Gumbo and Shrimp & Grits

[Scarpozzi]

I started making these two dishes years ago, but especially the past few months and convinced my 6 year old son to try gumbo last night. He was hooked because of how well the flavors bind with the butter/flour base and because he liked the rice. I like gumbo especially because you can essentially add anything out of your garden to make it go farther. I used some tomatoes, green beans, okra, and bell peppers that were about done for the season.

For Shrimp & Grits, I don't use stock and usually just toss a few chicken bouillon cubes, hot sauce, and water in the mix of vegetables as they cook down and it comes out great.

Anyone else cook those dishes at home regularly? I may have to start doing this ever 3-4 weeks.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Ever since about 15ish years ago when i first went to New Orleans, i have developed a strong love for Gumbo.
I have made gumbo from scratch a few times, but, im generally half lazy, so I don't like making a roux. Usually just make a Zatarain's gumbo mix and add some extra veggies and some meats.

Shrimp and grits is another amazing dish, but, i haven't made it myself.

 

[DigDog]

i love me some cajun shrimp but absolutely detest okra. i'll grab a big bag of frozen large shrimp, sautee some bell peppers, onion, celery, add in some flour and butter, a good spoonful of cajun spices, add the shrimp, and finish with a touch of red tomato paste; it ain't much, but it's an honest meal.

.. speaking of seasood stews, i got a pot of clam chowder (new england ofc) sitting on my stove, complete with bacon bits.

 

[Scarpozzi]

1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
3-4 Stalks of Celery
1 medium onion
------------------
Chop Those Vegetables for either recipe.....if making Gumbo, add 6-8 stalks of okra, sliced.

For Gumbo, I drop a stick of butter in a porcelain enameled cast iron stock pot and add 1/4 cup of flour....I let that cook 3-4 minutes until the mixture bubbles and starts turning nice and brown. Then I add the vegetables listed above...toss in a few teaspoons of salt to sweat the onions and let cook through 3-4 minutes while stirring. I then add a quart of chicken stock and 2-3 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning, fine garlic powder, and some Tone's Cajun Seasoning and hot sauce. If adding sausage or chicken, I would have done this prior to adding the stock. If it's only fish/shrimp gumbo, I do that as a final step. Cook white rice for serving.

For Shrimp & Grits, I take 3-4 strips of bacon and cut them up into small pieces with kitchen shears over the hot pan. I make bacon bits and remove them when done...add them to a small bowl. I use the above vegetables and some butter with the rendered bacon fat(no flour). I cook the vegetables through and add a splash of hot sauce....2 teaspoons of old bay seasoning and 3 chicken bouillon cubes with about 1-1/2 cups of water to make a decent sauce. This shouldn't be real thin after it cooks down....so adjust water accordingly.

Last 3-4 minutes, toss in shrimp. I devain/shell and cut extra large shrimp into 3rds for Gumbo and use whole shrimp for S&G....with only the tails on.

For my grits, I do 50/50 water to milk for the liquid and follow the instructions on the grits depending on if they're quick or slow cook. I'll occasionally add shredded sharp cheddar to the grits. I plate....creamy grits on the bottom....vegetables/shrimp on top with juice around the outside of the shallow bowl. It then sprinkle the top with bacon bits, cheese, cilantro, and green onions....and a milder hot sauce like Valentina. I found that a stronger hot sauce works great for the sauce bases like Tapatio. Layering two like that works great.

Digdug....try Red Okra. It's less slimy than the green stuff. One of the best things about Gumbo is that the gumbo just becomes another vegetable....like a bean. All need to be cooked a while to get over their textures off the vine.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Grew up on gumbo, still one of my favorite dishes to this day. That, etouffee, and jambalaya are some of my favorite things to cook. I REALLY want to make a move on trying grillades and grits at some point, now that the weather is finally starting to cool off.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Grew up on gumbo, still one of my favorite dishes to this day. That, etouffee, and jambalaya are some of my favorite things to cook. I REALLY want to make a move on trying grillades and grits at some point, now that the weather is finally starting to cool off.

My dad hijacked one of our Summer vacations one year and we drove through Georgia and Florida to New Orleans....then up the Mississippi to hit a lot of the Civil War battlefields.

On that trip, we stopped at a lot of diners and tried different hot sauces and gumbos. I was probably 12 years old at the time. My dad made gumbo at home, but it never tasted as rich as the stuff we ate on that trip. I figured out why...just now, actually.... My parents were suckered into buying only margarine and we rarely had butter in the house. My adult life is totally the opposite. I haven't bought margarine....ever. That's the key to all of those dishes....a thick dose of fat/oil to cook the vegetables. That sauce is the base of all flavor and goes all the way through the dish. If you don't start with enough real fat, it just isn't the same.

I suppose it's similar to lard. I don't normally cook with lard, but do when I make tamales....even if I have to render it myself from the pork by cooking the filling before I even start working the masa.

 

[BurnItDwn]

ohh hell yes .. etouffee ... nom nom nom nom!!!!!! shrimp is good, but crawfish etouffee may just be the most delicious thing i have ever had the pleasure of eating

 

[JulesMaximus]

Blech... I hate grits.

 

[RearAdmiral]

I started making these two dishes years ago, but especially the past few months and convinced my 6 year old son to try gumbo last night. He was hooked because of how well the flavors bind with the butter/flour base and because he liked the rice. I like gumbo especially because you can essentially add anything out of your garden to make it go farther. I used some tomatoes, green beans, okra, and bell peppers that were about done for the season.

For Shrimp & Grits, I don't use stock and usually just toss a few chicken bouillon cubes, hot sauce, and water in the mix of vegetables as they cook down and it comes out great.

Anyone else cook those dishes at home regularly? I may have to start doing this ever 3-4 weeks.

I don't cook this stuff at all, but I love it. I didn't grow up with enough southern cooking to bake it into my head, but I love every southern style food I make. Sounds amazing.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I'm going out to finish refurbishing one of my boat docks this afternoon. My wife asked for Shrimp & Grits before I go....

I'm glad she did...I've basically got this down to a science at this point. I'd put this up against any one else's.

 

[snoopy7548]

You can't really call it gumbo if it doesn't have beans.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

My first reaction whenever anyone mentions shrimp

 

[DAPUNISHER]

As to shrimp and grits: Had a girlfriend take us to Orlando to eat Cajun food, because she knew how much I like it. Worst Shrimp and grits evar, and the po boy was barely better. The place was crowded, was the biggest travesty. No one that has ever been to the big easy, and had the food, would serve the garbage I had in O-town.

 

[Scarpozzi]

You can't really call it gumbo if it doesn't have beans.

Good call. I've only made it a few times and did not put red beans in it, but that would be easy to remedy. I was making it mostly wife veggies from the garden and we've cut back on eating canned stuff. I actually did put beans in it, but used fresh cut green beans (half runners)....whatever was left a few weeks ago.

 

[Scarpozzi]

As to shrimp and grits: Had a girlfriend take us to Orlando to eat Cajun food, because she knew how much I like it. Worst Shrimp and grits evar, and the po boy was barely better. The place was crowded, was the biggest travesty. No one that has ever been to the big easy, and had the food, would serve the garbage I had in O-town.

That sucks. What's bad about S&G is that you can pay as little as $12-15 for a plate or as much as $30-35 for a plate.....and price has nothing to do with whether or not the person putting it together knows how to cook or season it right. I've even ordered it before to have them bring fried shrimp out on a plate with grits....they just didn't get it. I suppose that's new york style?

I've had a lot of so-so food in Orlando. Not sure I would associate cajun food with the place, but then again...I'm not really sure where to go in Orlando if it's not the Orange County Convention Center/International Drive area....or Universal.......or Disney....

I've eaten at quite a few places between those three areas spent the most at DIsney (you'd be surprised how much). I can't say I ever had Shrimp & Grits there, however. I think the only place that may have had it was the restaurant in one of the Port Orleans hotels (one in Riverside, I'm thinking?)...but not sure if it's on the menu these days. It was trendy enough from 2005-2015 that a bunch of places stopped selling it. =P

 

[Fritzo]

Shrimp will go from delicious to bubble gum in about 15 seconds. It's a hard food to sell in quantity.

As for grits- they don't hold very well. Have to keep rebalancing the liquid so you don't get wallpaper paste. Good shrimp shacks in the south put a lot of care into their food.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Shrimp will go from delicious to bubble gum in about 15 seconds. It's a hard food to sell in quantity.

As for grits- they don't hold very well. Have to keep rebalancing the liquid so you don't get wallpaper paste. Good shrimp shacks in the south put a lot of care into their food.

You can split your liquid 50/50.....water to milk. That's one of the tricks to making them creamy.