I usually toss my veggies in at about "cinnamon" and it only gets a tiny bit darker maybe to "pecan" or so. For years I used to make my roux completely separately and then quench it with some stock then added it to already mostly sauteed vegetables. It definitely works, and allows you some flexibility with dialing in your roux, but over the years Ive built up more confidence and now just save time by just adding the veggies and letting it rip. If I am making a massive batch or something I still make the roux separate because I can do it ahead of time and stirring veggies while sauteeing in the roux gets pretty labor intensive and hot if you're making like 5-10 gallons or more at once.
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 15:54 |
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# ? Jun 5, 2024 04:09 |
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I actually think we are talking about very similar things. Pictures online are hard to convey true color. Just google “colors of roux” to see how wildly different the colors look depending on the photographer. Hugely important point. The one "Justin Wilson roux" I have a mental image of, I put down to bad 80s video quality and/or him being distracted with his patter. My immediate reaction when I saw it was "gently caress me that's liquid charcoal." There is also a bit of machismo and gatekeeping involved with super dark rouxs (not in this thread but *waves arms* out there). Personally I go for the trinity somewhere around gingerbread or penny on that scale, with a final target of walnut-ish.
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 17:33 |
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I've tried countless different ways of making roux, using lard/oil/rendered fat, high heat/low and slow, different stock, adding stock to roux or vice versa, adding onions alone to the roux or with all the trinity, browning chicken in the oil before making roux, it’s really endless. Gumbo is the best for this. There are as many gumbos as cooks who make it multiplied by how many times each cook makes it. Of course, nobody can dispute that my gumbo is better than yours
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 17:52 |
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Maybe I’m lazy with my stirring, but I find I can get a much darker roux with the oven method. I turn it off at milk chocolate and leave it in the oven as it cools and it’s much closer to dark chocolate by the end, without the risk of scorching.
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 20:37 |
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It's sacrilege but I've stopped making roux and just use Tony's Roux mix and that works out fine.
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 21:20 |
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Nooooooooo it doesn't count unless you spend the first quarter of the Saints game handcuffed to the stove! handcuffed to the stove might be less painful than watching the game
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 22:06 |
Hauki posted:Maybe I’m lazy with my stirring, but I find I can get a much darker roux with the oven method. I turn it off at milk chocolate and leave it in the oven as it cools and it’s much closer to dark chocolate by the end, without the risk of scorching. i'm sure this is true, oven method is heating so much slower than a big burner, it makes sense you could get it darker without as much risk also i'd echo phil that taking accurate photos of a dark brown thing is surprisingly difficult and makes it hard to compare home roux to internet photos (e.g., in coffee roasting, exact color level matters a lot and it's just notoriously difficult to take an accurate photo to share with others without having spent real money to that purpose)
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 22:32 |
Hollismason posted:It's sacrilege but I've stopped making roux and just use Tony's Roux mix and that works out fine. dead to me
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 22:33 |
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Possibly a dumb question. I am no food purist but I do have a passion for cajun/creole food. I've been to a few "authentic" cajun restaurants here (California) and they can't seem to figure out what jambalaya is. I know there are many regional variations, but is jambalaya ever served as a soupy, gumbo-type dish? I need to know how outraged about this to be.
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 23:26 |
could be more or less wet but it's fundamentally a rice dish i've seen bad "cajun" places outside of louisiana confuse it with etouffee (or some very bad version of something like etouffee), i wonder if that's what they're doing eke out fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Aug 24, 2023 |
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# ? Aug 24, 2023 23:35 |
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Treebeard's in Houston does this. Every now and again, I forget this and order it, only to be disappointed. It's not even roux-based, but just... wet. I do not know if it's a legit variation, but it's not what I grew up with. e: their gumbo and red beans and rice are pretty good so it's not rank incompetence, either Discussion Quorum fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Aug 24, 2023 |
# ? Aug 24, 2023 23:35 |
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I remember going to a Louisiana-themed restaurant in London (because I'm a masochist) and Jambalaya was on the menu described as coming 'with a side of rice'. Like... what?
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 00:22 |
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And that's not even something like gumbo where you can say a half-dozen other groups of people have an equal claim on the word and their own unique variation on the concept. Speaking of which, not exactly cajun / creole, but I made this Okra and Shrimp thing that is also called "gumbo" just last week. (Minus the ham hock part, because I ain't got the time or the ham hock.) Pretty good, I really wanted something with a bunch of okra. One thumb up, new orleans gumbo remains superior. Also I can't imagine getting jambalaya in a restaurant even if it's good. A jambalaya is 1) a pretty cheap dish and 2) maybe the easiest thing ITT to make. Seafood paella? Sure, in a restaurant you'll hopefully get real saffron and a bunch of different seafood bits.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 00:31 |
Klyith posted:And that's not even something like gumbo where you can say a half-dozen other groups of people have an equal claim on the word and their own unique variation on the concept. I'd eat that recipe, looks pretty good. I don't have a written recipe for it but I like to make a thing I just call "smothered greenbeans" with roux just a bit lighter than my gumbo roux because I want it to actually thicken a little, "caramel" on Phil's color scale. Basically its just roux, trinity, a shitload of greenbeans when they are in season and cheap and I just cook the trinity and the beans down until everything is pretty soft and add in some chicken stock. I sometimes add tomato, sometimes not, always bay, thyme, garlic and black pepper, usually a little cayenne or some chopped jalapeno but its not a super spicy dish. It's a great way to cook a ton of cheap green beans and its not a super runny sauce so its good over rice or as a side without rice for lunchboxes or whatever. It's tasty, bit like a halfass gumbo / etoufee hybrid thats like 90% greenbeans. Try it sometime if you see them on sale. E: For a whole meal its good over rice with some grilled pork sausage sliced on it, sweet italian works well for it especially I've found.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 00:39 |
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I am no expert but in my mind Jambalaya is supposed to be simple but it's also flexible. Jambalaya is something you can just whip up. Gumbo is difficult because getting the roux right can be challenging; it takes practice. I feel like there's more "rules" for gumbo. I make Jambalaya without andoille all the time if I want something lighter. It's still great with just chicken or just ham if you season it right. I mean Cajuns make it with alligator and possum and all kinds of poo poo. I wouldn't do gumbo without andoille, though. That being said, rice on the side is off limits in my book. The point is to cook it all in one pot so the rice absorbs the flavor. With or without tomato is the main distinguishing factor. I am not sure about how common a roux is but why not, I suppose. I use tomatoes but I don't do paste. I have before and I didn't like it. Too sweet or something. I just dice maybe two or three hot house tomatoes. It blends in better in my opinion and doesn't over power. Also if you are just doing chicken, smoked paprika and maybe just a bit of bacon is important IMO to get something of a smokey flavor. I also add my Crystal at various intervals - when browning the meat, simmering the vegetables, and when adding the Worcestershire to the stock. I also use chicken stock but I've seen that go either way with beef or even both. Andoille, shrimp, and chicken is what I think you see more often but I like it with just andoille and chicken. I probably make it more often with just chicken (boneless skinless thighs) or just ham because I try to limit my sausage and to me Jambalaya is an everyday meal, not like gumbo which you probably don't make every week. I've been making Jambalaya for a lot longer than gumbo or etouffe. I don't know why I am spelling it with a capital J either. Anyway this is just my own opinion. I don't really know what's supposed to be "right" here if there is such a thing. No separate rice.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 04:39 |
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I don’t know how you’d have jambalaya with rice on the side. Would you have paella with rice on the side? Biryani? Fried rice? The rice is essential.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 05:05 |
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Is roux supposed to come through a dish as gritty and floury or did I get conned into trying something lovely my tasteless roommate thinks is good (again)?
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 07:46 |
Phil Moscowitz posted:I don’t know how you’d have jambalaya with rice on the side. Would you have paella with rice on the side? Biryani? Fried rice? This. Also Roux in a jambalaya is not something ive ever had or seen personally. I can’t speak for all of Louisiana but I don’t know that its a thing anywhere for a normal basic recipe for it.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 10:49 |
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That Works posted:This. I don't see it often but Isaac Toups makes a roux for his https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ytqP64AVkk
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 11:56 |
TheKingslayer posted:I don't see it often but Isaac Toups makes a roux for his This is just weird to me. Also just tossing the rice into stock etc. Usually I make sure to toast the rice in some of the fat coming off of the meat / what you sauteed the veggies in etc before adding the stock and reducing it while the rice cooks. Don't get me wrong it probably tastes great, all the ingredients are there and nothing in the way its cooked would mess anything up, but its just nothing like Ive ever seen anyone make Jambalaya. Curious if thats unique to me or if anyone else feels the same.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 12:23 |
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I remember we talked about that in this thread before at some point. I’ve never seen it but apparently quite a few people do it.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 12:28 |
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I had some really good jambalaya at the Cajun festival in Lafayette one time and it must have had roux in it. Very dark and delicious, almost like someone made brown fried chicken gravy and dumped it in.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 13:03 |
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There was a short lived place around here that did a gumbo-laya (gumbo over jambalaya) and I was skeptical but a coworker with a Louisiana background told me it wasn’t as weird as I thought.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 13:17 |
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That Old Ganon posted:Is roux supposed to come through a dish as gritty and floury or did I get conned into trying something lovely my tasteless roommate thinks is good (again)? I think you got conned.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 13:21 |
Im gonna make that Toups recipe sometime soon, will send a trip report when i do.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 13:34 |
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I remember we talked about that in this thread before at some point. I’ve never seen it but apparently quite a few people do it. Yeah I asked that question after seeing the Isaac Toups video lol Jambalaya for me (NOLA area) was always pretty dry and jolloff-like, and I remained ignorant of the Cajun variety. I was also flabbergasted to learn about potato salad in gumbo as an adult, so I've learned not to make any sweeping statements about authenticity on account of being a dumb city boy.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 19:40 |
ive done that Toups recipe, it's more like what i think of as "rice and gravy." it's really tasty, especially because since it's roux-based it's got like 100x more fat, just not super close to the paella-ish red jambalayas but regardless it's still got the basic form, it's not some stew with rice on the side
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 20:45 |
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Anyone else ever make egg cups with your leftover jambalya or dirty rice? Really solid convenience meal.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 23:35 |
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Discussion Quorum posted:I was also flabbergasted to learn about potato salad in gumbo as an adult, Right?! I only learnt about that a few years back and it just blew my mind, but not in a good way. Just, ew.
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# ? Aug 25, 2023 23:37 |
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The_Doctor posted:Right?! I only learnt about that a few years back and it just blew my mind, but not in a good way. Just, ew. Same, but I tried it and it was better than I expected.
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# ? Aug 26, 2023 03:30 |
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I’m sure this has a name. Trinity, garlic, tomatoes, andouille, stock, green onion, over grits. Sort of like shrimp creole without shrimp and lighter.
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# ? Aug 27, 2023 16:53 |
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Don't really like grits but I'd eat those grits.
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# ? Aug 27, 2023 21:59 |
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I’m sure this has a name. Trinity, garlic, tomatoes, andouille, stock, green onion, over grits. Sort of like shrimp creole without shrimp and lighter. That's one of the 3* different types of shrimp and grits but without the shrimp. 1. One is like what Phil has above but with shrimp. 2. Is like a thinner brown sauce with tasso ham; this is my favorite. Example pic here (from Elizabeth's in New Orleans): 3. Is what you find in lovely places where you get boiled shrimp over grits with no seasoning.
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# ? Aug 27, 2023 22:02 |
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ulmont posted:That's one of the 3* different types of shrimp and grits but without the shrimp. God I love Elizabeth’s
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# ? Aug 27, 2023 22:42 |
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Phil Moscowitz posted:I’m sure this has a name. Trinity, garlic, tomatoes, andouille, stock, green onion, over grits. Sort of like shrimp creole without shrimp and lighter. That's a lovely plate of And Grits.
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# ? Aug 27, 2023 23:11 |
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:plz post your conclusions from all these experiments as gumbo season will be upon us soon (if it ever cools down again) Gumbo megapost I don't know how many gumbos I've made, usually about 8-12 a year, mostly in the fall and winter. I think the first gumbo I ever made was a seafood gumbo. I used Savoie's jarred roux and stock I made with Knorr's bouillon cubes and used a recipe in a book my wife's parents made. I don't even remember what it tasted like but I remember being happy with it. I also think every single gumbo I've made has been different in some way from the others. That's the main thing to take away from this---there is no end-all be-all gumbo recipe. If you like what you made, then you've done it. You made a good gumbo. Elements of the Gumbo broken down with tips from about 20 years of making the stuff. 1. Stock 2. Ingredients 3. Roux 4. Seasoning 5. Process Stock The backbone to gumbo, in my opinion. You can use anything from water to lobster stock. And I have! I've used all of these:
These are all better off as something you add to what you already have if you need more liquid. I always keep boxed stock on hand--it lasts forever, is shelf stable, and you can use it for many things. But the best gumbo is made with a good homemade stock. Homemade stock is cheap, easy, flavorful, and will also last a long time in the freezer. It helps to have a big freezer. So whenever you have a roast or rotisserie chicken, save the bones. If you buy a whole chicken and butcher it, keep the bones. I keep a gallon ziploc in the freezer and add carcasses as we go. Usually about three is enough to make stock. Same with thanksgiving turkey, shrimp, crab, fish...any time you have these, keep the bones and heads and shells. None of these recipes has to be followed exactly. You can swap vegetables in, like leek, green onions. But there are some pungent things you probably don't want to put in stock, like cilantro, fennel, or kale. Also stay away from starchy or watery vegetables like corn, potatoes, cabbage, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc. Chicken stock
Brown the chicken and onions in oil in a big stock pot. add the other vegetables and herbs. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours or so. remove all the big stuff and strain the stock through a wire mesh sieve. You can use cheesecloth if you really want to get everything out of it but it's not necessary. Then simmer and reduce the stock about 1/4 or so. You can do the same with turkey bones. If you're using a fried turkey carcass, it's going to be pretty strong. Seafood stock I made one of these with king crab shells last week! This is basically the same whether you use fish bones, shrimp heads/shells, crawfish heads/shells, crab shells, lobster shells, whatever. You can mix and match too. Seafood stock is a bit more delicate (unless you're using crawfish heads from a boil, which are strong). So probably stick to the lighter vegetables here.
Same process as chicken stock, just add the wine and lemons. You might get more scum on the surface while reducing--skim it off. That's it. Note that none of these have salt or other seasonings--no need for it. Just herbs. I freeze this in quart containers. You can probably freeze it in ziploc bags too. Remember that you're going to need to have this stock at a rolling boil when you use it, as soon as you decide you're making gumbo go ahead and start defrosting your stock. You can defrost straight in a stockpot on the stove. You can mix stocks but usually if the gumbo has chicken in it, I use chicken stock. If it doesn’t, that means it has shrimp & andouille or is a seafood gumbo, in which case I use shellfish. Seafood gumbo with chicken stock isn’t ideal but if you have some gumbo crabs you can toss those in and it will help a little. It’s not the end of the world. Ingredients A few things your gumbo absolutely must have: 1. Onion—my preferred way to prepare them is to chop, then put through the food processor for a while until you get a very fine dice. I like to avoid having too many chunks of things floating in the gumbo, otherwise I think it’s too busy. 2. Bell peppers—you can use green, colored, or any other sweet peppers. I also like to run these through the processor for the same reason as the onion. 3. Celery—you can process this too. I like to process like ¾ of it but also have a handful of sliced ribs that pop up in the gumbo. 4. Garlic—I use a whole head and mince it in a little processor. Much faster than hand-mincing. Everything else is really up to you. You should prep all these base vegetables before you start the roux. Once the roux is going you’ll be busy and only have a tight window to get things in before the roux goes bad. To me, gumbo also needs okra. I love the flavor and it’s what makes gumbo taste like gumbo to me. But some people don’t like it which is fine. Okra usually gets added later, otherwise it just disintegrates. You can saute it a bit to get out some of the slime, but it’s not necessary. Frozen okra is as good as fresh in gumbo, but be careful of fresh okra that is too fibrous. Recently I used smothered okra. My MIL brought me like 2 lbs of fresh okra, so I stewed it down with onions and garlic and seasoning and other stuff for like 6 hours. I froze this and used it a few months later in place of okra pieces. It was really good and thickened the gumbo great, though I missed the little bites of sweet okra when you use slices. Despite the common meaning of “gumbo” I think it benefits greatly from a little bit of focus. It’s easy to have too much stuff in a gumbo. Maybe that’s what you like, in which case go for it. I would just recommend not having too many proteins and not mixing too much seafood with non-seafood. Here are some of the various mixes I’ve done or tried:
If you can find tasso, you can chop it and sub it for or add it to andouille/sausage. Roux If stock is the bones of gumbo, roux is its flesh. The two combine for a thicker, richer stew than you get with just stock. Roux is fat + flour. You can use any kind of fat, but high smoke point oils are easiest and most consistent.
Basic ratio is 1:1 fat to flour. If you want it a bit thicker, you can do 1:1.5 but be careful or you'll end up with etouffee. Usually for a typical gumbo that will feed around 8-10 people, I use 1 cup flour, 1 cup oil, and around 3 quarts stock. I use all purpose flour but have heard of others using different flours. I'll have to try it and update this post. As we’ve seen in this thread, there are as many ways to gently caress up roux as there are to make it correctly. I’ve never done it in the oven, but know a couple great cooks who do. I make it on the stove in a cast iron skillet or enameled cookware, like a le Creuset dutch oven. There are many different ways of doing this, but for all of them, remember you will need your stock at a rolling boil when you’re ready to mix it with the roux, so have it in a separate pot on relatively high heat. We already had the roux color discussion so I’m not going to repeat it. But here are some of the various roux I’ve made and posted in this thread over the years. This is an interesting article that’s just more proof what they say about opinions and assholes. https://www.nola.com/entertainment_...0a80ce0c5e.html Some other thoughts on roux:
Once you get the stock and roux together, you can bring it to a boil. Here’s your canvas for whatever gumbo you are making. Hopefully everything went well and you have a nice consistent gumbo base, but sometimes it doesn’t go right. I’ve heard of roux separating (oil from flour) but I’ve never had this happen to me. More often the roux and stock don’t properly meld. This looks like little clumps of roux floating around in clear broth. You can stir it a bunch and it looks okay for a bit, then goes back to clumping. It sucks! It can be caused by a few things, principally using stock that is not hot enough or roux that is overcooked or burned. Either way, the result is not good and very frustrating. Not much to be done about it. You can try to whisk the poo poo out of it which sometimes works. It’s not inedible, but I consider it a failed gumbo when it happens. 4. Seasoning and stuff So once you have the gumbo base, heat it on high until it boils, then turn it down to simmer. From here on the whole process should take at least 90 more minutes. At least. The longer the better. Actually, if you want to cook it for 3 hours and then stick it in the fridge for tomorrow, it’ll taste better. I swear. I like to add salt, pepper, a dash of cayenne, a couple bay leaves, a tablespoon or so of chopped fresh thyme, a few generous spurts of Worcestershire or fish sauce, and a chopped tomato at this stage. The Worcestershire, fish sauce, and tomato add umami. I always put two of the three in. Sometimes I put a dark beer in as well. Why not. If you’re doing chicken and you seasoned it when you browned it, you don’t really need to add creole seasoning. If not, then I would add about a tablespoon of creole seasoning. Here’s how I make mine: 2 Tbs celery salt 2 Tbs fresh ground pepper 1 Tbs paprika 1 Tbs kosher salt 1 Tbs garlic powder 1 Tbs onion powder 3 tsp cayenne 1/2 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground thyme Process If I’m making a seafood or shrimp & okra gumbo, I’ll put in a few gumbo crabs to sweeten things up. Sometimes I’ll put in little baby shrimp at this stage, like 41-50 or 51-60, and let them cook the whole time. They get really soft and flavorful by the time you’re done. If you have a rice cooker, no harm getting the rice going. Either way, don’t forget you need rice. So then this cooks for 45-60 minutes and should be pretty nice at that point. Good time to taste and adjust seasonings. If you’re using chicken, you’ve probably seen a bunch of fat rising to the surface. You absolutely have to skim this off. I’ll get like a bowlful of fat off the top when I use a single chicken. I’ve had gumbo someone made where they didn’t skim it. Totally bizarre but then again these people also served me boiled baby back ribs one time. Just clueless. If you’re using sausage, brown it and put it in. I like variety so I’ll usually do a few rounds, a few half-moons, and mostly quarter rounds. Some people just do rounds but again, I like smaller chunks of stuff in there. Tasso would be good to add now too. Get as much grease off before adding it otherwise you’ll be skimming it off the gumbo. I would plan to let it cook at least 45 more minutes from now. You can saute the okra in some of the rendered sausage fat before putting it into the gumbo if you want. I don’t think it’s necessary but some people want less okra snot in their gumbo. Also makes it a bit thinner if that’s what you’re going for. Remember to keep tasting and adjusting seasoning throughout the process. Nothing wrong with adding some hot sauce too. You can let this simmer basically forever at this point. I usually wait before adding the okra so it’s only cooking 30 minutes or so. Up to you but I like it with a little bite. Also chop up some green onions and throw those in there along with some basil if you feel like it. Neither are necessary. Save some green onions for garnish. I add the big shrimp about 15 minutes before I plan to eat. A couple minutes more or less doesn’t really matter. If you’re using crabmeat, that I would add at the very end. If you don’t it can break apart and you get a weird thick soup with crabmeat fibers all in it. Ideally you have gumbo crabs in there flavoring the stew. I’m going to make seafood gumbo today for the LSU-FSU game, I’ll post some pics. The key to remember is there is no "correct" way to make gumbo. Your way, the way you like it and made it this time, is correct.
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 16:02 |
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That is a great post that should be linked from the OP. Closest thing to a gumbo bible I’ve seen. I didn’t see it in the roux section but what’s your opinion on rendered chicken fat for the roux? Last couple gumbos, I’ve skinned my chicken, then chopped up the skin and rendered out its fat. Then I strain and use the fat for my roux, plus I get chicken cracklins which make a great garnish (I also do scallions and parsley), and I have to do way less skimming later since most of the chicken’s fat is in its skin. Gotta find some andouille so I can make a gumbo this week. It might be a seafood one though since my shellfish-allergy-having girlfriend will be away and I should take advantage…
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 18:32 |
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The only thing I'd add is that andouille is far more available on the Gulf coast than in other parts of the country. Maybe this has changed, but even within the last couple years I've had to remind folks that any good quality, smoked pork sausage can be used in a pinch. Just don't get some jalapeno & cheddar abomination, you want something that's basically pork, fat, spices, and casing.
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 18:56 |
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Shooting Blanks posted:Maybe this has changed lol
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 19:02 |
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# ? Jun 5, 2024 04:09 |
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Phil Moscowitz posted:Gumbo megapost gat drat Phil Moscowitz posted:This is basically the same whether you use fish bones, shrimp heads/shells, crawfish heads/shells, crab shells, lobster shells, whatever. You can mix and match too. Seafood stock is a bit more delicate (unless you're using crawfish heads from a boil, which are strong). So probably stick to the lighter vegetables here. Notes for fellow posters who live in The North / away from the coast and your grocery only carries fresh or frozen headless shrimp: these suck for making stock. If you follow Phil's excellent stock directions using nothing but headless shrimp shells, you will be very disappointed! It will be water with a hint of shrimp flavor. Here is what I do: 1. peel the shrimp, shrimp into a bowl and shells into a smallish saucepan 2. tamp down the shells a bit, add a bit more than 1 cup water per original pound of shrimp. just enough to cover them. 3. put some vegetable bits and spices in 4. bring to boil, simmer for about ~30 minutes, stir the shells around once or twice during. Cooking for 1.5 hours is pointless: you're not gonna extract anything extra from a longer simmer because there's nothing there to extract. I happen to be making shrimp today, so here's a picture: This is... well TBQH it's still shrimp-flavored water, but at least it's strongly shrimp-flavored. Note the lack of any oils on the top like a real stock should have. The head of a crustacean is where it keeps all the yummy fats and stuff that cooks out to make a thick, rich stock like in Phil's picture. Large shells of a crab or crawfish will have a decent amount of meat stuck to it. Shrimp shells, not so much. The shell itself is pretty inert, so I'm just cooking out the tiny bit of flavor in the legs and tail. Is this worth it? IMO yes, it's at least quick and low-effort. Otherwise I would just throw these shells away, they're not worth saving in the freezer or whatever. This plus a box of chicken stock makes a good enough gumbo when you don't have better stock. You can also use some in the water for your rice, or make a really good ramen. Just use an extra bit of butter to compensate for the lost richness of a real stock. Phil Moscowitz posted:A silicone spatula is a nice tool to get roux down off the sides of the pot. Depending on how much flour you use, the texture will be anywhere from a thick viscous liquid to kind of like wet sand. If you make roux a lot, my favorite tool is a flat whisk. Stirs like a whisk but also works on the sides / bottom of the pan.
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# ? Sep 3, 2023 20:33 |