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Message
re: Another Seafood Gumbo Failure
Posted on 11/16/20 at 1:46 pm to LSU Tiger Bob
Posted on 11/16/20 at 1:46 pm to LSU Tiger Bob
quote:
Use head on shrimp... lots of them. A few crabs also.
This was the key from our seafood gumbo going from below average to very good.
0
Posted on 11/16/20 at 1:48 pm to MorbidTheClown
I don’t get it mane. You had stock and roux but punted before you got the seafood/protein in there? How do you know it was, or would have been, a failure?
Posted on 11/16/20 at 1:50 pm to LSUballs
the recipe i was following said he got it tasting the way he wanted before adding the seafood. sounded like a good idea to avoid wasting the seafood in a gumbo that no one would want to eat.
ETA: there was a thread titled "Seafood Gumbo with Pics". Can't find it now. but, that's the gumbo recipe i was following.
ETA: there was a thread titled "Seafood Gumbo with Pics". Can't find it now. but, that's the gumbo recipe i was following.
This post was edited on 11/16/20 at 1:55 pm
Posted on 11/16/20 at 1:53 pm to MorbidTheClown
quote:
12 cups is 3/4 gallon, right? so, 5-6 lbs of shrimp?
There's no reason that amount of shrimp shells and heads wouldn't work for you to make a tasty stock.
Use the amount of shrimp you think that would make a good gumbo and freeze the rest for later use.
Also, like others have mentioned, I never make a seafood gumbo without adding "gumbo crabs" to the pot. When I buy live crabs I'll cull the smaller ones and clean them to freeze and use that to get the flavors going in my seafood gumbo.
Posted on 11/16/20 at 2:04 pm to MorbidTheClown
I went ahead and re-did your recipe. Don't ask about measurements, I don't measure anything. Just use common sense.
Stock:
Water
Shrimp Heads
*Skim off any scum that may rise to the top.
1. Make roux
2. Add trinity, cook down
3. Add garlic, parsley and bay leaves, cook down another 5 min
4. Add warm stock
5. Simmer
6. Add peeled shrimp and lump crabmeat, and some gumbo crabs if you like
7. Season with creole seasoning, old bay, or both
8. Simmer a little longer
9. eat.
Stock:
Water
Shrimp Heads
*Skim off any scum that may rise to the top.
1. Make roux
2. Add trinity, cook down
3. Add garlic, parsley and bay leaves, cook down another 5 min
4. Add warm stock
5. Simmer
6. Add peeled shrimp and lump crabmeat, and some gumbo crabs if you like
7. Season with creole seasoning, old bay, or both
8. Simmer a little longer
9. eat.
Posted on 11/16/20 at 2:10 pm to MorbidTheClown
quote:
the recipe i was following said he got it tasting the way he wanted before adding the seafood. sounded like a good idea to avoid wasting the seafood in a gumbo that no one would want to eat.
To me, that's the complete wrong approach. The seafood isn't "decoration" for the gumbo--it contributes the essential flavor. I think you had a bum recipe.
FWIW, I wouldn't have ditched the stuff you made: unless it was spoiled in some way, it was salvagable. If it was simply too bland or boring, you could have doctored it with bottled clam juice (it will work in a pinch) or one of the jarred "seafood base" instant stock type pastes or powders. Or some powdered dried shrimp.
You're worried too much about "wasting" seafood....you can't experiment and learn by doing if you're scared of a possible negative outcome. How bad would it have been? Probably still decent, after you added all the seafood.
Painters learn to paint by using their materials--they don't "save" the paint until their skills are good. Ditto for cooking. You gotta break the eggs to make the omelette....
Posted on 11/16/20 at 3:03 pm to MorbidTheClown
quote:
ETA: there was a thread titled "Seafood Gumbo with Pics". Can't find it now. but, that's the gumbo recipe i was following.
Is this the thread? It doesn't look like the same recipe.
LINK /
Posted on 11/16/20 at 3:16 pm to MorbidTheClown
Not nearly enough trinity or seafood for my taste. You gotta load that thing down
Posted on 11/16/20 at 3:33 pm to Gris Gris
quote:That's the thread i got the gumbo recipe from.
Is this the thread?
quote:
It doesn't look like the same recipe.
i used another stock recipe i found a while back. i remember trying to use the stock recipe from that thread and cut it down to the size i was making.
i guess i'm just using way too little seafood for making my stock?
Posted on 11/16/20 at 3:46 pm to MorbidTheClown
quote:
i guess i'm just using way too little seafood for making my stock?
And, some strange ingredients. Use shrimp shells and gumbo crabs. You really don't need all that other stuff for a stock for seafood gumbo that will have plenty of seasoning. Why bury the seafood stock flavor with all that other stuff? That's my personal opinions. Many may differ, but I've never heard of cloves in gumbo. That one has me scratching my head.
As others have suggested a little bit of dried shrimp powder or a shrimp base may help shore of your stock flavor if you don't think it's strong enough, but remember the seafood you add to it will also be adding flavor. Add the oyster liquor, too, if you're using oysters.
I still try to master shrimp or seafood gumbo and I'm pretty much where I want to be. I think seafood gumbo should be simple without too many other flavors. I want the seafood flavors to shine. I have never put bay leaves in any gumbo at all, much less seafood gumbo, but many people do. Nor have I used basil or oregano. Might have used a little thyme on occasion because it reminds me of file'.
Posted on 11/16/20 at 3:59 pm to Gris Gris
quote:
And, some strange ingredients.
yeah, obviously i'm still learning. The stock recipe said " this will give your seafood gumbo the richest flavor possible"
quote:
but remember the seafood you add to it will also be adding flavor
i guess i get confused by this since the seafood is added near the end of the cooking process. i thought it wouldn't have time to add much.
am i wrong to be tasting the stock before adding the seafood?
the thread you linked had this part which i thought i was following.
"
Once skimmed, I turn down to simmer, add seasonings and my first dose of herbs (dry oregano and fresh thyme for me). I get everything tasting like I want it to, let the flavors marry (maybe 45 min.), then I put in more fresh thyme and add shrimp. These were big boys, so I cut them into manageable piece"
Posted on 11/16/20 at 4:42 pm to MorbidTheClown
quote:
yeah, obviously i'm still learning. The stock recipe said " this will give your seafood gumbo the richest flavor possible"
The more shells you have will give you a richer stock. That's how I feel. I like to have a strong seafood stock, particularly a strong shrimp flavor.
quote:
i guess i get confused by this since the seafood is added near the end of the cooking process. i thought it wouldn't have time to add much.
Yes, it definitely doesn't cook long, but it does add some flavor to the liquid. Keep in mind that you'll be getting some seafood in every bite of the gumbo also adding to the flavor.
quote:
am i wrong to be tasting the stock before adding the seafood?
I always taste my stock and I always taste the gumbo (roux + stock together) before adding the meats.
quote:
Once skimmed, I turn down to simmer, add seasonings and my first dose of herbs (dry oregano and fresh thyme for me). I get everything tasting like I want it to, let the flavors marry (maybe 45 min.), then I put in more fresh thyme and add shrimp. These were big boys, so I cut them into manageable piece"
You can taste to adjust your seasonings before adding the seafood. Nothing wrong with that. My preference is to make the gumbo up to the point of adding the seafood, the day before serving. Put it in the fridge and let the flavors develop overnight as they always do. Then, reheat, taste, adjust and add the seafood the following day. People don't always have time for that, but it's optimal for me.
Posted on 11/16/20 at 4:46 pm to MorbidTheClown
quote:
i guess i get confused by this since the seafood is added near the end of the cooking process. i thought it wouldn't have time to add much.
The reason for this is seafood cooks quickly...as in minutes. Shrimp will turn into pencil erasers if over cooked. Oysters will get tough and chewy. Lump or other crab meat will shred and basically disappear.
The seafood flavor in seafood gumbo comes from the stock. Shrimp heads, crab bodies, oyster likker. etc. Obviously eating the seafood, cooked properly will add to the overall experience and flavor.
IMO the quality/richness/flavor of your stock determines the quality/richness/flavor of your gumbo.
Posted on 11/16/20 at 5:15 pm to Stexas
Need more roux. Also, cloves go in sauce piquant, court billioun, and shrimp creole. They DO NOT go in gumbo. Same with basil. It DOES NOT go in gumbo.
Posted on 11/17/20 at 6:59 am to MorbidTheClown
You’re not going to develop the flavor until you get the seafood in...and no carrots, cloves in the stock. You need gumbo crab in the stock. 
Posted on 11/17/20 at 7:36 am to LSU Tiger Bob
quote:
The reason for this is seafood cooks quickly...as in minutes. Shrimp will turn into pencil erasers if over cooked. Oysters will get tough and chewy. Lump or other crab meat will shred and basically disappear.
So I’m reminded that barely cooked seafood isn’t the only way to fly. Big shrimp, in a gumbo, will get chewy. That’s why you should use small shrimp...aka gumbo shrimp. Yes, they’ll be technically cooked in a flash, but let em keep cooking and they will take on an entirely different texture....a slightly dissolving succulence, saturated with gumbo juice. This is not bad, or wrong....or even “overcooked”. It’s the texture of shrimp actually cooked in a gumbo, as opposed to shrimp dropped in at the last minute that are merely poached in a gumbo.
Again, old school home style aesthetic vs a restaurant aesthetic. Plenty of old school bayou cajuns boil the hell out of gumbo featuring small shrimp and plenty of bayou cajun eaters have an appreciation for a texture that some would call overcooked.
Re crabmeat, use cheaper (but flavorful) claw meat early in the cooking, then add some special white lump toward the end.
Posted on 11/17/20 at 8:10 am to MorbidTheClown
Was it too thick? Seems like too much flour and oil (assuming a 50/50 ratio) for only 12 cups of stock.
Cloves may be throwing the flavor off.
Cloves may be throwing the flavor off.
Posted on 11/17/20 at 10:17 am to MorbidTheClown
You need more shells in your stock, like others have said. Once you add all your seafood, it will also bring lots of flavor of course.
There isn’t much difference for my seafood gumbo and C&S gumbo as far as seasoning goes. The stock and meat are the difference.
There isn’t much difference for my seafood gumbo and C&S gumbo as far as seasoning goes. The stock and meat are the difference.
Posted on 11/17/20 at 10:20 am to geauxpurple
RE: cloves--the clove flavor is one of the signature notes in Zatarain's crab boil, along with bay. Plenty of ppl use a drop or two of crab boil concentrate to flavor a dish, so clove isn't as "out of place" with seafood as you might imagine.
Ditto for bay leaf.
Ditto for bay leaf.
Posted on 11/17/20 at 7:50 pm to hungryone
OP I love to put a few capfuls of liquid crab boil in my gumbo. Peps it up. I’ll throw chopped up white flakey fish into the pot sometimes 30 minutes before I plan to eat because it sort of has the texture of crab meat. I think everyone saying use more gumbo crabs to make the stock are spot on. I also think you need to be very careful with using that much shrimp shell stock. If you boil them too long it taste bad to me and is just too strong. A cup of shrimp shell stock is all I will use because a little of that stuff goes a long way. Crab and white fish bones make the best seafood stock.
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