found in any white fish?
Hey, why wouldn’t we want to support our brains and cardiovascular health?!
I love how meaty the texture is, while the flavor remains buttery… sea bass reminds me a bit of grouper or halibut, but it isn’t overfished like they are.
More paleo soup recipes like this:
Thai Chicken Zucchini Noodle Soup
Can I make this gumbo on the stovetop instead?
Absolutely. I’ve provided instructions on how to do so in the notes section! 😉
The fact that I made this easy seafood gumbo recipe in such a quick amount of time and in one pot is so dang impressive.
I thought that the shrimp and fish would come out dry and overcooked, but I was boldly mistaken- and thank goodness for that!
My husband let it be known *after trying this gumbo* that he thought it tasted very healthy.
Immediately, I felt pretty offended and alarmed by this statement, but he told me to rest assured that it was actually a good thing.
Usually eating a seafood gumbo will leave you feeling quite heavy and groggy afterwards. Guess what thought? You will NOT feel any of those feelings *or any other unpleasantries* after chowing down on a bowl of this gumbo.
How to make Instant Pot Seafood Gumbo
Season the barramundi with some salt and pepper, and make sure they are as evenly coated as possible. Sprinkle half of the Cajun seasoning onto the fish and give it a stir- make sure it is coated well and set aside.
Put the ghee in the Instant Pot and push “Sauté”. Wait until it reads “Hot” and add the barramundi chunks. Sauté for about 4 minutes, until it looks cooked on both sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fish to a large plate.
Add the onions, pepper, celery and the rest of the Cajun seasoning to the pot and sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant. Push “Keep Warm/Cancel”. Add the cooked fish, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves and bone broth to the pot and give it a nice stir. =
Put the lid back on the pot and set it to “Sealing.” Push “Manual” and set the time for just 5 minutes! The Instant Pot will slowly build up to a high pressure point and once it reaches that point, the gumbo will cook for 5 minutes.
Once the 5 minutes have ended, push the “Keep warm/Cancel” button. Cautiously change the “Sealing” valve over to “Venting,” which will manually release all of the pressure. Once the pressure has been release (this will take a couple of minutes), remove the lid and change the setting to “Sauté” again.
Add the shrimp and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp have become opaque. Add some more sea salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve hot and top off with some cauliflower rice and chives.
*See stovetop instructions in the notes section!*
Get creative with protein swaps in this seafood gumbo!
Gumbo goodness- say that 12 times over and over again. It sounds pretty catchy, actually. I’m seriously so darn happy the weather is slowly but surely cooling down here in Southern California.
I’m a huge fan of all of the coolness the Fall and Winter months bring to the table. That means that I get to make and eat all of the soups and stews.
In fact, I’m probably going to end up matching this seafood gumbo again next week and throwing it into the freezer. Why not?!
As I mentioned before, you can get as creative as you’d like with this gumbo goodness. If you’re not into shrimp, I’d recommend replacing it with some compliant sausage of some sort.
That’s what usually comes inside of traditional gumbos, and there is great reason for that. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Whole30 Instant Pot Seafood Gumbo
Ingredients
- 24 ounces sea bass filets patted dry and cut into 2" chunks
- 3 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons cajun seasoning or creole seasoning
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 4 celery ribs diced
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups bone broth
- 2 pounds medium to large raw shrimp deveined
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season the barramundi with some salt and pepper, and make sure they are as evenly coated as possible. Sprinkle half of the Cajun seasoning onto the fish and give it a stir- make sure it is coated well and set aside.
- Put the ghee in the Instant Pot and push “Sauté”. Wait until it reads “Hot” and add the barramundi chunks. Sauté for about 4 minutes, until it looks cooked on both sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fish to a large plate.
- Add the onions, pepper, celery and the rest of the Cajun seasoning to the pot and sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant. Push “Keep Warm/Cancel”. Add the cooked fish, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves and bone broth to the pot and give it a nice stir. Put the lid back on the pot and set it to "Sealing." Push "Manual" and set the time for just 5 minutes! The Instant Pot will slowly build up to a high pressure point and once it reaches that point, the gumbo will cook for 5 minutes.
- Once the 5 minutes have ended, push the "Keep warm/Cancel" button. Cautiously change the "Sealing" valve over to "Venting," which will manually release all of the pressure. Once the pressure has been release (this will take a couple of minutes), remove the lid and change the setting to "Sauté" again. Add the shrimp and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the shrimp have become opaque. Add some more sea salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve hot and top off with some cauliflower rice and chives.
- *See recipe notes for stove top instructions!*
Notes
- For a great how to video on pan-frying fish, go ahead and check this one out!
- If you're going to make this recipe on the stove top, start by browning the sea bass in a large saucepan and transfer it to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the onions, peppers, and celery, and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add the browned fish, tomatoes, broth, and bay leaves into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let this stand and cook for about 30 minutes. Add the shrimp just a few minutes before you plan on serving the gumbo. Simply add them to the stew and cook for 3-4 minutes until they are opaque throughout. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Monica – recipe developer, matcha addict and lover of all things chocolate, kombucha and any & all puns. I am also the blogger, real food lover, & bonafide hustler behind the blog ‘The Movement Menu.’ I’m so excited to welcome you to my happy space, where my appreciation of creative recipes and healthy & mindful eats come together to inspire you to live a healthy, balanced life.
Hi! I would love to try this, but my Instant Pot is only 3qts =(. Is that too small for the listed ingredients?
I think so. I would cook it in a slow cooker if you have one. You need a bigger Instant Pot in my opinion 😉
The dish you prepared is delicious.
Great taste, very filling!
I made this recipe this week and it was delicious! I plan to make it again next week. Definitely a winner!
THANK YOU!!! It’s one of my favorites, too… I actually eat it cold quite often.
Hi!
If you’re adding rice directly into the recipe, do you just add it when you add all the other ingredients, or should you cook it first and mix it in at the end?
May be a silly question, but I wasn’t sure.
Thanks!
Also (sorry), how much rice is appropriate to add to this recipe’s proportions?
Good question!!!! If you are adding rice, I’d add already cooked rice! I’d add maybe 3 cups total!
I added a box of rice and broth in the amount required and it boiled it right up!
What is a good replace fish for sea bass?
Any white fish would be okay!
My family loved this recipe. I halved it and it was enough for my family of five With leftovers! We aren’t heavy eaters though. One small modification is that I didn’t have tomato paste so I used the full 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes and let it simmer down Just a bit after the last step. I also used cauliflower rice in each bow which thickened it up a bit. Great recipe. Loved it!
In your ingredients you list “bone broth”. Hate to be picky but is that beef or chicken bone broth? Please, no rude comments about I should know what Monica means.
Hi there. Aw, you are so sweet. I typically use chicken, but you can honestly use either… even chicken broth!
I’m so thankful I came across this recipe! My hubby and I have enjoyed this seafood gumbo several times. Very tasty, and healthy. I’ve also added scallops to the recipe.
That is GENIUS. I may need to try it with scallops, too! 🙂
When do you add the scallops? Same time as fish or shrimp?
Hi there. Scallops aren’t a part of the recipe, but if you want to add them, you should add them the last few minutes as they cook VERY quickly.
Absolutely excellent. We used fish stock instead of bone broth, cod instead of sea bass (availability), and I would recommend adding andouille sausage. Loved it and it is now part of our monthly menus
Yay, Aaron. That makes me so happy!!! Feel free to rate the recipe (using the star system on the recipe card itself)… it helps myself and my readers out tremendously. Oh, and do let me know what you make next! 🙂
You should definitely try some carnitas in the instant pot. They are my second favorite thing to make (gumbo first). I’m looking for an all instant pot recipe for lengua tacos now so if you happen to make one please let me know
I made this tonight and it was a hit! I’m new to using the Instant Pot so followed your instructions precisely and it turned out delicious.
That makes me so happy to hear! I’d love if you could rate the recipe (using the star system on the recipe card) if you have a moment. It helps me and my readers out tremendously. That Instant Pot is a game changer, huh? 🙂
Is there something I can use instead of bone broth? I am pescatarian,
You can absolutely use veggie broth!
Wow!! This is so good!! I added a few things as I thought it needed a little depth of flavor. I used a few dashes of chili powder, smoked paprika, fresh basil, onion powder, garlic powder and a few red pepper flakes. It was a hit. Will certainly be in the dinner rotation from now on!!
I love, love, love that you made it your own!!! Sounds fabulous with those additions.
We made this tonight and it was *perfect*. CostCo was out of sea bass so we used scallops instead, but this turned out absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing, this is definitely going into our low carb comfort food rotation.
I LOVE THAT. Oh my gosh, scallops? THat’s definitely more luxurious than my recipe. SO happy you enjoyed it– I have a low carb cheeseburger soup that is fabulous as well 🙂
I am doing keto and with a few minor tweeks this will be one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe….😋
You’re So welcome, please let me know what you think!
My new favorite meal hands down. Delicious! 😁
THat makes me so happy to hear. Woo hoo… be sure to check out my other soups 😉 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Hi.. Will definetly try your other recipes. Thank you for all you do to make these delicious recipes for all of us that can’t or won’t take the time to try new things and come up with new and delicious recipes. It’s a wonderful talent you have. God bless and have a blessed New Year. 😊
I’ve recently switched to a pescatarian diet, and my parents were skeptical of preparing a meal that they could share with me that adhered to my restrictions (especially with them both being southern, and meat being a staple within any gumbo/seafood recipe…I compromised by offering some cornbread on the side). I found this recipe and offered to make it with their new Instant Pot, and it was a HIT! This is so packed with flavor and is absolutely delicious. They were talking about it days later. This gumbo is so good that I’ve scoured the internet to find it again so I can prepare it for myself and my boyfriend this evening. Thanks so much for this recipe!
This makes me so, so happy to hear. I’m so happy you loved it! 🙂
What do you use for garnish in this dish?
I just used fresh chives and cracked black pepper!
Hi, thank you for this step-by-step recipe! It was my first meal in the instant pot and it came out great! 🙂
That makes me so happy to hear. Yay!
Tonight was the first time I used an InstantPot and this recipe was a winner. I used frozen (partially defrosted) rockfish and shrimp broth from last years shrimping season.
I didn’t know what to expect when I turned the pressure cooker on. It took a very long time for my 5 minute timer to appear. I later read in the manual that depending on the volume and the temperature of the food it could take up to 40 minutes – it was near 30 minutes, then the timer came on.
To avoid over-cooking the shrimp, next time I will not turn on the final sauté step – shrimp cook so quickly, just dropping them in while the pot is still bubbling, should cook them in a 2-3 minutes.
I love that my first InstantPot meal was a success. Thank you for your recipe and tips.
Hi new to instant pot cooking butbyourvdescription of the gumbo recipes makes me want to try this. I have what might be a very naive or silly question: when you wrote, “ Put the lid back on the pot and set it to “Sealing.” Push “Manual” and set the time for just 5 minutes! The Instant Pot will slowly build up to a high pressure point and once it reaches that point, the gumbo will cook for 5 minutes.” does this mean I set the pot to just five minutes knowing it will take the pot 5 to heat up? Meaning do I set it for 5 minutes or 10? I just want to make sure I cook it as well as yours sounds yum!!!!
Hi! Such a good question… not silly at all. When I say set the time for 5 minutes, that’s exactly what I want you to do it. The pot will take longer than that including the time it takes to build to high pressure, and that’s fine! 🙂
So yummy. I usually don’t like leftover seafood dishes because they can taste too fishy the next day or the seafood can be tough when reheated. For this, the leftovers reheat well and it taste as good or maybe even slightly better.
Wow, that makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you for letting me know Mary 🙂 enjoy it!
One of our favorite recipes. 🙂
Is it possible to post a recipe without 4 pictures of the same thing and your entire life story?
Hi there. How sad is it to hear that my photography styling and composition has bothered you so much. This is my full time job and livelihood, so I choose to write what brings me joy and what my readers respond positively to. I certainly don’t think I share my entire life story, but I really appreciate your input. Please don’t come back to my website if it bothers you so much. Thanks and have a nice day!
Thank you for taking your time and sharing this. I have not tried it yet, but am going to give it a try tonight. Your pics are beautiful and I like the back story also. Please dont let the negative people slow you from what you love to do, you are great at it!!!!
Thanks so much Chris, that’s very sweet. I certainly just let those comments fall off my shoulders! 🙂
Some people are just so rude.. Thank you for all the time spent on creating this recipe. It sounds simply delicious and can’t wait to try it. Do you think it would be something I can serve over brown rice?
Hi there, yes ABSOLUTELY. It would be delicious with brown rice!
Earl, look for the print icon and it will eliminate lots of the extras in the printer-friendly version. That should be a useful tip for you when reading food bloggers.
One of the best meals I have made in the Instant Pot! I actually used Beef Broth(low sodium) and added some frozen cauliflower rice before pressurizing. Soo good thanks!
Hi Kyle. That sounds seriously awesome… I love hearing about creative ingredient substitutions and add-ons like this. Enjoy!
Do I need to put the instapot back on to cook the shrimp or just let it cook in the already hot gumbo?
They will cook in the hot gumbo 🙂
I will certainly try this. I love Shrimp Creole which is what this recipe should be called. This one looks especially tasty with the addition of sea bass. Even though this does not resemble a gumbo, (No roux?) I’m hooked on the Instant Pot preparation of it.
Hi there. No roux, as the recipe is Whole30 compliant! 🙂
No roux, no gumbo. 1st you make a roux…. I’ll go along with the Creole category.
Hi Michael… I’m so sorry to disappoint. This is simply my take on gumbo!
Any guesses on calories in this dish? I was just wondering as I am a calorie counter. We made it tonight and loved it. The only one who didn’t have seconds was my finicky youngest son.
Hi there. I’m so sorry, but I have no idea. Since I use real food ingredients, I have never counted calories. You could alternatively plug everything in to a website like My Fitness Pal though!
What kind of bone both did you use? Fish?
I used chicken, but you can use whatever you’d like!
Absolutely fabulous! The whole fam loved it!
Ah, that makes me so happy to hear. Enjoy 🙂
Hi… I tried this recipe tonight with a few changes. The recipe was fantastic. My husband raved about how good it was. We follow a less strict Whole 30 all the time. I had local smoked sausage and organic chicken breast which I wanted to use in addition to the shrimp. I just swapped out the fish for the ingredients I had on hand. I also used olive oil. I served it with riced cauliflower. Really, it was an amazing blend of spices. Will definitely make again.
Awesome! My husband and I just love it. I made a double batch with the intention of freezing half for a date in the future. We finished all in a day and a half (lunch, dinner, lunch)
That makes me SO happy to hear. I’m so happy you enjoyed!