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