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Pre-cooking Shrimp for Gumbo or Jambalaya
Posted on 12/8/12 at 8:31 am
Posted on 12/8/12 at 8:31 am
quote:
I just glanced and saw "cooked shrimp" and said no way Jose
This comment by CITWTT from the "Jambalaya" recipe thread reminded me of this subject.
Poppy Tooker, in researching Madame Begue's old cookbook, had this to say in the Times Pic:
quote:
The most treacherous part is when you add the shrimp," Tooker said. "How do you keep them from getting mushy? But...whenever she used shrimp in a recipe, she boiled them first." It was probably a food safety issue, Tooker speculates, but it completely altered their texture.
And when she added boiled shrimp to Begue's jambalaya and gumbo, following the 19th century directions, "The shrimp were not overcooked. They were perfect. The moisture in the cooking liquid of both plumped them up a little further. The color really impressed me, and seemed more vivid. They had this perfect toothsome quality.
So I began to try to puzzle through this. Why in the world? And in talking to other people about this procedure, I discovered that most everybody's grandmothers and great-grandmothers did the same thing! It's a technique that's evolved that I think deserves a revisit.
Somebody here needs to try this and report back.
4
Posted on 12/8/12 at 8:55 am to Stadium Rat
That is interesting, have not noticed that in reading old Creole cookbooks. I always buy head-on shrimp for gumbo, peal them and use the shells for stock, add the shrimp to the gumbo about 15 minutes before serving. The only downside, and it is not really a downside, is that the shrimp release a lot of liquid and thins the gumbo a bit. But the liquid the shrimp release is pretty tasty shrimp juice, so no problem.
Theorizing, and I will try it, if you boil and peal the shrimp ahead of time, you can save the water for stock, and add the shrimp last to the gumbo. If they are firmer and better color, not sure why they would be since they are being 'boiled' in the gumbo, it might work better.
Since I'm not of the 'this is the way my momma did it' school, I'll try it on the next pot.
Theorizing, and I will try it, if you boil and peal the shrimp ahead of time, you can save the water for stock, and add the shrimp last to the gumbo. If they are firmer and better color, not sure why they would be since they are being 'boiled' in the gumbo, it might work better.
Since I'm not of the 'this is the way my momma did it' school, I'll try it on the next pot.
Posted on 12/8/12 at 9:05 am to Stadium Rat
My guess is that the shells protect and shield the meat of the shrimp when they boil. Once boiled, the meat has locked in the moisture and flavor, and the outer layer is sealed.
Posted on 12/8/12 at 9:38 am to Stadium Rat
Mushy shrimp in gumbo is one of my food pet peeves. You can have a great gumbo, but in the last 20 minutes you can completely f it up.
Posted on 12/8/12 at 9:28 pm to Stadium Rat
I add seafood just before serving and only to the amount of gumbo I'm using at that moment. If I make a large amount to freeze. I freeze it sans seafood and add it just before serving as usual. No mushy seafood.
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