Sunday, July 19, 2009

Good Weekend, Great Gumbo

I have been wanting to make some Shrimp Gumbo for some time. Trouble is, in order to do it right, you need whole shrimp. Heads and all. None of the local stores offer whole shrimp. Plus with working all the time, I just haven't had the time to do it right.

I love to cook, but doing it right takes time, and I just haven't had the time.

For my birthday, we went up to Deception Pass, and took a nice long hike. On the way back, we stopped a a fresh seafood place. I mean, fresh off the boat, caught that day. I bought five pounds, of shrimp which we immediately put on ice.

After a long day, I didn't feel like starting on the gumbo that night, so I waited until this morning to get at it. The key to a good gumbo is the soup base. So first thing this morning I headed and shelled five pounds of shrimp, which took an hour and a half. Then you take the heads and shells, put them in a big pot with a quarter on an onion, a stalk of celery and garlic. Simmer for at least four hours.

Then make the gumbo. Sure, it takes all day, but the results are to die for. Definitely worth the work and bother.

I've had two bowls, and I get the feeling that I will be back for more before the evening is over.

There will be plenty of leftovers to eat for the next couple of days, and some to put in the freezer for later.

2 comments:

Sarah said...

Mmmm, sounds delicious! Hope you had a great birthday!

Al said...

Sarah: It was a very nice weekend, and a real nice birthday. I did what I wanted and went where I chose, ate what I wanted, had a couple of excellent beers. And we won't talk about the rest...........