Gumbo opinions (3 Viewers)

I know people like to be jar roux snobs, but there really is no point in making your own roux. I wouldn't use the dry stuff, but the wet roux in the jar is exactly the same thing that you would make on your own stove. Either way, it's just flour and oil. There is literally no difference.

I know guys who would argue there's no difference between good wine and cheap wine or nice girls and mean girls. There are people who think there's no difference between prime beef and mcdonalds, but they're all wrong.
 
43A9B014-647D-4747-84AA-6BF77F9012B6.jpegNot sure why that happened. Maybe I started to quote one of your previous posts and didn’t delete it completely?

If I have wronged you in this instance, I apologize.
 
Yeah, boy. Man, there is nothing like that smell when the trinity hits that hot roux in the cast iron! (I always go onion first in my cooking, except with roux -- I take it almost right up to th color I want and then slam the brakes on it cooking with the water in the celery and green pepper). I have to slap my wife's hand 'cause she'll come over with a spoon and eat the roux just like that (I know, right?? Blech!).

And when I do seafood gumbo, I bring that roux right near up to black. Takes a bit, and it'll burn if you relax for a second, but whoo boy it's worth it!!
Yep.

They say smell is your most memory evoking sense and I believe it. every time I throw my onions in a frying roux the smell takes me immediately to a place in Slidell 45 years ago called St Christopher's Curve Inn that made the greatest onion rings I've ever had. Every time we went from Pensacola to my grandparents place I used to demand they take me there for cheeseburger po-boy and onion rings. I'd drive there tomorrow if it were still there, butI bet that it hasn't been for 40 years.

The smell will never leave my memory and that's what great food is all about.
 
Something weird is going on with the quote replies. Someone else quoted me and it was attributed to someone else. Let me check with the Admins in the back — this is way above my knowledge level.
 
I know guys who would argue there's no difference between good wine and cheap wine or nice girls and mean girls. There are people who think there's no difference between prime beef and mcdonalds, but they're all wrong.

I mean, I think all those things are subjective. So, good wine is wine you think is good. Not necessarily wine that others think is good. And, if you think otherwise, you are wrong.

But, again, there is a big difference between expensive wine vs. cheap wine, prime beef vs. a meat like substance, and one cooking oil designed not to taste like anything and another cooking oil designed not to taste like anything that are a very minor ingredient in something with many ingredients and flavors. But, if you can taste the subtle nuances in the difference between one oil and another in a pot of Gumbo, then you do you.
 
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For seafood, I like to get shucked oysters with the liquor, and I put that awesome liquor in while the gumbo is simmering, and add the oysters just right before serving so they don't overcook. I also like to saute seasoned shrimp separately, and then add them at the end.
 
For seafood, I like to get shucked oysters with the liquor, and I put that awesome liquor in while the gumbo is simmering, and add the oysters just right before serving so they don't overcook. I also like to saute seasoned shrimp separately, and then add them at the end.
Never thought about sautéed shrimp - what do you saute them in?
 
Maybe, but I'm not sure which is better. And, there really isn't much difference between the two except that peanut oil reaches a much higher temperature without burning. I mean there are peanut oils that intentionally have peanut flavor, but the ones used for frying, outside of Asian cooking, try to get rid of all that taste.

But, this isn't frying. This is gumbo where you mix a bunch of different flavors to reach the end result. So any difference in any one thing is going to have a minor effect on the finished product. Beyond that, my Maw Maw and mother always used regular vegetable oil to make roux. They weren't using some fancy grape seed oil or something.

And, Gumbo's origin is as a way to use all the left over pieces of meat and the bones of things so I don't think it's really a particularly delicate dish that involves subtle flavors. It was a hearty mean designed to provide energy for people who did manual labor for a living.

But, I mean, if people can tell a difference and want to use certain types of oils to make roux, more power to them. I just really can't tell (or don't really care enough) about the difference. Especially since the time commitment for making roux is so high and would pretty much so make it impossible for me to make Gumbo.
Grape seed oil is not fancy. :mad:
 
Never thought about sautéed shrimp - what do you saute them in?
I season them with a combo of paul prudhommes blackened redfish (or seafood magic), dried thyme, and maybe a little extra white and cayenne pepper, then carefully saute in good olive oil, turning and removing them just as they become done.

I like this method because, as I usually play around and tweak the overall gumbo which requires some flexibility on gumbo simmering time and adjusting for flavors, I no longer worry about overcooking shrimp that would otherwise have already gone in. Plus it's a nice presentation thing, I'll retain a few nicely sauteed shrimp to put on top in addition to mixing the rest in.
 
My wife and I have an agreement, she makes it and I eat it. I don't get into the creation aspect. Whatever she does, it is fantastic every time. She has also managed to convert some of these Florida people with zero taste buds. I do know that she does NOT use roux from a can or jar. I'm not permitted to "help" with that part.
 
I have a friend that sends me a Greenberg smoked turkey for Thanksgiving every year. It arrived last night!! Stripped the meat and the carcass is on the stove in the stock pot now and the whole house smells of smoky heavenliness!! Roux and slow gumbo Saturday. Eat Sunday. Mmmmmmm.
 

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