I come from “down the bayou,” where there are as many recipes for seafood gumbo as there are cooks. Everyone has their own version and everyone’s grandma makes it better than yours does. Okra, crabs, oysters, file and other ingredients occasionally find their way into the gumbo pot, but if there was a constant to seafood gumbo, it would be the presence of shrimp.

From the larger butterflied versions to the smallish “gumbo shrimp,” they are the mainstay of this dish. It was not until I moved to Acadiana though, that I first heard of using dried shrimp to give that salty briny flavor that was once only found most time consuming stocks.

Dried shrimp can be found at pretty much every corner store in south Louisiana. Sold in snack size bags to bulk versions, people often eat them straight out of the bag (usually with a cold beer in the other hand).   In Acadiana, they use them in their gumbos too.  They can add a great flavor to a gumbo and thicken it at the same time by adding them in at various times during the cooking process.

Frank Davis suggests cooking them down with the okra in bacon fat (oh the glory!).  Other cooks grind them up in a blender and sprinkle it into the stock or water as it just starts simmering.  Either way, the shrimp itself practically dissolves, leave only the briny flavor of shrimp, which is what you’re looking for in a seafood gumbo.  Heck, Paul Prudhomme even dispenses with fresh shrimp in making his egg and dried shrimp gumbo.

Anyone else have any tips for the use of these beauties?

Note: If you have trouble finding dried shrimp wherever you are, go to the local Asian market if you have one.