I'm of the old school.  How many "cups" equal how many "grams"?  27 grams of olive oil = how many cups or other measurement?

So funny!  I am a Cajun and Forrest Gump did not have a Cajun accent! His friend who died in battle was from Louisiana.  He first stated all the shrimp facts and Forrest was correct when he repeated all the different meals we can make from shrimp!

Lordy be, there's a ton of ways we can prepare shrimp!  I make shrimp stew, shrimp ettouffee, shrimp chowder, boiled shrimp, shrimp cocktails, fried shrimp, shrimp po-boy's, shrimp casseroles and gumbo.  The list is endless.  We put shrimp on top of our homemade pizzas, absolutely delicious!

We moved from Louisiana to Florida eight years ago, so we still have a steady stream of accessibility to shrimp all year round.

I've lost 40 pounds over a year or more ago and I now steam my shrimp in a covered frying pan.  It works beautifully and as the article states, it is a great base for a healthy meal. 

Here's how I make it.  I buy a bag, as mentioned in the article of 1 1/2 pounds of headless shrimp with the shells on.  They come in several sizes and it goes by the count per pound.  The extra large are for shrimp cocktail or other types of cooking, like grilling.  The large can be used for steaming and in certain dishes.  The medium are great for salads, gumbos, stews and countless other recipes.

I allow the shrimp to defrost for a bit in a colander by running cool water over them.  I heat up the pan and spray regular Pam or you can use buttered Pam.  I then add a little whipped butter, maybe 1 T or less.  I throw in some red pepper flakes, about 1 tsp.  I then put in the shrimp with shells on and I add about 1 tsp. of liquid crab boil.  I add in some Emeril's seasoning about 2 tsp.  Salt and Pepper and the juice of one lemon.  I also add in about a cup of water and then I cover and cook this over a medium heat.

After it heat ups and is good and steaming.  I let it cook for about 5 minutes, take it off the fire and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Then you can remove the shrimp with a pierced serving spoon and let them cool off in a plate.  Take out the recommended serving for your meal and enjoy it with a T of ketchup, a half sweet potato and some homemade steamed green beans with onions.

It's a lovely meal!  Great article!

C'est Si Bon!   

Original Post by: jhholland

I'm of the old school.  How many "cups" equal how many "grams"?  27 grams of olive oil = how many cups or other measurement?

According to this website, 27 grams = 1 ounce = 2 Tablespoons.

http://www.asknumbers.com/OuncesToGramsConversion.aspx

The answer would be, "that depends on what you are measuring." That's because grams are units of weight and cups are units of volume. While you might get away with interchanging volumes and weights for some thinsg in cooking you'll eventually have a problem. It's why you shouldn't use a pyrex liquid measuring cup to measure flour.

My Dad sure loves his shrimp. Since he has been watching his diet, every Sunday he makes a large garden salad topped with shrimp. He usually puts Old Bay seasoning or another seafood seasoning on it. It is always delicious. He is very strict with what he eats but still eats shrimp.

QUESTION

I love etoufee so looked over the recipe linked in the article

The directions say ADD CELERY but its not listed in ingredients so I wonder how much?

Also after adding the chopped shrimp to the pan, it says cook for 20 minutes ... that seems WAY too long to cook shrimp????

WAAAAYYYYYY too much cholesterol. 3 little ounces has over half the AHA recommeded serving of 300mg? I'll pass, thanks.

Nancy, I looked over the recipe you mentioned.  I would add 1/2 cup of celery to the recipe.  She left that off but that's what I suggest.  I make the south Louisiana Cajun Etouffee and it is different than this recipe.

Just make sure to saute the onions and celery well and throw in the garlic a minute before you put the shrimp in.

No, that is not too long in my opinion.  The fire by then should be low to medium so it sort of simmers nicely for that time. 

I have eaten undercooked shrimp in restaurants and I know they tell you only a couple of minutes but I have been cooking shrimp in seafood dishes for the past 30 years and I always cook them longer.  I do it to get the flavor out of the shrimp and into the dish.

Mamasue5 - thanks for your cooking suggestion! I travel often to Louisiana for work and love the flavors and styles of cooking there. I often put Tony Chachere's in food for a little kick. I don't have a cholesterol problem and I love that they taste so good for their calorie amount.  If only crawfish were available here and/or year round!

thanks for the feedback on the recipe!  appreciate it ... i thought cooking shrimp that long would make it too rubbery =- what do i know?!?!?!?! 

I'm a New Orleanian and  I also have to watch my cholesterol, but as far as I'm concerned, cholesterol from seafood doesn't count. I'll avoid other meats for a month if I have to in order to justify a seafood feast. I eat as much fresh local seafood as I can afford. Yea, I'm a binge drinker too.

Please try to use wild shrimp caught in the USA. Who knows what contaminants are in those foreign farm raised shrimp.

Yes, the food is fabulous.  I miss it so much but everyone here loves when I cook the speciality type dishes of that area.

You know a part of eating properly is learning to eat in moderation.  Many times people get into trouble when they say things are "bad" in one manner or another.

I cook many healthy dishes from that area because most of the dishes prepared have a base of fresh vegetables such as bell pepper, onions, garlic, parsley, celery and green onions.  Many of the dishes are dishes like red beans and rice.

This dish is a great dish but it's not a dish I make on a weekly basis.  It's a special type dish and a dish that is great for a special occasion or for entertaining purposes.

Actually, you mentioned crawfish.  I make crawfish etouffee also and to me it is my favorite dish to make for entertaining or for a special occasion.

It is out of this word with its rich full flavor.  I make it with potato salad and garlic bread for a special occasion.

I eat well the majority of the time.  I've lost 40 pounds and I have maintained that loss but that does not mean that I will deprive myself of never eating special dishes from time to time.  I just can't eat that way on a daily or weekly basis.

It's just like exercising, some people spend hours a day exercising.  I don't.  I do 30 minutes of brisk walking/jogging and 30 minutes of Pilates or a dumbbell/squat routine.

For me, it's all about moderation and eating within my count the majority of the time.

I wish I liked shrimp. Had a horrible horrible incident with shrimp once now when I see someone in my home cooking it I get a horrible feeling and want to throw up.

I eat out on those days

Thanks for the inspiration.  I just picked up some frozen shrimp at the market and plan to fix it with tomatoes, peppers and some okra.  Lots of onion and garlic of course! 

this tiny fruit of the sea packs a wallop of cholesterol in ratio to its size, and being so small, folks tend to eat a bunch = how many mg of cholesterol?   if cardiovascular health is a concern for you look out cuz this little seafruit will get you in the end!!

Original Post by: yalcekim

WAAAAYYYYYY too much cholesterol. 3 little ounces has over half the AHA recommeded serving of 300mg? I'll pass, thanks.

Although it is still important to limit the amount of cholesterol you eat, especially if you have heart disease or diabetes, dietary cholesterol isn't nearly as bad as saturated fat.  Shrimp has almost no fat or saturated fat.

In research, a steady diet of shrimp did not worsen the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol or the ratio of LDL (bad) to HDL cholesterol, and shrimp consumption actually decreased blood triglycerides. 

The American Heart Association says that moderate shrimp consumption will not adversely affect the lipid profiles of people with acceptable ratios and shrimp can be included in a "heart healthy" diet.

Actually, you CAN go wrong with shrimp. 

Shrimp farming is very damaging to the environment.  Also, most of the shrimp eaten in the US is from Asia and has been found to contain dangerous levels of toxins.

Here are just some of the sites to check out for info:
http://www.practicalenvironmentalist.com/travel/shrimp-shrim p-farming-and-the-environment-is-your-meal-safe.

htmhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214114510.ht mhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/0 6/0621_040621_shrimpfarm.html

Great article Mary!  I also love your opinion and explanation backed by the research you supplied.  Very informative and very interesting!

I am fortunate that I have lived in Louisiana and now in Florida where I do have accessibility to shrimp that is straight from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

I do think people are correct that shrimp are not inexpensive.  Believe it or not, even in Louisiana and Florida, they are not what most people would refer to as inexpensive.  I guess because we live here, it is less expensive for us.

I think so many foods from our land and waters of the United States are wonderful and they're here for us all to enjoy whenever we have the opportunity.

As I stated before, many foods don't have to be labeled as "bad" for you based on one reason or another.  We can eat many of these type foods in moderation or for a special occasion.

That's what is so great about living in America, you also have the "choice" not to eat certain foods as well.

I have to agree with the posts about the cholesterol and also, shrimp and other shelled sea creatures are bottom dwellers, so they feed on the stuff that accumulates at the bottom of the sea, toxins, excrement etc. I used to be a big shrimp eater but now I limit my intake because the thought of this grosses me out!

27 grams of olive oil is about 1 fluid ounce or 1/8 of a cup.

Just to "weigh in".  That was Bubba who said that, not Forrest  

Ya know I always thought that when someone references a scene in a movie and they put something like (Forest Gump, 1994) they are actually refering to the title of the movie and not a character in it.

Original Post by: epiphany323

Ya know I always thought that when someone references a scene in a movie and they put something like (Forest Gump, 1994) they are actually refering to the title of the movie and not a character in it.

Yup, you are correct.  The name of the movie is the same as the name of the character.  Forrest Gump  1994

Original Post by: doubletime

Just to "weigh in".  That was Bubba who said that, not Forrest  

Yupp, I can second that.