Fruit of the Sea Gumbo

        Shrimp are a delicious addition to many meals and can be served in a variety of ways. They are common in the cuisine in many different cultures and can be served on their own, as in a shrimp cocktail or grilled on the BBQ, in a pasta, in a soup, or mixed together with other proteins and vegetables, as found in Laksa.

Black Shrimp

        Before you start to cook with shrimp, you should know exactly what it is that you are eating. A shrimp is a crustacean with a long narrow tail, long whiskers and stalk eyes. Other crustaceans, such as lobsters and crabs, are strong walkers with thicker legs, whereas shrimp have slender, fragile legs that are used for perching. They are often found feeding near the seafloor on most coasts, in estuaries, and can even be found in rivers and lakes. They swim forwards by using the ‘swimmerets’ found on the underside of their abdomens. The terms “shrimp” and “prawn” are often used interchangeably.

         Now that you know what a shrimp is, the next challenge is trying to figure out what type of shrimp to buy. When you visit your local fishmonger, you’ll see that he will have his shrimp categorized according to size, with little in terms of breed variety. Let’s start with size, then we’ll talk about species. The smallest shrimp commonly sold are called ‘cocktail’ shrimp. These are often sold precooked and frozen, and are typically the cheapest. They are commonly used in salads. Prawns will go up gradually in size, and in price, from this small cocktail size, to jumbo, and sometimes you can even find gigantic (which look like small lobster tails). Depending on what you are doing with the shrimp can help you decide the size you should get. Your fishmonger might be able to help with this too.

White Shrimp

         There are two species of shrimp that I commonly see at St. Lawrence Market when I wander through the vendors: Black Tiger shrimp, and White shrimp. The White shrimp (which could be either the Pacific White shrimp, or the Atlantic White shrimp) is found in waters that don’t fall below 20^oC. The Black Tiger shrimp is an Indo-West-Pacific shrimp, although it is now also an invasive species in the Gulf of Mexico. This is probably the most widely known type of shrimp, although its popularity is decreasing due to the rising popularity of the white shrimp.

        Within each of these varieties you also have farmed, cultivated, and wild shrimp. According to Bubba in Forrest Gump, "shrimp is the fruit of the sea" and after learning about all the different types and sizes, you can see why. Bubba was from Bayou LaBatre, Alabama and gumbo is a popular dish down there.

So, here’s what you need to make Shrimp Gumbo:

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped green pepper (or any other colour pepper)

½ cup diced celery

2 tsp minced garlic

3 cups sodium reduced chicken broth

1 can (19oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes (drained)

1 cup diced okra or zucchini

1 tsp dried turmeric or cumin

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed

4 cups hot cooked brown rice

1. Sprinkle flour over bottom of a small pie plate and toast at 400^oC for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Stir once or twice during cooking time. Remove and set aside to cool. 

2. Melt butter in a large, non-stick pot over medium-high heat.

3. Add onions, green pepper, celery and garlic. Cook and stir vegetables begin to soften (about 3 minutes). 

4. Stir in toasted flour and cook for 1 minute.

5. Add broth and mix well. 

6. Add drained tomatoes, okra, cumin, paprika, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne. 

7. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Add shrimp and simmer for 5 minutes, until shrimp is cooked through.

To serve: Spoon rice into individual serving bowls and ladle gumbo over top. Serve hot.

Tips:

• Toasting the flour in the oven is a little healthier than making a traditional roux with oil and flour.
• I cut up the shrimp into smaller pieces because I prefer to have many bites with some shrimp rather than few bites with big shrimp.
• We’re not big on the smell of cumin, so I use an equal amount of turmeric.
• Okra can be tricky to find, but it’s a great thickening agent. If you use zucchini, your gumbo won’t be as thick, but you can just add some cornstarch (mix it with some water to make a loose paste before adding it to the gumbo to avoid clumps).
• Last time I made it, I added both okra and zucchini. Nothing wrong with extra veggies.
• Depending on how spicy you want it, you can add whatever kind of hot peppers you want. First time I made it, I added just a bit of cayenne flakes. Last time I made it, I added a jalapeño. Both times were delicious with a different kind of heat.

Makes 6 big servings at about 316 Calories per serving (6 WW points)

                                                                                                                                                              Enjoy!
                                                                                                                                                                       Mel

Dominic's Fish Market @ St. Lawrence Market, Toronto

"I'm not making art, I'm making sushi."

       These are the words spoken by Masaharu Morimoto, America's best Iron Chef. However, sushi really is an art, and it takes a lot of skill to do it well. Despite the fact that I am a woman, and I lack the many years necessary to become a sushi master, I enjoy making sushi (not to mention eating it too). Maybe it's due to my lack of experience (and maybe because the fish market can be so overwhelming), but I avoid making my sushi with raw fish. Instead, I make my sushi with a simple combination of cucumber, mango, and avocado.

Here's how I do it.
       First, gather your ingredients.  Some are not what you would normally have in your cupboard, so you might need to hit up the local grocery store. You will need:

The Ingredients

1. Rice vinegar - I used about a tablespoon
2. Sushi rice (I prefer Kokuho Rose) - I used 2 cups
3. Avocado - I used 1/4
4. Ripe mango - I used 1/4
5. Cucumber - I used 1 mini one
6. Water - I used 2 and 1/3 cups in the rice cooker
7. Nori paper (seaweed)

          Next, rinse your rice VERY well. I use a strainer so that I can swish it around with my hands under running water. When the water runs clear out of the rice, you're ready to get cooking.

         Cook the rice according to the package or rice cooker instructions. Make sure you add a bit of extra water because you don't want to have those delicious toasted pieces on the bottom.When the rice is finished cooking add a few splashes of rice vinegar and mix it well. Remove the rice from the rice cooker and spread on a cookie sheet to cool.

Delicious Filling

      While the rice is cooling, prepare your filling. You'll want to cut everything as close to a julienne as possible (like a matchstick). The cucumber will need to be de-seeded, as the seeds can make the sushi too watery, and, if you want, you can peel your cucumber too. I like the texture, so I leave the skin on. Once you have everything cut up and your rice is cooled, you're ready to start rolling.

Rolling in the deep

          When I was in Japan, I purchased a couple of sushi rolling mats. These are super handy, but, if you don't have one, don't fret, you can still do it by hand. Line the mat with plastic wrap (the pros use this too as it stops the filling from getting into the bamboo slats), and place a piece of nori paper on top. Wet your fingers a little, not so they are dripping, but so that they are coated. This will help the rice to not adhere to you. Wet them whenever the rice starts to stick to your fingers. Pick up some rice and spread it evenly over the nori paper, leaving about a 3/4 to 1 inch at the top (you can press it down tight if you'd like). Lay your filling over one end of the rice, and rinse and dry your hands.

Rocking and a Rolling 

         Starting at the filling end pick up the plastic wrap (and your mat if you have one), and curl it over the filling (this part takes some practice). Carefully, roll the nori paper, rice and filling into a cylinder. Using some water, (or use the fleshy portion of the mango peel) dampen the little strip of rice-less paper and finish rolling. Place the cylinder seam side down on a plate. Finish rolling all your others (you're last one will look the best, I promise).

Rolling on a river

         Cutting the sushi rolls you have worked so hard to prepare is the final challenge you must face. Make sure that you have a very sharp knife and a damp cloth or paper towel. Every time you make a slice through your roll, wipe off the knife to remove the sticky 'gunk' left by the rice. It works best if the knife is wet, so don't dry it off. You might find that using a firm sawing motion works best (I do) as it's very easy to squish the sushi rolls you've just painstakingly prepared.



         Serve with some wasabi and soy sauce.

                                                                                          Enjoy!
                                                                                              Mel

Mango & Lamb: A match made in heaven

        Each week we sit down before we go grocery shopping and make a menu for the week. This is helpful for many reasons.

1. We find that this helps us to not overspend at the grocery store - We make the menu, and decide what sides we'd like and how we can incorporate leftovers into lunches.
2. We both used to work crazy hours, so planning a menu helped the first one home start dinner.
3. Its a great way to take control of what is in the cupboard and freezer. We look there when we make the menu to try to use up the supplies we have, instead of adding to them.

        As of late, we are mostly concerned with 1 and 3 (I am currently "retired", so I have been making the meals), and since our freezer is FULL (meaning, there is no room for me to make some of my famous homemade ice cream), I've decided it is time to clean it out and eat the meat we've been saving, all while using ingredients kicking around the pantry (and, we hadn't done groceries yet).

Mango & Lamb: A Match Made in Heaven

        First, I started with lamb that we had previously cut into cubes and frozen to use in shishkabobs. Once they were mostly defrosted, I tossed the cubes into a bowl with Granny's Secret BBQ sauce (Your own secret sweet BBQ sauce will do just fine here). As those marinated I chopped up some onion and green peppers. "Hmmm," I thought as I looked around the kitchen, "I think it needs a little something to add some 'pizzazz'". Mango was just the pizzazz this dish needed, and lucky for me, I had half a ripe mango in the fridge.

      After cutting the mango into cubes I greased the bottom of a Pyrex dish (this isn't for flavour but to help make clean-up easier) and placed the thawed, marinated lamb cubes in the bottom in one layer. Next, I layered the mango and the green peppers over the meat. Finally, I topped it all off with the chopped onion. I popped it in the oven uncovered at 350°F, for about an hour (not sure how long it was in there exactly as I often forget to set the timer).

     As the delicious smells wafted through the house I prepared some rice and veggies. The key to good rice is to rinse it thoroughly until the water runs clear (or close to it). I find that by putting the desired amount of rice into a strainer (or sieve) and swishing it around under running water is the easiest way to clean the excess starch off the rice. Once the rice is rinsed, place it in the rice cooker and added a layer of frozen veggies on top. Cook the rice according to your rice cooker's instructions. 

     To plate: 1. scoop some rice and veggies onto the plate  2. Add a generous amount of mango, onion, lamb, and pepper over top of the rice.  3. Drizzle your Secret homemade BBQ sauce over top of the delicious combination.

                                                                            Enjoy!
                                                                                Mel