Shrimp don't take long to cook. Two to four minutes is usually all it
takes depending on the size. The longer it cooks the tougher it gets.
In gravies, if I don't have shrimp stock I usually throw in a handful of
chopped up shrimp to get a little flavor going then put the remainder in
right before the dish is done. Making your own shrimp stock is easy to
do and really adds the shrimp flavor to your dishes.
Shrimp Stock - Using the fresh shells of 1 - 2 lbs. of shrimp.
Simply peel the shrimp saving the shells (heads also if you like) and
rinse them off with water. In a stock pot pour the shells in and add
enough water to cover the shells then another inch or so.. Add a few bay
leaves, one onion quartered, two cloves whole peeled garlic, a few slices of
lemon and two stalks of celery chopped large. Boil for about an hour and
cook on a low heat until reduced by 1/3. Strain and discard shells and
vegetables. I've seen recipes with more ingredients but I just want the
shrimp flavor with a basic stock body. Shrimp stock can have a strong
flavor so be careful when using it.
You can also add a small handful of dried shrimp to stews and other
sauce dishes to increase the shrimp flavor.
Another hint when cooking shrimp in a gravy dish is to let it rest off
of the fire about an hour before it is eaten. The extra time allows more
shrimp flavor to be released and allows the shrimp to absorb the great
seasonings.
Alone, baked, grilled, fried and boiled shrimp are delicious and go well
with dipping sauces.
Shrimp can be chopped fine and used in dips.
Chopped shrimp can also be used as a base for stuffings like stuffed
Mirletons, and, can be stuffed themselves.
Here in South La. we make what is called a shrimp boulette "French for
Ball" (we shape them kind of like a small hamburger patty). It's made
with either a bread or potato base, shrimp, onion and so on, then fried;
sort of like a hush puppy.
Dried shrimp... how do they do that? Yesteryears' process consisted of
laying shrimp out on large wooden platforms to dry in the sun. The
shrimp were them gathered and walked on to knock off the shells. You can
make your own dried shrimp by boiling your own and putting them in a pan
in the sun to dry, the oven is just too hot. Today's process is a little
different. You can also find a lot on the history of
dried shrimp by doing a search using ...shrimp drying platforms...
you'll find some very interesting facts, and, read about "Manila
Village". By the way... Manila Village would make a great school report
for your youngsters! The new process is shown in pictures here.
Click
Here's a good article on
shrimping in South Louisiana...
There are literally thousands of shrimp dishes made around the world.
The discussion here is limited mostly to South La. and the Gulf coast.
Bon' Appetite'