What do you do with home made shrimp stock? ........ Why, shimp risotto, of course.

[Stinky The Clown]

Sparkly's sister and brother in law were here this weekend, from the other coast. They're foodies, too.

Wuddaya want for supper?

Hmmm ..... wuddaya got to work with?

We made the risotto thus:

Saute some garlic and chopped onion in olive oil. Add the rice and saute it. Start adding some white wine. Then some hot stock. Keep stirring. Added some saffron. Add all the stock, ladle by ladle. Finished with some Pernod. A few tabs of butter.

Meanwhile, we sauteed the shrimps - big ol' 16-20 Tejas gulf shrimp. Sweet as can be. Garlic, olive oil, basil, oregano, and parsley. Salt to taste.

In a bowl with the rice. Top with shrimp.

MMMmmmmmMMMMMM!

[pengillian101]

1. big ol' 16-20 Tejas gulf shrimp.

Baby shrimp compared to what we recently got. 8-10 shrimp per pound. More like lobster tails, man, they should not be called 'shrimp' LOL!

Too bad that my recent dental procedure doesn't allow my chewing them.

Cut, cut, cut......

We have a pal who owns a nearby resort/restaurant who can purchase such things. 8 - 10 shrimp per pound - what an oxymoron.

[pengillian101]

2. What do you do with home made shrimp stock?

Oh, I forgot to say that I made my first shrimp stock ever from the shells. Do you have any other ideas on how to use it? Like in a bisque? I didn't use any seasonings in the water, but I thought about it. We have much more shrimp, so I can make many stocks, but need some guidance. I'm thinking garlic, onion, parsley, but that's pretty much my range of thought.

I am not a fancy chef, so simple is good ;-)

Thanks in advance.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. I froze the shells, collected some vegetable trimmings, and then made the stock.

You want aromatic vegetables. Celery. Onion. Carrots. Peppers.

I save peels and trimmings and freeze them. Not garbage. But trimmings.

Be careful with stronger flavored stuff. That can turn bitter in a stock. Also, no salt or pepper. Save the strong stuff and seasoning for the final dish. Stock is supposed to be neutral apart from its central flavoring.

[pengillian101]

4. Thanks, Stinky.

You sound just like Julia, LOL!

Bon appetite!

Now, I just have the watery-juice from boiling the shrimp shells that I want to use. Sans any flavorings whatsoever. Any ideas?

Thanks as always.

[flamin lib]

5. Nothiing like Texas Gulf Shrimp!

They're all I buy these days. Those folks need all the help they can get. Besides a lot of the imported stuff uses child and slave labor.

Last week I bought a pound of Gulf shrimp at twice the price of the bin next to them. The lady at the meat counter showed me the savings so I told her that Taiwan uses child labor on their shrimp boats, children as young as 11 years old, and they sometimes wash up on shore.

Thought she was gonna cry.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. When they're on sale at our Safeway, Gulf shrimp are as cheap as Asian farm raised shrimp

I always ask for a 5 lb bag from the freezer. Then I break them down into smaller packages, vacuum pack them, and freeze them.

Little known shrimp fact: Shrimp frozen as=t sea when caught are "fresher" than fresh shrimp a day put of the water and sold at the dock when the boat comes in. Shrimp deteriorate *very* quickly.

[Gormy Cuss]

7. I had an excellent crab risotto at a restaurant tonight. I have Dungeness crab meat and crab stock

in my freezer... a homemade crab risotto will be on the menu soon. Emulating the restaurant version I'll add some scallions and thyme plus a small amount of tomato paste.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. I love doing that kind of thing ...... replicating or interpreting a restaurant recipe at home .....

.... and then feeling all satisfied at doing it for so little money as compared to the restaurant price. :)

[madmax]

9. What method do you use to defrost shrimp?

I take them out of the bag and put them in cold water for 8-10 minutes. Then use them in whatever I'm making. Works out well.

My son is visiting and I'm making him pasta primavera this week. He luuuuuuvs shrimp. He doesn't get to eat any seafood home because his wife HATES it. She says just the smell of fish makes her sick. :(

Bet the shrimp stock would be most excellent used in quinoa - which the Inca's called 'the Mother of all grains'. I've got a box but, haven't tried it yet.