The native shrimp are here, and boy are they delicious!

So, last Wednesday Steve Parkes came to the studio (aka my kitchen) to cook some recipes that used native shrimp.  The shrimp are  sweet, like candy almost–and then I used them in two recipes, Cape Ann Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo and my Festive Shrimp and Spinach Braid.  Steve is from the Cape Ann Catch Share/Gloucester Fisherman’s Wives and is an expert in matters of seafood and was so much fun to cook with that I hope he joins me on Inspired Cooking again soon. Thank You Steve!

Here are the recipes for this week’s show which airs tonight at 8:30, Friday at 4:30 and Sundays at 11:30 on Cape Ann TV, Channel 12.

This week, I also had the good sense to take some photos while I was trying out the recipes getting ready to tape the show the night before so there are some step by step pictures of what everything is supposed to look like while it is being prepared.  I will try to do this more often as I think it will be helpful.

Festive Native Shrimp and Spinach Braid:

• 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet or Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• 1 box (9 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
• 1 /2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup julienne cut sun dried tomatoes in oil, well drained
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat (chèvre) cheese
• 3/4 cup shelled native shrimp
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon water
• salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  On a lightly floured surface, rolll out doug to a 12×9-inch rectangle and if using the crescents, pinch together perforations.

With scissors or sharp knife, make diagonal cuts 1 inch apart on long sides of dough rectangle.

Spread spinach in a 3-inch wide strip lengthwise down the center of dough leaving 1-inch edge on both ends. Season with garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Layer tomatoes over the spinach and crumbled cheese over the tomatoes.  Top with the shrimp and season with more salt and pepper.

Alternately cross strips diagonally over filling. Turn ends of braid up and press to seal. In small bowl, beat egg with water. Brush over top of braid

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into slices

This is so excellent and the shrimp add such a nice sweet element to this appetier.  Make this and take it to a party this weekend–they will think you are a genius!

And for the next recipe I am taking a little help from Emeril Lagasse (I followed parts of his recipe) because I don’t think he will mind as he and my Lily are big friends, as you can see by this photo:

Cape Ann Native Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

¾ cup light brown roux, see how to make a roux, recipe follows
1 ½ cup diced onions
3/4 cup diced celery
¾ cup diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
6 cups shrimp or chicken stock
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into ¼ rounds and quartered (no andouille to found on Cape Ann last week so I used linguica)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3-4 cups cleaned native shrimp
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
3 tablespoons cup green onion tops, chopped
1 tablespoons dried parsley
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/3 cup green onion tops, chopped
Steamed White Rice for serving

Brown the sausage in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium high heat.  With a slotted spoon, remove sausage and set aside.  Add the roux to the pan.  When hot, add the onions, celery and bell pepper. Stir mixture until onions begin to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.

Slowly pour in stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the browned sausage, bay leaves, hot sauce, cayenne (optional), salt, and pepper.
Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until gumbo is slightly reduced, about 50 minutes.

Season the shrimp with the Creole seasoning in a small bowl. Stir in the seasoned shrimp, parsley, thyme and basil. Cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve in warmed soup bowls over steamed white rice and top with chopped green onions.

How to Roux:
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Place a heavy, iron Dutch oven, (or iron skillet with deep sides) over medium heat and heat the oil until just smoking. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to desired color. Be careful not to produce specs of black. The roux must remain an even color throughout process. If specs appear you must start over.

For a Light Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the color of peanut butter.

For a Medium Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the color of a copper penny when ready.

For a Dark Brown Roux, cook the mixture an additional 35 to 45 minutes. The color should resemble dark chocolate when ready.
.
Yield: about 2 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1-2 hours

NOTE: The timings for various shades of roux will vary depending on the cooktop as well as the amount of roux made. (A smaller amount will cook in much less time.) If this is your first time making a roux, the slower you cook it, the less likely you will be to burn it. The important thing is to cook the roux to the desired color, as specified above.

As always,  feel free to respond to this post if you have any questions.   Thanks!